While kitchen remodels are sometimes a must, many times it can be difficult to go about your daily activities whenever your kitchen isn’t functional. Refinishing your kitchen cabinets is the best option for busy families who need a remodel but can’t sacrifice using their kitchens. With refinishing, your kitchen remains clean and usable throughout the entire process as most of the work is done within your own kitchen. Find out how refinishing can not only keep your kitchen functional but save you time and money with this guide!

 

Updates For Kitchen Cabinets

When you’re looking to update your kitchen cabinets, there are a variety of options that you can choose from that range in price and quality. If your cabinets are old, damaged or smell, replacing is typically the best option for you. Replacing kitchen cabinets is no easy task, though; most homeowners will have to hire professional cabinet installers to properly place their new cabinet bases and frames to make sure that they are level and precise. This process is expensive and can cost anywhere from $12,000-20,000. Although it may seem like a lot of money, it does ensure that you have beautiful, new cabinets that can last for years to come. Another popular option to redo your cabinets is called refacing, which replaces the cabinet doors and drawers of your existing cabinets with new ones. Refacing cabinets doesn’t tear out the old frames but rather repurposes them for future use. The only new parts of your cabinets will be the doors and drawers, which saves you a lot of time and effort in the long run. You have a lot more options to choose from when refacing and you can customize your cabinets however you want. The final option you have is refinishing, which is your fastest and most cost-effective alternative to updating your cabinets. Refinishing is comparable to painting your cabinets, but different materials, like coatings and veneers, are used to complete this project. It’s not recommended that laminate cabinets be refinished since the process of sanding and painting can interfere with the overall look, but for those on a time constraint and small budget, it works great.

 

The Refinishing ProcessMan installing kitchen cabinet doors

To get the kitchen remodel that you want at a price that you can afford, refinishing is your best option. While the cost is a nice perk, the ability to use your kitchen during the entire process is what convinces most homeowners to refinish cabinets rather than replace or reface them. The entire refinishing process takes between 3 and 5 days to complete, plus your kitchen remains usable, accessible and clean from start to finish. For the first few days, your contractor will be inside of your kitchen coating, hand-sanding, priming, caulking and applying the finish onto the exterior surfaces of your cabinet frames. Your kitchen will be taped off during this time to ensure that these materials don’t touch any other part of your kitchen. Once this is completed, the doors and drawers will be taken off-site to receive the same treatment before receiving three coats of commercial-grade acrylic coatings to complete the finish. This process ensures a durable finish that will stay beautiful and undamaged for years to come. Any knobs or handles that you would like replaced is also included during the refinishing process, and you can choose from various finishes such as solid, pinstriping, glazing, rustic and rub-through to finish your look.

 

Making Your Cabinets Unique

Once you’ve completed your kitchen remodel, it’s always fun to add bits of your personality to the end look. Try adding uplighting on top of your cabinets or task lighting for underneath so that you can make your kitchen as bright or dim as you want. You can add built-in features such as roll out shelving to make grabbing pots and pans easier to do, or you can increase lid storage by installing racks on the inside of your cabinets where you can hang lids. For a striking look, try replacing the cabinet’s handles and knobs with playful ones that come in different colors, like violet, amber, green or clear glass. Open cabinets look especially good with removable wallpaper that can be designed however you want it. The peel-and-stick adhesive makes it easy to install and remove, plus it brightens up the look of plain cabinets to make them stand out.

 

Your kitchen remodel can be just as unique as you are without costing you a fortune. For detailed and customized remodels, refinishing is your cheapest option to create beautiful cabinets and still have money left over to pay for the unique additions that you want included.

 

Get A FREE Estimate On Your Next Project

At Summit Cabinet Coatings, we offer a free estimate on your next refinishing project, plus we sit down with our clients to help them design their dream kitchens. We provide a variety of finishes that will fit your tastes, save you money and last for years. Call our office today at (970) 282-9856 to learn more!