Top 5 Reasons to Refinish Your Kitchen Cabinets

by Melissa Bullard
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

If you want a fresher look for your kitchen, you're not alone. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, the kitchen remodel "consumes more attention, energy, finances and complex decision-making than any other project, short of building an entirely new house." The good news is that you don't need an entire remodel to give your kitchen a new look. Often, simply refinishing or refacing your kitchen's cabinets can have a huge impact on the rest of its look and feel. So how do you know if you need a refacing job, or if a refinish is enough?

Top 5 Reasons to Refinish Rather Than Replace or Reface

1. You Like Your Cabinets: Why go to all the trouble to replace or reface when you like the basic look of your kitchen cabinets? If they're a bit worn, but you're happy with the basic style and color, save yourself time and money and refinish.
2. Your Kitchen Cabinets Are In Good Shape: If all they need is a good cleaning and scrubbing to get rid of the dullness, refinishing should do the trick. Again, deciding on a new face for your cabinets when you're basically satisfied with what you already have could add stress to your life, particularly if you're already running on a hectic schedule.
3. You Can't Afford to Reface: With the economy the way it is, many people are having to cut down to the absolute necessities. If your kitchen is looking drab, but you're experiencing a shortage of cash flow, refinishing can brighten up your kitchen for less.
4. Your Cabinets Need a New Look: Let's face it, the kitchen is the center of action for a lot of families, and the cabinets show the wear and tear after a while. Even the best wood shows its age after constant opening and closing, grease splatters, food transfer from messy hands, and whatever else may go flying around your kitchen.
5. Your Cabinets Feel Gross: This often relates to their look. Cabinet corners are constantly touched by human fingers, which are covered in natural oils at their cleanest and more often cooking oils and foods. It's just part of the location. Refinishing is like a deep clean, letting your cabinet doors "start over," so to speak.

If you want a new look for your kitchen, consider how much time, money, and effort you're willing to invest and what your final goals are, and that can help you decide whether you should refinish or go for more drastic changes.

Sources

Cabinet Refacing
NKBA
Lowes

Sources:

• Cabinet Refacing
• NKBA
• Lowes

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