What Is The Difference Between Resurfacing And Refacing Kitchen Cabinets?

There’s a lot to consider when looking to refurbish, replace or rejuvenate your kitchen. One popular way to breathe new life into an old and worn kitchen is by focusing on the kitchen cabinets. Kitchen cabinets take a lot of beating throughout their lives. Being the centre of the house and the hive of activity, the kitchen sees its fair share of wear and tear. The kitchen cabinets are no different. 

Yet deciding that giving your kitchen cabinets a makeover is only the first of many decisions. Next, it would be best to decide whether or not to go down the replacing or refacing kitchen cabinets path.

Both options offer positive benefits and negatives, and both are good options for transforming your kitchen. So, what exactly is the difference?

Replacing is self-explanatory; you are replacing everything and going for something new. A company comes in, guts your kitchen and gives you brand new cabinet doors, drawers and boxes.

This can make the most dramatic changes. You can go from a traditional look to a modern, European style, change the wood, add doors with glass panes, or even restructure the kitchen layout.

This is great for old, rundown cabinetry that’s been chipped, cracked and worn. Keep in mind you won’t have access to your kitchen at all, so you’ll be checking out new restaurants in the area or enjoying picnics in the backyard for a while.

For a little less drastic and more economical kitchen renovation, refacing is the next option on the list. It also doesn’t take as long to finish. You pick out new doors and drawer fronts to replace the ones you have, and the existing cabinet boxes are covered with a veneer to match your new doors/drawers.

There is a wide variety of colours and finishes to choose from, even wood finishes. This is a great option for those who want to update their kitchen look without changing the layout. And since the doors and drawer faces are being replaced, they don’t have to be in mint condition.

But what if your cabinets are in great shape and you like the style, but the colour is all wrong? That’s where refinishing comes in. Refinishing is the most affordable and usually the quickest way to bring life back into grey cabinets. The cabinets must be in good condition since refinishing includes paint stripping, sanding, and painting staining.

Staining your wooden cabinets can give the illusion of any wood you want. You can go from whitewashed to a deep cherry wood colour. It is, however, hard to go from a very dark to very light. Painting is another option, with colours limited to any under the sun. You can easily match your cabinet colour to that perfect shade of blue on the dishes.

Of course, you can do some mixing and matching. Stain the cabinets to that beautiful oak colour, but have a door or two replaced with glass panes to show off the fine china and crystal.

Revamp the kitchen and reface the cabinets in the bathroom. Giving your cabinets a total-body makeover or just a facelift can make the whole house seem to come back to life.

Refacing or facelifts, as they are sometimes called, of existing cabinetry involves removing the doors and hardware and then applying a product to the exposed cabinet frames.

Replacing your cabinets is even more straightforward. Old cabinetry and carcases are removed from the kitchen, and brand new kitchen cabinetry is built and installed in its place.

Depending on how you choose to replace your cabinets (DIY versus having someone else install them), the process can take one to two days to complete. Due to the problems that occur, the majority of homeowners want to replace their kitchen rather than reface for several reasons completely:

• Replacing will refresh your entire kitchen.
• Refacing is a decent option, but often cabinets built now will not interface with a kitchen built 15 years ago. Nothing beats having brand new cabinetry installed to update the appearance of your kitchen.
• Replacing allows you to change your kitchen’s layout.
• Unhappy with your current drawer and cabinet scheme, which is more than possible from designs years ago, installing new cabinets is the way to go since you can then rearrange the layout to suit your needs.
• Refacing is complex and not a suitable project for DIYers.
• Contrary to popular belief, refacing your kitchen cabinets will likely require the knowledge and expertise of a professional cabinet maker and is not an appropriate home improvement project for DIY homeowners.
• Refacing may not even be an option.
• If your existing cabinets are in rough shape, interiors rotting or just too old, refacing them may not be enough to save them or modernise your kitchen area.
• Replacing cabinets adds more value to your home.
• No question was replacing your kitchen is a smart investment in your home. Kitchen renovations are one of the best ways to increase your property’s value instantly.
• With all of these benefits of replacing cabinets, why aren’t more homeowners replacing rather than refacing their cabinets?

It all comes down to the cost. For example, new cabinetry can cost $20,000 or more for an average-sized kitchen, while refacing may only be half the expense.

Refacing

Cabinet refacing has been a popular method of renovating kitchens for a long time. Refacing your kitchen cabinets involves the installation of just new fronts to your drawers and doors.

Instead of replacing the entire cabinetry, refacing is about replacing the exterior veneers.

There are three main refacing kitchen cabinets, but we’ll go into that a little later. Refacing is an interchangeable word with the term resurfacing, especially when it comes to cabinet makers and professional remodelers.

It simply means that the face, meaning the front or visible surfaces, is getting a facelift. So, in essence, they mean the same thing.

Replacing

Replacing kitchen cabinets involves the complete removal and-as it sounds-replacement of the existing cabinets and drawers. Doors, drawers and the interior are all expertly removed (most often by professionals) and replaced from top to toe.

While there are many pros and cons to replacing, replacing is an effective way to gut and rebuild a kitchen into something completely new. For example, you keep your existing cabinet boxes but replace all cabinet doors and drawer fronts with new ones.

You can also replace cabinet side panels, face frames and mouldings so that everything matches.

This covers up all blemishes and finish problems on your cabinets and allows you to change the wood, colour, or door style for a clean and updated look. When resurfacing your kitchen cabinets, you can even choose to install new highly decorated hardware or crown moulding.

Refinishing

The difference to note is the difference between refacing cabinets and refinishing cabinets.

Kitchen cabinet refinishing means that you keep all components of your existing cabinetry and change the colour or the finish, which is often completed via hand sanding or chemically stripping the existing finish from the wood, then applying new paint or stain.

Deciding

There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding between kitchen cabinet refinishing or refacing cabinets.

First, if you’re considering refinishing, if your cabinets are made of laminate or thermofoil, refinishing is not an option because these materials can’t be sanded or stripped. It’s nearly impossible for the paint to stick.

If you have wood cabinets, you can refinish or reface. If you dislike your kitchen’s layout or your cabinets’ current style, you may want to consider resurfacing kitchen cabinets. If budget is your main consideration, refinishing is often the cheaper option.

Estimates have shown that refinishing cabinets cost about 2/3 the cost of refacing, and refacing costs about 70 to 80 per cent of installing replacement cabinets.

FAQs About Resurfacing And Refacing

Is it better to resurface or replace cabinets?

If you’re happy with the current layout but your cabinets are suffering from some wear and tear, then refacing may be the best option. Refacing may also make sense if your cabinet boxes are in solid shape, and the doors and drawers are primarily in need of a makeover.

Is it cheaper to paint cabinets or replace them?

The cost to paint a kitchen is typically 1/3 to ½ the cost of replacing. The paints applied to cabinets are also very durable and will last just as long as new cabinets in most cases. … The only time you do not want to paint or re-stain your cabinets is when you are tired of the look of the doors and drawers.

What is the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel?

The average cost of cabinets can be around $15,000. Cabinets are also one of the foundational aspects of your kitchen, essential for storage and required to make a functional space. This is the main reason they are also the most expensive part of your kitchen’s remodel.

What is the difference between refacing and painting cabinets?

What is the difference between cabinet refacing and refinishing? The real difference between painting (or refinishing) and refacing your cabinets is relatively straightforward. Painting your cabinets gives your existing cabinetry a fresh look, whereas refacing them gives your cabinets almost an entirely new look.

Can you paint over resurfaced cabinets?

Refacing cabinets in your kitchen or bathroom and then painting them is a cost-effective way of giving them a new appearance. You aim to achieve a professional, even finish that looks as if it could be the facing’s original colour.

What Is the Difference between Refinishing, Refacing and Resurfacing Kitchen Cabinets?

If you’re thinking about making some style changes to your kitchen, you may be considering replacing your cabinets. However, before ripping out your current kitchen cabinets and getting into a complicated remodel project, you may want to consider refacing, resurfacing, or refinishing your current cabinets.

Refacing, resurfacing or refinishing are more economical alternatives to replacing them entirely, especially if you’re already happy with the layout of your kitchen the way it is. So what’s the difference between refacing cabinets, resurfacing, and refinishing?

Refacing Kitchen Cabinets: The Pros

Flexibility

There are multiple ways to reface cabinets and drawers in a kitchen, depending on what suits you 

• The simplest way is to remove the doors and fronts of the drawers and replace them with an entirely new veneer. This, of course, comes ‘dangerously’ close to just plain kitchen cabinet replacing.
• Alternatively, one can place new wood panelling or laminate sheeting/veneers over the front of the existing exterior.
• One last method of refacing involves neither the replacement of panelling nor veneers. Rather than refinishing and repainting the existing cabinetry, you can rejuvenate it effectively through simple aesthetics.

Cost

Refacing kitchen cabinets is the cheaper of the two kitchen renovating methods we’re covering. Less material and less labour all add up to savings of up to 50%, with refacing cabinets costing as little as half the price of replacing.

Cosmetic and Aesthetic Only

If your kitchen is looking a bit worse for wear but isn’t compromised structurally or functionally, there may not be a reason to gut it from the inside out.

However, refacing your kitchen cabinets when the actual cabinet and drawer boxes are still in good shape and working fine is an effective, efficient way of making the most of your budget, time and energy.

Convenience

By refacing, you’re just replacing the outer, exterior part of the kitchen cabinets rather than the whole thing.

This means that the entire renovation process is quicker and more pain-free. Moreover, you won’t have to move all your appliances, dishes and other items necessary to get the work done.

More Eco-Friendly

With less material being ripped out and thrown out, cabinet refacing is the more environmentally friendly and less waste-causing option.

Refacing Kitchen Cabinets: The Cons

Expense

While still cheaper than replacing, the refacing kitchen cabinets cost you could be facing is still extensive if you’re re-doing the entire kitchen. So while it will add value to your home, it won’t be quite as high a renovation in terms of value as a full replacement.

Doing-it-yourself

Many people think that refacing their cabinets will be an easy job. The truth is that it can be quite difficult. It’s not as easy as simply taking off some doors and popping on some new ones. There’s a steep learning curve involved, and doing a professional job can require a lot of skill and experience.

Finding Professionals

Refacing cabinets was once a much more popular way of renovating a kitchen. However, as full-scale replacements have increased in popularity, the number of professionals and companies offering quality refacing is becoming smaller and smaller. As a result, finding the right professional tradespeople can be more difficult than expected.

May Not Work

The pros of refacing only apply if it’s even an option. Kitchen cabinets that are too old, worn, broken or rotted may not even be in a state that can be saved through refacing. The replacement may be the only option in those instances.

Replacing Kitchen Cabinets: The Pros

Effective For Broken Cabinets

If your kitchen cabinets are broken, ruined, worn, rotted or just unusable, replacing them can be your best option. It doesn’t matter whether the interior structure or boxes are still solid. If you have the budget for a full-scale replacement, you can bring your kitchen back from the brink.

Flexibility In Layout

Unlike refacing kitchen cabinets, replacing allows you to restructure the entire layout. You can add on, re-shape or tweak the kitchen however you see fit. Refacing is just replacing the veneers of the cabinetry, whereas, with replacement, there are far fewer restrictions in what you can achieve and do.

Complete Refresh

If you have the budget for a full cabinet replacement, nothing will quite refresh your kitchen like a cabinet replacement. But, from the appearance to the feel to the layout, your kitchen will feel like an entirely new space with new living opportunities. 

Add Value

More so than just refacing, cabinet replacement will add significant value to your home. Replacing will add valuable functionality and aesthetics to your everyday living but also prove to be a smart and worthwhile investment down the line.

Professional Availability

While you can try do-it-yourself, if you prefer the safer route of going with professional installers, there are plenty of available experts in the industry to help you get the job done.

Replacing Kitchen Cabinets: The Cons

Cost

While we included the price discrepancy in the refacing pros, it’s worth restating here. The cost of replacing kitchen cabinets will be significantly more than the alternative.

There’s a lot more work to be done, a lot more effort involved and a lot more material that needs to be bought, sourced and installed. The flip side, as we mentioned, is, of course, the extra value it will inject into your home.

DIY Difficulty

Yes, it might be possible, but cabinet replacement is anything but easy. From sourcing the actual drawers and cabinetry to the heavy lifting and installation involved, you’ll need to have adequate skill and experience in do-it-yourself projects. Plus, remember that ensuring the precise levelling of cabinets beneath structurally sturdy benches is very, very important. So if you’re going to do it yourself, make sure to do it right.

Conclusion

There are many pros and cons to replacing and refacing your kitchen cabinets and drawers. Your preferences, budget and objectives will help determine which option is right for you.

Are epoxy floors a good idea?

Extremely safe – Epoxy is a very safe coating for your hard floors. It’s slip resistant, shock resistant, and less abrasive than concrete and other types of industrial flooring. It’s also water resistant, and will protect your floor from any spills, including harsh chemicals that would harm other types of floor.

What are the disadvantages of epoxy flooring?

Cons of Epoxy Flooring

• Strong Application Fumes. During the epoxy application process, wet epoxy gives off an unpleasant smell. …
• Long Curing Time. …
• Slippery When Wet. …
• Economical Flooring Choice. …
• Resistant to Damage. …
• Weather-withstanding. …
• Aesthetically Pleasing. …
• Protects and Decreases Wear & Tear.

How long do epoxy floors last?

10 to 20 years   Long-Lasting, Environmentally-Friendly Floors Epoxy floors typically last 10 to 20 years and can last even longer with the proper maintenance and touch-ups. When it finally comes time to replace your floor, there will be no need for removal, and no need to throw away your old flooring.