The kitchen is one of the busiest places in a house. But the more frequently a place is used, the more wear and tear it will have. So, when you’re looking at your worn-out kitchen cabinets and want to redo them but can’t do a complete makeover, then what’s your next best choice? It is refacing. But is it worth it to reface kitchen cabinets? Let’s find out!
Refacing is usually a much cheaper choice for replacing your kitchen cabinet compartments, compared to remodeling. Not only does it reduce cost, but the quality of the cabinet material can be upgraded too. It also increases the durability of your cabinets by years.
The feeling of working to redo a kitchen cabinet yourself can hardly be compared with a store-bought model. It’s the little touches here and there that will last from your 30s to 50s and beyond!
How Much Does It Cost To Reface?
Depending on the material, compartment type, as well as size, refacing costs vary on a large scale. From the drawers and doors, knobs and pulls to even the plinths or frames, every cabinet component can be bought as well as installed individually. This type of freedom to customize the compartments also means a change in cost or expenditure accordingly.
Here are a few cabinet compartments and how much they would cost. These prices are, needless to say, not fixed as they would vary based on the different criteria like size, material, color, etc.
Cabinet Doors
These are the most-used components of the whole cabinet. Because of their constant use over the years, they also get rugged faster than other parts. The doors have to go through all weather conditions, therefore, cabinet doors are often the most refaced compartment in the whole kitchen cabinet.
Along with the cabinet doors, drawers are also used quite often, so they tend to wear out fast. If you’re planning to reface kitchen cabinet drawers, for the low-end ones, you might find them for as little as $40-60, whereas the mid-range ones span from $60-70.
Moreover, if your budget is a little higher, you can consider the high-end ones that usually cost around $100. Note that these are all single-unit prices and will vary, depending on the quality and material.
Knobs And Pulls
Often gone unnoticed, do you ever think about how much use and overuse the thing that you hold to pull out the drawers goes through? The knobs and pulls of the cabinet doors often lose color and shine after a short use period.
Therefore, if you’re planning to change the knobs of your cabinet drawers, their pricing might surprise you a little. They are not as cheap as you thought they would be for their size. The cheapest ones begin from $15-20. The price might go higher as you upgrade the design or quality, from $30 to even $50 for the high-end ones.
Lighting
Changing the lighting fixtures for the kitchen cabinets might cost you the most out of all the refacing. If your kitchen already has some lighting fixtures, the cost might go a little lower as the electrical wiring and connections are there already.
You can then replace them with your desired batch or lights. However, for people looking to replace and install new lights in their cabinets, they have to spend on the electrical connections in addition to the lights.
The low-end lighting refaces in kitchen cabinets would cost around $250-300. An upgrade in the equipment would also mean an upgrade in the pricing. So, for the mid-range ones, the average cost would be $300-400, while higher-end lighting refacing would cost you $500-700.
Is It Worth It To Reface Kitchen Cabinets?
Refacing the kitchen cabinets usually costs thousands of dollars cheaper than remodeling. Refacing also gives buyers the chance to customize their kitchen according to the material, their budget, and the look of their preference.
But here’s a little word of caution: refacing would mean no storage increase in the cabinets, and if professional people are hired, the expenditure would go higher. Here are a few advantages and disadvantages that might help you decide whether it is worth it to reface kitchen cabinets.
Advantages
Kitchen refacing is a great idea to upgrade your kitchen cabinets without emptying your pocket. You can customize the materials and design of your cabinet compartments to sketch out the budget accordingly.
Expense
The main reason why people consider the idea of refacing their kitchen cabinets is the budget. From choosing the materials to doing all the work yourself, it is possible to save hundreds of bucks every step of the way.
While the overall average cost of remodeling the entire cabinet would have an approximate cost of $15000-30000, resurfacing a kitchen cabinet would cost around $6000-9000.
Many people choose their vacation or the weekend to work on the cabinets. In that case, the expense of hiring a professional also goes down. So, the budget can decrease as low as $2000-3000 depending on the number of changes made.
Quality
Oftentimes, while buying set models of cabinets, people have to compromise on quality. Because, higher-quality materials, combined with labor costs and other expenses, frequently exceed the budget.
However, this is where refacing has the upper hand. Instead of spending those extra few thousand on brands or professionals, customers can spend it on the material of their preference. Kitchen cabinets are not changed every day, so a good quality cabinet material is essential to last for years hassle-free.
Customized Look
Many people want to reface their cabinets just because of how bland and boring they look. The set look cabinets come with may bore people a few years down the line, but refacing offers the opportunity to change the look without compromising on quality.
While refacing, you can assemble different parts of the cabinets individually according to your budget and choice. So, if you want to give cabinets a more uniform look or perhaps a bit funky one, it’s all possible. Whether small changes like buying the drawer knobs to major changes like swapping doors with a different color, it all helps restyle the look.
Durability
Generally, refacing a kitchen cabinet would last longer than remodeling one. Depending on the material you use, the refaced cabinets can last up to 15-20 years as they are. The store models usually come with laminates which have lesser longevity than materials like wood or veneer.
Therefore, these kinds of in-built materials can be changed with better ones while refacing, which means the cabinet is set to last longer.
Disadvantages
Despite the impressive advantages of refacing kitchen cabinets, there are some drawbacks of this process, some of which are as follows.
No Storage Modifications
Refacing usually means changing the look and material of the kitchen cabinets, keeping the storage space essentially the same.
It might be an issue for smaller cabinets as they have smaller frameworks. Therefore, larger drawers or storage slides cannot be installed.
Requires Professional Workmanship
Part of the budget cut down means you have to work on the cabinet yourself. Many people do not have the workmanship it requires to have polished looking cabinets.
It is also essential to have needed tools as well as knowledge of how cabinet fittings are installed. Otherwise, it may not turn out as expected.
If you were wondering is it worth it to reface kitchen cabinets, the answer is yes, it is. Cheaper but customized cabinets, what else could you have asked for?There are a few drawbacks of refacing and they might throw some people off. But if you are alright with them, get ready to take on the challenge of giving your old cabinets a great new look!
