If the Dinosaurs Aren't Just in Your Fridge, It May Be Time to Reface

by Sue Booth
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

If your home is old and your kitchen is ancient, it's time for an update. Get the dinosaurs out of the kitchen by refacing your cabinets and renewing the rest of the kitchen.

A Good Refacing Candidate

Remodeling your dinosaur of a kitchen doesn't have to be a major project that you can't afford. You can do an entire kitchen overhaul on a budget if you're careful. Refacing your current cabinets is an ideal way to start modernizing your kitchen.

Take a look around your kitchen; if the following statements are true, your kitchen cabinets may be eligible for a reface:

• The kitchen cabinet drawers and door fronts look faded or worn and cabinet doors and drawers are worn
• All areas within the cabinets are reachable
• The cabinets are in good proximity to your appliances and sink

If your existing cupboards are in decent condition, your contractor can strip down, update the frames with laminates, and install new doors. Cabinet refacing is an ideal remodeling alternative to buying new cabinets because your existing cabinets are already installed, leveled, finished, and operational. You'll also spend only about a third of what you would on brand new cabinets.

Kitchen Anew

If you have old faucets, you can swap them out for more modern faucets of higher quality. Cast iron sinks, most often found in older homes, can be professionally cleaned and refinished. You may be able to get a professional to recondition your older appliances with new panels and a facelift.

Updating your outdated and older kitchen can add value to your home. Research shows that remodeling the kitchen can have a huge influence on house price and its salability. Kitchen remodeling can yield over a 90% return on investment when you sell your home.

Source

• HomeTips.com - Cabinet Refacing

 

About the Author
Sue Booth is a freelance writer and a former product analyst for Good Housekeeping magazine. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.