1. Plan for Remodelling
Planning how you’d remodel your kitchen, including refacing kitchen cabinets, should take a large portion of your time, more than the actual remodeling. Not planning can incur high costs, and many inconveniences can spring up during the duration of the remodeling. At least six months is the recommended time allotted for planning.
People tend to make last-minute changes when not following a plan, and the same goes for kitchen remodeling.
You should first study the current state of your kitchen cabinet, whether you need to replace or reface it. If you’re satisfied with your cabinetry’s layout and only have problems with its style, refacing would be the best option. Kitchen cabinet replacement, however, is what you need if you’re changing the overall layout of your kitchen.
Opting for a kitchen cabinet refacing lets you retain your kitchen’s functionality, but the same doesn’t apply to replacing it.
2. Stay on Your Budget
Incorporate this step alongside the planning process for how you will remodel. Consider whether you want a low-, or high-end remodeling job for your kitchen. Your cabinets will also undergo significant changes depending on how you do the remodeling.
Both replacing and refacing are suitable for either high-end or low-end remodeling, but one costs more than the other. A high-end remodeling can include either a major refacing job or a complete replacement of your kitchen cabinetry while a low-end one would likely only need either a refinishing or minor refacing.
Remodeling your kitchen cabinetry contrary to your home’s architectural style would result in spending too much money since the result would be a kitchen that’s out of place in your home. If you’re planning on selling your home, it won’t fetch a high price with mismatched rooms.
3. Consider if You Continuously Need to Use Your Kitchen
Replacing your kitchen cabinet isn’t only a more expensive option than refacing it, but it also takes away the functionality of your kitchen. Your kitchen is rendered unusable for the duration of the kitchen cabinet replacement.
Opting for a refacing, however, still lets you use your cabinets and the entirety of your kitchen.
4. Ensure that the Remodeling will Solve Your Kitchen’s Problems
Kitchen Cabinet refacing and replacement has its uses. Refacing a kitchen cabinet is excellent if you’re satisfied with the current layout of your cabinet and if its interior is still in good condition.
A cabinet with either a worn-out exterior or a design that you don’t like doesn’t necessarily require a replacement as your cabinet’s skins can be replaced while retaining the interior. Metal cabinets with rusting problems and those with structural defects won’t benefit from simple refacing and would need total replacement to ensure a quality cabinet.
Should you also wish to change the layout of your kitchen; you’ll need to replace your cabinets entirely.
5. Be Quality-Conscious
The purpose of kitchen remodeling is to make improvements and those that last long ensure lower expenditures. Whether through refacing or replacing, homeowners must consider that their kitchen cabinetry would be of high quality after the remodeling process.
Prioritizing efficient functionality and high durability is a must during kitchen remodeling. Low-quality bargains may be tempting, but they tend to cost more in the long run. Refacing with low-quality materials or replacing your cabinets with substandard ones will result in costly maintenance issues.
If you’re planning on selling your house, refacing your cabinets with high-quality materials is a cost-effective way to remodel your kitchen while ensuring that you have a selling advantage thanks to high-quality remodeling. Any broken cabinets in your home will also need to be replaced with newer ones that have substantial warranties, again, for a selling advantage.
6. Add Storage, Not Space
With cabinet refacing comes the option of installing custom features on your cabinets. Included among the list of custom features are the following:
- New drawer boxes and glides
- Tip out trays
- Pull out trays
- Door and drawer organizers
- Under-cabinet LED lights
- Built-in cabinet plate racks
- Open corner shelving
- Lazy Susans
- Super Susans
- Double and single bin trash with Blu motion
Cabinet refacing allows the installation of such custom features that add storage without necessarily adding space.
Should you require additional space, you can install cabinets reaching your kitchen’s ceiling or simple shelving units on unused wall areas or inside cabinet doors.
Refacing your existing cabinets that take up a lot of space to increase their storage capacity is an option by replacing their doors with ones that have shelves and installing drawers. Installing additional racks and dividers can save you money while increasing your cabinet’s storage capacity instead of buying newer ones.
7. Prioritize in Saving Money
If you’re refacing your cabinet, you can provide your own hardware rather than purchasing it from the refacing company. Some companies may not agree to install them, however, but knowing how can save you money while having total control of the refacing process.
When replacing your cabinets, you should consider purchasing RTA or Ready-To-Assemble cabinets. RTA cabinets will need to be assembled first once purchased, and they’re cheaper since they come in pieces as opposed to fully assembled ones.
8. Communicate Clearly With Your Remodelers
It is essential to maintain communications with your kitchen cabinet remodeler to ensure that you have a measure of control and that you can stay within your budget and save money. Checking on the project and establishing a means of communication with your remodeler would let you ensure that you are committed to having a quality cabinet.
Being kind to your remodelers allows for motivation on their part, ensuring that they can give you a high-quality output. Being kind doesn’t mean pestering them with conversation while they’re working; however, it can distract them and keep them from accomplishing their task.
In conclusion, kitchen cabinet refacing is a significantly cheaper option when remodeling your kitchen cabinets and is applicable most of the time, when your cabinets’ interiors are kept in excellent condition and when you’re satisfied with your kitchen’s layout. The benefits of replacing your kitchen cabinets, however, include having the chance to redesign your kitchen from scratch, among others. However, replacing your kitchen cabinets would leave your kitchen inoperable, and they are quite expensive. It is better to assess what you need first instead of hastily deciding to either get a replacement or a refacing job.
Sources:
https://www.crystalkitchen.com/blog/replace-reface-kitchen-cabinets/
https://www.thespruce.com/kitchen-cabinets-reface-vs-replace-1821042
https://www.thespruce.com/rta-kitchen-cabinets-basics-1822035
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/21-ways-to-save-your-remodel
https://www.houselogic.com/by-room/kitchen/tips-for-kitchen-remodeling/