Refacing or Remodeling
You Have Questions? We have answers.
It’s a big move on your part. To ensure your comfort and aid planning, here are questions we often see at the beginning of any job.
1. Should I Reface or Remodel My Kitchen?
2. Consider These 4 Tips to Estimate the Cost of Cabinet Refacing
3. Should You Hire a Contractor for Your Kitchen Cabinet Reface?
4. Kitchen Color Trends: Refacing Your Cabinets and Remodeling Your Kitchen for 2010?
5. A Do-it-yourself Kitchen Makeover or Not?
Click HERE to see our Gallery images from one our newest refaced/remodeled kitchen.
1. Should I Reface or Remodel My Kitchen?
Before you decide, ask yourself three questions:
- Are you happy with the layout, storage, and countertop space in your existing kitchen? Or is the layout pretty much determined by the position of windows, doors, and plumbing? If so, replacing your cabinets probably means replacing like with like.
- Are you planning to sell your home or remodel in the near future? If so, cabinet refacing can provide a new look to entice prospective buyers or a stop-gap before larger-scale remodeling work.
- Are your existing cabinets in good condition, with drawers that open easily? If so, you can change the cabinet doors, drawer fronts, hinges, knobs, side panels, face frames, and moldings so that everything matches and the whole kitchen is revamped.
2. Consider These 4 Tips to Estimate the Cost of Cabinet Refacing.
If you're desperate for a new look for your kitchen, refacing your cabinets may be a more cost effective answer. Refacing your kitchen cabinets typically costs roughly half to three quarters of what it would cost to replace them entirely.
- Educate Yourself: A typical cabinet refacing job costs between $3,000 and $8,000.
- Know Your Goal: Do you just want a new look for your kitchen or are you going for a serious upgrade? Your cost depends a great deal on the materials you use. The least expensive refacing jobs use rigid thermofoil (RTF). Refacing jobs done with high-quality wood veneer can cost up to $10,000, depending on the size of the job.
- Ask What's Included: When you're speaking with various contractors about your cabinet refacing job, make sure you know exactly what is included in the quote they are giving you. You don't want any unexpected costs. A typical refacing job should include the removal of current cabinet doors, refacing your current cabinets with the new veneer, and installation of both doors and hardware.
- Know Your Current Cabinets: The cost of refacing your kitchen cabinets may increase significantly if special precautions need to be taken. For example, if your cabinets were painted before 1978, there may be lead in the paint. A good contractor knows how to safely cover or get rid of the lead-based paint.
3. Should You Hire a Contractor for Your Kitchen Cabinet Reface?
If you are preparing to reface your kitchen cabinets; one of the most important decisions in this process is deciding whether or not to make this a DYI project or hire a contractor to do it. If you're not quite certain about the reasons to hire a contractor, the following tips can help you decide whether you should hire an expert to do your kitchen reface job.
- Understand the Project: You won't know whether you can handle a kitchen cabinet reface yourself unless you know exactly what is involved. What are the tear-down steps? What materials are you using to reface the kitchen cabinets? Knowing exactly what the job entails gives you a better idea of whether you've got the skills to handle it or need to call in a professional contractor. If you're familiar with woods and basic carpentry, you might be a great candidate for refacing your own kitchen cabinets. But know that not all kitchen reface jobs are equal.
- Refacer, Know Thyself: Knowing your project and knowing yourself are two sides of the same coin. Are you good with tools? Have you successfully completed other home improvement projects? Do you tend to be patient and detail-oriented, or are you at least willing to be while you complete your kitchen cabinet reface job? You don't want to be so determined to save on contractor fees that you end up with something that looks bad or won't last. You really don't want to have to call in a professional to undo and then redo your cabinet reface.
- The Time Factor: If your life is hectic or you don't have a lot of home improvement experience, refacing your kitchen cabinets could take up to three weeks. In that case, you might want to hire a contractor simply because a professional should be able to finish the job in a day or two.
- Expense. After all the doors are the most expensive part of the cabinetry and you don’t want to goof up a refacing job because you calculate and overlay wrong or took a bad measurement.
4. Kitchen Color Trends: Refacing Your Cabinets and Remodeling Your Kitchen for 2010?
If you're about to embark on a kitchen cabinet reface job, it's a good time to figure out which colors are going to be the focus of your kitchen. Choosing the new surfaces for your cabinets may mean that other areas of your kitchen need updating as well. Color sets the mood and can have a dramatic impact on the overall feel of your kitchen, so if you're interested in updating according to the latest trends, read these tips about what colors and combinations are going to be hot in 2010.
- Gray: This color's smooth, sophisticated look and ability to match a variety of other colors make it versatile in the kitchen. Gray looks sharp on stainless steel appliances and can blend quite well into the background in the sleek modern kitchen. You can use gray as a balance, lending a cool touch to warm earth tones such as dusty green, or a bit of calming relief from the jeweled intensity of a color such as deep purple. Either way, the color gray is making a comeback in 2010.
- Earth Tones: The browns and greens of Mother Nature are coming back as more people seek to be ecologically responsible. Darker, natural wood cabinets are coming into fashion, as are sustainable cork floors and bamboo. If you're looking for a wall or countertop color that is neutral and yet trendy, consider the beige, tan, brown, and green colors found in abundance in nature.
- Think Subtle: Too much of an intense color can make you feel over stimulated. While oranges, yellows, and reds are good for the appetite, 2010's kitchen trends suggest you go for more dusted, subtle shades of these colors. Think Aztec golds, Indian oranges, rusty reds. The effect is warm, homey, and cheerful.
- Bold Color Combinations: Color trends for 2010 feature tastefully bright contrasts here or there. If you are refacing to have dark wood kitchen cabinets, consider accentuating them with a bright green vase or a few hot pink inlaid tiles here or there. It doesn't need to show up everywhere; again, tasteful subtlety is important for the color trends of 2010.
Of course, make sure to choose your color combinations carefully, match them with the color you've chosen for your kitchen cabinet reface, and don't be afraid to try something new. After all, considering color trends can lead you to a look you never would have thought of on your own.
5. A Do-it-yourself Kitchen Makeover or Not?
Unless you are a skilled DIY enthusiast, you should hire a professional cabinet contractor to ensure that the job is finished to a high standard. Ask for references, and seek recommendations from friends, neighbors, or relatives. Toulmin Cabinetry is proud to offer kitchen refacing. Call one of our designers today to get a free quote on face-lifting your kitchen (205) 366-0807.
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