Refacing Your Metal Kitchen Cabinets

by Melissa Bullard
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

Perhaps your home was built in the 30s, 40s, or 50s, and you're considering renovating and remodeling your home. Well, the good news is that even if you have metal kitchen cabinets, you could still be able to reface rather than remodel completely. Purchasing new kitchen cabinets can be quite expensive, and metal kitchen cabinets have many benefits. So don't worry if your kitchen and its metal cabinets scream 50s postwar efficiency; those metal cabinets can be refaced and you can enjoy their advantages, all while updating your kitchen.

Can Metal Kitchen Cabinets Be Refaced?

As long as the cabinet boxes themselves are in good shape, metal kitchen cabinets can be refaced. If they are cleaned and treated with a rust inhibitor, it is possible to paint them (though you do need to use a particular type of paint that adheres to metal surfaces), and it's possible to buy metal cabinet doors and drawers. It takes a lot of work, but wanting a fresh new look for your kitchen doesn't have to mean starting completely from scratch.

Advantages of Refacing Metal Kitchen Cabinets

• Metal Kitchen Cabinets Are Green: In many ways, metal kitchen cabinets can be considered quite eco-friendly. Metal cabinets last quite a long time, and if you're refacing them, you're making them last even longer. Metal can also be recycled quite easily, which means that when a kitchen cabinet refacing job just won't cut it anymore, you have the option of recycling your cabinets.
• Metal Kitchen Cabinets Can Look Modern: Painted metal kitchen cabinets with stainless steel appliances and countertops can often give a modern edge to the your kitchen. If your kitchen is bright and open and your house already looks streamlined, stainless steel kitchen cabinets could complete the makeover. If you're worried about your kitchen looking too industrial, add individual touches, such as painted cabinet door handles, or use glass cabinet doors framed with metal.
• Metal Kitchen Cabinets Are Low-Maintenance: Unlike with wood kitchen cabinets, you don't have to worry as much about steam, cold, or heat warping the cabinet materials, and most smears, spills, and you can wipe potential stains off with a wet rag. You may not even need all of your traditional cleaners. And if you're concerned about fingerprints, consider installing drawers and door fronts made from brushed metal. The texture hides fingerprints more readily.

So if you've been despairing about the look of your metal kitchen cabinets, consider refacing instead of replacing them. You just might find a whole new look and feel for the most important room of your home.

About the Author

Melissa Bullard earned a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, then a Master's Degree in Spanish Language and Literatures from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has taught writing, literature, and Spanish classes, and is currently working as a fre