Replacing Versus Re-Facing (kitchen cabinets)
Contemplating refacing your kitchen cabinets? Think you might save a bundle by doing so? Here’s my piece on how we see it, but you can always get a quote on refacing anyway, as long as it’s a free, no-obligation and no-pressure, quote, and as long as you get a quote on entirely new cabinets (especially IKEA cabinets) also.
Here are the logical rules:
Done right, it costs less to REPLACE than to REFACE. Often many thousands less.
The results are almost always FAR better if you REPLACE than if you REFACE.
You’ll have NEW cabinets if you replace. You’ll have OLD cabinets if you reface.
A modern, European style kitchen is almost impossible to achieve with refacing, unless you are prepared to spend A LOT of money.
Exceptions: (Just two).
If you have fabulous countertops that cost a lot and that you want to keep, refacing may be your best, or only, option. Although it is possible to install new cabinets under fixed countertop, it is risky and not necessarily the best overall solution for a kitchen upgrade. However, if this is your only option, find a licensed contractor who specializes in exactly this type of project, get references for exactly this type of project and call the references (you should always ask for and call references for any contractor you consider hiring).
If there is some other unique issue or situation that makes refacing a better choice. In our experience, this is pretty rare. It is almost never the case when the homeowner wants a modern, European look.
How we came up with these rules:
We designed and installed hundreds of IKEA kitchens, including small ones and big ones, budget kitchens for small condos, and full remodels of big kitchens (in La Canada and Brentwood and Malibu)
We found out the average price for refacing a typical kitchen.
Hands down, replacing old cabinets with even the most expensive IKEA styles, is the less costly, and far better choice.
As a final note, as I’ve written earlier, most homeowners assume that it is least expensive to keep the existing kitchen footprint. In other words, it is common to assume that moving a sink to a different wall, or putting a cooktop on an island, would be very expensive and/or make their project much more complicated. This is not necessarily true since moving utility lines can be quite simple in many cases. And sometimes, you can have a much, much better kitchen by doing so.
Here are the logical rules:
Done right, it costs less to REPLACE than to REFACE. Often many thousands less.
The results are almost always FAR better if you REPLACE than if you REFACE.
You’ll have NEW cabinets if you replace. You’ll have OLD cabinets if you reface.
A modern, European style kitchen is almost impossible to achieve with refacing, unless you are prepared to spend A LOT of money.
Exceptions: (Just two).
If you have fabulous countertops that cost a lot and that you want to keep, refacing may be your best, or only, option. Although it is possible to install new cabinets under fixed countertop, it is risky and not necessarily the best overall solution for a kitchen upgrade. However, if this is your only option, find a licensed contractor who specializes in exactly this type of project, get references for exactly this type of project and call the references (you should always ask for and call references for any contractor you consider hiring).
If there is some other unique issue or situation that makes refacing a better choice. In our experience, this is pretty rare. It is almost never the case when the homeowner wants a modern, European look.
How we came up with these rules:
We designed and installed hundreds of IKEA kitchens, including small ones and big ones, budget kitchens for small condos, and full remodels of big kitchens (in La Canada and Brentwood and Malibu)
We found out the average price for refacing a typical kitchen.
Hands down, replacing old cabinets with even the most expensive IKEA styles, is the less costly, and far better choice.
As a final note, as I’ve written earlier, most homeowners assume that it is least expensive to keep the existing kitchen footprint. In other words, it is common to assume that moving a sink to a different wall, or putting a cooktop on an island, would be very expensive and/or make their project much more complicated. This is not necessarily true since moving utility lines can be quite simple in many cases. And sometimes, you can have a much, much better kitchen by doing so.
posted by susanjalo at 10:56 AM
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