Is It Worth It to Reface Kitchen Cabinets?

A total kitchen remodel is a project that can add thousands to the value of your house. It’s also one of the most intrusive remodel projects you can undergo, putting your kitchen being out of commission for weeks – or even months. Your house quickly becomes messy, full of dust, and sometimes nearly uninhabitable during the project. And, of course, remodeling a kitchen is one of the costliest renovations you can undertake as a homeowner.

So, if you’re not sure you want to deal with the mess OR if your budget is a true concern, are there other easier, less-costly options for providing your kitchen with a new look? And what about cabinet refacing? Is it worth it to reface kitchen cabinets?

Well, there are actually a few different answers to that last question. Here’s what you need to consider.

Are your cabinets structurally-sound?

Take a close look at your current kitchen cabinets and assess what you see because your decision is going to be based largely on the condition of these cabinets.

Open the doors and drawers and take a good look at the cabinet “boxes”. This is the main part of the cabinet not including the door or drawers. Do they still look solid and sturdy or have they “seen better days”, so to speak? Are they wobbly? Do they appear to be deteriorating or rotting? If so, you may need to replace the entire cabinet, not just the facing.

However, if your box appears to be in good condition but your doors and drawers look old and worn, your kitchen cabinets are likely a good candidate for refacing.

Why choose cabinet refacing?

There are a number of solid reasons for choosing cabinet refacing over full kitchen remodeling unless you are truly ready to craft the kitchen of your dreams and can afford to do so. If not, refacing offers a number of benefits.

• You’ll save money – Refacing your cabinets will cost about half as much per cabinet as replacing each one in total. That’s a substantial monetary savings!
• You’ll save time – Don’t want your kitchen to be tied up for weeks? That’s understandable, especially if you have children. With cabinet refacing, the job can be done quite quickly, often in just a few days to a week, depending on the size of your kitchen and number of cabinets.
• The mess is less – Chances are you’ll be able to continue using your kitchen even during the time that your cabinets are being refaced. You also won’t need to empty them…and then restock them when the job is done. This means eliminating the need to eat out for every meal and you won’t have to use paper plates and plastic silverware for weeks! You’ll also find that there’s not much mess involved and that clean-up will be easy afterwards.
• It’s more eco-friendly – Tearing out old cabinets and adding them to the landfill isn’t very “green”. But when you choose to simply reface instead of replace, you’re doing your part for the environment. Some crafty homeowners are even clever enough to re-use those old doors and make something else from them!

A beautiful new look

Cabinets are the centerpiece of any kitchen so changing them in any way – including refacing – provides your kitchen with a whole new look. Truly, it’s the easiest, most hassle-free way to update your kitchen and you can do it without spending lots of money.

Even if you change out your backsplash and maybe update your countertops too, you’ll be shelling out far less money than you would for a complete kitchen overhaul that includes new cabinets in their entirety.