Cabinet Refacing

[meanderawl]

Had planned on tackling this job myself, but not sure i'm going to get to it and the other half is getting antsy.  Looking to have the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers replaced, boxes refaced, etc..... Anyone familiar with the quality, and cost, of the major refacing companies, such as Kitchen Savers or the companies used by the big box stores?  So far the only thing i'm hearing is they're all expensive and not much cheaper than having a complete kitchen remodel done, including new boxes.  Would prefer to avoid complete tear out if possible.  Any info or input appreciated.

[R Clark]

Measure the boxes and buy new doors and drawer box fronts on line?  Would probably save a lot of time and money, if that's what you need.

[MstrCarpenter]

Measure the boxes and buy new doors and drawer box fronts on line?  Would probably save a lot of time and money, if that's what you need.

What he said. A long time ago I subbed for "Kitchen Magic". The only did plastic laminate on 1/4"luan and 3/4" MDF; usually a wood grain. The doors and fronts were cheap looking even with a design routed in the door panels. However , I could make the boxes look like new cabinets. I've done a few with 1/4" cabinet grade ply.. The short version is to pre-finish the plywood then cut side panels and rip the required strips to width for the face frames. don't forget to add 1/4" for the stiles that will get new panels (do the same if you're covering the bottoms too.). I installed the pieces with const. adhesive spread with a fine notched trowel and held them in place with a pinner and/or tape. The only tricks I learned was to cut the pieces slightly oversize and trim with a ball bearing flush cutter and to install the pieces to look like a single, custom made face frame. I also found the best way to treat the edge of stiles next to a panel is to use 3/4" iron on edge banding. It not only covers the joint between the 1/4" stile and !/4" panel, it makes the whole assembly look like a custom box with a 3/4" face frame attached.

[R Clark]

LOML has mentioned kitchen cabinets a few times.  She's looking to update the look, not new boxes.  If it's more than just paint, we'll likely head online to see what can be had for doors.  Like other stuff, price points vary with the quality of the product.

[Kmucha16]

I did this several years ago when I was young, poor, and didn't know any better. I had several contractors out to give options and costs. We really wanted white, and looking back, should have simply painted the boxes and ordered new paintable doors. We ended up ordering new doors and drawer fronts that were/are MDF with high pressure laminate surface. The price was right and they looked great for several years. Super easy to clean, just wipe it down. The problem is that now that laminate is coming off the substrate and is starting to look like trash. I've been able to re-glue some of the edging back to the MDF, but some areas have chipped off.

When refacing the cabinets, one of the contractors indicated that they would install a whole sheet over the face and route the openings with a flush trim bit. I liked that idea for white so there weren't any joint lines on the face. So we ordered 1/4 mdf with white laminate surface. I used contact cement to attach the new panels to the cabinets. Again, looked great for several years, super easy to clean. The associated trim materials made it easy to finish the corners and hide the edges of the mdf panel. The panels have remained secure to the cabinets, but the laminate started failing off the substrate. I've reattached some with spray contact cement, but it didn't stick well and now there's air pockets under the laminate. The other problem with using the 1/8 panel is that it pulled the hinge screws out so they were installed in the joint between the cabinet and the panel. I have to go around periodically and retighten the hinges as there isn't much wood for the screws to bite into at that joint.

For an all in price of about $2,500 it fit our budget and I did the install and didn't have to do a complete tearout of the kitchen as we had already put in a new countertop and appliances. Lots of resources online for new doors and drawer fronts. After my experience I'd recommend wood or MDF with a painted finish instead of the laminate, if you're looking for a painted finish. I don't remember where I got my doors/drawer fronts from, but there are many options now. There are options for self-adhesive wood strips if you're looking to change the wood species of the cabinets. As long as they're actual wood, that could be a good choice too. You can get matching wood species doors/fronts also.

There are certainly lots of options for the DIYer, and with a bit of planning it's not a bad job. I'd reface cabinets again over a tearout if the boxes were in the right layout and were in good condition. I wouldn't use the laminate material again, but I'd consider the wood versions. As much as I love DIYing everything, I'd absolutely buy new doors and drawer fronts over making them myself at this point. My attention to detail just isn't what it should be for a project like that, and I don't have the time right now. Maybe in the future though.

Hope this helps.
Kevin

[Gary G™]

This is some of the refacing I did for a kitchen in a 1960’s built Florida home.
I redid the face frames in natural 3/8” Cypress.
This one picture is a portion of the work in process.

[EricU]

This is some of the refacing I did for a kitchen in a 1960’s built Florida home.

Did you take the old face frame off?