Thinking Thursday - Kitchen cabinet refinishing vs replacement: Which do I need?

Your kitchen cabinets take up a lot of real estate in your kitchen, so if they are showing their age, they can start to drag down the look and value of the whole room.  While we all dream of doing the big kitchen renovation, if that is not in the cards, focusing on your cabinetry may be a good project to update your kitchen.  Deciding between refinishing and replacing kitchen cabinets is a big and costly decision. 

Replacing kitchen cabinets 

Kitchen cabinets with significant damage must be replaced or repaired.  Covering up warping, water damage, mold, or other issues that impact the quality of the material is only a temporary solution.  Of course, you should replace your kitchen cabinets if the layout of the space does not work for you.  If you feel the cabinets seem to be in the wrong spots or there aren’t enough of them, the only solution is to replace them with a better layout.  A disadvantage of cabinet replacement is the cost.  You could pay 3-5 times more to replace your cabinets compared to cabinet refinishing.  Also, it will take longer.  You will need to take everything out of your cabinets and also find a new place to eat while your kitchen is under construction.  You will have to pull out your old cabinets and move appliances.   

Refinishing kitchen cabinets 

You should refinish the cabinets already in your kitchen if the current design is functional.  If you do not want to change the set-up of your cabinets, refinishing them can give a dated color or stain a fresh new look without costing you a fortune or putting you and your family through a full renovation.  High-quality wood cabinets are also solid candidates for refinishing.  Refinishing these hardy cabinets can both conserve wood and money.  Opting to refinish, rather than replace kitchen cabinets is more cost-effective saving you between 3-5 times than if you replaced them.  When refinishing cabinets, your kitchen is under construction a lot less amount of time also.  When refinishing your cabinets, it is necessary to really clean the wood surface good because of all the grease and oil that has built up over the years.  After the cabinets are cleaned thoroughly, you can go to your local paint store to obtain primers and colors to refinish them. 

So, when it is time to update your kitchen, whether for functional or aesthetic purposes, you have to decide what is best for you.  If you decide to refinish your oak cabinets and do not want the grain to show, Aqua Coat Grain Filler can help you obtain a smooth, glass finish.  All our products are water-based, non-flammable, non-combustible, low odor, eco-friendly, easy to apply and clean up, and are a breeze to master.