Having kitchen cabinets adds beauty to your house. But as time goes by, these kitchen cabinets will change. They will have scratches on their surfaces, their paints will fade, and the design might look outdated. One solution of it is to replace your old kitchen cabinet. But the thing is, it will cost you a lot. That is why many people choose the simple kitchen cabinet refacing.
What is kitchen cabinet refacing? Well, this is a procedure where the old doors of your cabinet and drawer fronts will be replaced. Your existing cabinet boxes will also be concealed. This procedure doesn’t need for you to buy new cabinets and install a new one. It is like giving your kitchen cabinets a fresh new look. But the question is, how much does cabinet refacing cost?
Average Kitchen Cabinet Refacing Cost
Kitchen cabinet refacing is best when your cabinet still works well. Typically, if your cabinet is still in good shape but its parts like the pulls, hinges, or knobs are not. If this is the case, then you would only have to buy these specific parts. You can spend around $2 up to $4 each for them, and you can simply find them at an ordinary home improvement store. But if you are a picky person and want to find a more customizable design, you can buy them for around $20 up to $50 each. You can purchase them online at Amazon.
Usually, if you avail a kitchen cabinet refacing, you will have to choose between rigid thermofoil, plastic laminate, and real wood veneer.
- Rigid Thermofoil is the most affordable one. If you are saving money, this would be the best choice. A rigid thermofoil features a durable plastic coating over a fiberboard. This has a home depot cabinet refacing price of around $1,000 up to $3,000.
- Plastic laminates have the same price as the rigid thermofoil. But this type has a lot of colors and design that you can choose from. This one is also durable and is resistant to moisture.
- A real wood veneer that has a thickness of ¼ inch has a kitchen cabinet refacing cost of around $2,500 up to $6,000. But the price would increase to $7,000 up to $9,000 if you want a more high-quality wood veneer and if you have a very large kitchen cabinet. You can choose many types of wood veneer, from oaks, cherry, and even maple. There are also a lot of colors you can choose from. This is the most expensive option among the three. The cost is high because the wood must be sealed to give protection from moisture.
If the home depot cabinet refacing price for you is just too expensive, you can do the project on your own. But bear in mind that this project is complicated and can consume a lot of your time. If you want to do it by yourself, you will need to buy the materials needed. Usually, the materials would cost you around $200 up to $500. If you are using wood veneers, you will also have to buy tools that are specialized for veneers like rollers, blades, and irons. Typically, these extra materials would cost you around $5 up to $60.
Inclusions
Now that you have an idea on how much does kitchen cabinet refacing cost, the next thing you should know are the inclusions whenever you want to avail one.
In a kitchen cabinet refacing, the contractor you will hire should remove your cabinet’s doors, drawer fronts, and the parts attached to it. The contractor will then install the veneer on the base of your kitchen cabinet. After installing the veneer, he will then add the new doors, drawer fronts, and hardware that match your cabinet. Typically, the process of refacing your kitchen cabinet would take two up to four days. The length depends on the complexity of the work.
If you want to have a wood veneer but can’t afford one, you can choose rigid thermofoil. It is affordable, durable, can be easily cleaned and has a lot of designs and colors you can choose from.
What Type of Veneers to Choose
As what we have mentioned above, there are three options you can choose from. These three options have different features and prices. This all depends on your preference.
Rigid thermofoil or RTF is a vinyl foil that is molded with the use of pressure over a fiberboard door that has a medium density. This type of veneer can be formed in many styles. It can even be formed as arched, and cathedral doors, panel that is raised and even panels that are eyebrow rose. Unlike laminates, RTF only has a few colors that you can choose, but it is designed to look like wood. This type is very durable and has the lowest price among the rest.
Plastic laminates are the ones that have a lot of colors that you can choose from. It is a bit expensive than RTF, and sometimes, they are only available to cabinets that have plain door styles. They are also less durable than RTF. This type is famous because of their printed design, especially for modern kitchens. Even if they are not durable compared to RTF, they are still decently sturdy.
The last one is the wooden veneer. This type is the most expensive and usually costs 10 percent up to 25 percent more than plastic laminates and rigid thermofoil. Depending on what the customer wants, they can choose a lot of variety of woods. This type of veneer is very vulnerable to moisture that is why this type needs to be sealed to protect itself from moisture. Only before sealing that it needs a lot of care. After wood veneers are sealed, they typically don’t need much care and has a long lifespan.
Procedure
The first thing to do is to call a professional to do your kitchen cabinet refacing. You can visit a site called Face Your Kitchen to help you find one near your area. After you called them and the price of installation is agreed, the professional will go to your house and get accurate measurements on your cabinets and will give an estimate on how much veneer is required. The professional will also determine the precise sizes and quantities for the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. He will also estimate how much hardware will be needed. After giving you the estimates, you will have to order the materials that are needed. Usually, those doors and drawer fronts that you ordered will take one up to two weeks before it will be delivered.
After all the materials are delivered, the installer will again come to your house and remove all the old cabinet doors and drawer fronts. He will then prepare the cabinet box’s surface by washing the exterior side with the use of a degreaser and finish it with a light sanding. If there are damages on the surface, it will be repaired or filled to make sure that it secures a fit for your new veneer.
Finally, the installer will apply veneer to that faces of your kitchen cabinet and other parts that are exposed. He will then attach the new doors, drawer fronts, and the different parts. If the complexity of the job is simple, it would only take a single day. The maximum number of days to do a kitchen refacing is four days.