Refacing or paint on my laminated kitchen cabinets

So we are thinking of updating our kitchen cabinets to liven up our kitchen. I am now torn between painting or refacing. Cabinets are often the most expensive items in any kitchen makeover.

I heard that many homeowners today are saving money by “refacing” rather than completely replacing their kitchen cabinets. Cabinet refacing is also a much less involved process than removing old cabinets and installing new ones.

There are three primary ways to reface cabinets:

• Refinish or pain existing cabinet and drawer fronts
• Install new wood or laminate veneer over existing cabinet and drawer fronts
• Install completely new cabinet doors and drawer fronts

Obviously the interiors of the cabinets can also be sanded, painted or stained for a completely new look.

The quality of our cabinets is quite good even though it must have been built around the 1990s. That is why I am leaning towards repainting the doors and frames instead of replacing the entire units. Also, getting new custom cabinets costs a lot more than we probably want to spend.

Paint

Painting cabinets involves changing the look of the cabinet by painting with oil or latex paint. Painting cabinets makes the kitchen have a refreshed version of the old look with new paint.

Pros:

• Affordable
•  Good quality paint - Kitchen cabinets take a lot of wear and tear from heavy use and fluctuating temperatures, so buying good quality paint is money well spent.
• The easiest option to transform a tired looking kitchen

Cons:

• Hard work to prep surfaces by cleaning them thoroughly and sanding them with a fine-grit sandpapers so that the paint sticks.
• Painted cabinets tend to accumulate grease and dust, so they are difficult to maintain
• Painted cabinets are at risk of paint getting peeled off; especially if the surface had not been correctly and sufficiently prepared
• Time consuming
• Not permanent but rather a temporary fix

Refacing

Cabinet refacing involves replacing the door and drawer fronts, knobs and handles of old cabinets with new ones. Refacing cabinets adds a completely new look to the kitchen since all the doors and drawers fronts are replaced.

Pros:

• Refaced cabinets can be easily cleaned and maintained
• Refacing cabinets extends the life of cabinets making them more durable.

Cons:

• Expensive
• Takes a long time

Information from:

www.doityourself.com

www.ehow.com/how_4810172_paint-laminated-kitchencabinets.html