Avoid Planning Mistakes With Cabinet Refacing

by Allison Beatty
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

The right cabinet refacing project can significantly change your kitchen design. To make the most of this project, be careful to avoid these cabinet refacing mistakes.

Poor Planning Affects Cabinet Refacing

Cabinet refacing is an affordable and quick way to update your kitchen design. Proper planning is important, however, to make sure the project is successful. Before starting a cabinet refacing project, spend time planning:

• The overall kitchen design you want--casual or formal, traditional or contemporary. Look for a kitchen design that blends with the overall style of your home and, particularly, adjacent rooms.
• The kitchen cabinet style, including the shape of the door and any detailing in the cabinetry.
• Functional aspects of your cabinet refacing project--how will the new cabinet design fit with the way you use the kitchen? Will new glass cabinet doors show too much clutter? Do you need cabinet drawers that are easier to open?
• Cabinet accessories, such as roll-out drawers. If you use lots of large pots and pans, roll-out drawers can make your cabinet design more functional.

Research Cabinet Refacing Companies Carefully

Another important step is finding the right cabinet refacing company. As you do research, remember to ask friends and neighbors for references and visit the contractor's previous projects if possible. Look for:

• Cabinet refacing styles that blend with the existing cabinetry.
• Cabinet fronts and doors that are properly aligned with the cabinet boxes.
• Hinges and screws that are securely fastened.
• Cabinet door and drawer finishes that are evenly applied, without streaks.

Before starting a cabinet refacing project, spend some time planning each step of the project. Make a list of all the decisions you will need to make. If you bypass any of these steps, the cabinet refacing project may fall short of your expectations.

About the Author
Allison E. Beatty is a syndicated real estate writer. She has been a writer of home improvement columns for 15 years. Her articles have appeared in numerous national newspapers and magazines, and on home improvement web sites.