Kitchen cabinet refinishing ideas

One of the fastest and least expensive ways to get a "new" kitchen is to refinish the cabinets.

Here's what's involved in doing this the right way.

First, have a look at the cabinet doors and any exposed sides. Are they solid, real wood? Then the chances are that even if they are marked, they can be brought back to a new condition by refinishing them.

Next, take the doors off the cabinets, remove the accessories, hinges, knobs and so on, and lay them out in a large open area, like a garage. There, sand them down to a new finish and when they are cleaned up and ready for re-painting or re-staining, go ahead and do that. This will not take a long time, but it will give your kitchen cabinets a fresh new look at a tiny fraction of the cost of buying in new cabinets and replacing your old ones.

Now, we are talking here about refinishing -- not refacing your cabinet doors. That involves taking the doors out and replacing the veneer with new sheets. Builders say that refacing will cost about twice as much as refinishing cabinets. And I can believe them. There' no doubt that cabinet refinishing is the least expensive of all the options.

But it does require that your existing cabinets are in good condition and while it is not impossible to refinish MDF, solid wood cabinets are the best ones to refinish. When it's well done, this simple make-over will enhance the look and impact of a kitchen and add value to the home. No question.

Of course, bringing in a kitchen consultant and following their plan to completely remodel and refit your kitchen is the most expensive way to go.

There will be homes where this radical over-haul is appropriate. But you wouldn't want to do that if you are wanting your kitchen to look better as you sell it. For that, kitchen cabinet refinishing is definitely an option.

Or, of you are extending the cabinet space in your kitchen, you can bring in new but unfinished cabinets and by matching the color and stains against the old cabinet doors make them look like part of the original room layout and furnishing.

Simple, effective and inexpensive0

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