Looking for 21st century ways to improve your semi-Neanderthal kitchen cabinets? Homeowners can choose to simply replace the doors, or to also reface the cabinet cases with paint, laminate, or a wood veneer. There are good reasons for choosing a less expensive cabinet refacing job. Chief among these is the cost, including doing some or all of the work yourself. And your purpose for the refacing is important, too. There are design possibilities with less expensive refacing choices that can create a very “today” look.
- Good old (new) paint: If your cabinets are already painted (perhaps a dingy, boring white), sand them down and do a creative color scheme, like butter-colored cabinet cases with royal blue doors, or dark painted brown cases with new wood-grain doors. If your cabinets are wood veneer, clean and strip or very lightly sand the veneer before painting. Do it yourself or have it done by a painting contractor.
- Thermofoil doors: Thermofoil is vinyl that has been glued to medium density fiberboard with a vacuum press. You can get many styles of Thermofoil doors inexpensively. There are precautions. Heat (such as a self-cleaning oven) can cause the glue bond to separate, so you’ll need to shield cabinets adjacent to the stove. Surface scratches and dings can let water (from washing them down, for example) seep in and separate the bond. And colors may fade over time. But if there are no children in the home or you’re looking for a cost efficient upgrade for selling your home, Thermofoil doors with veneered or painted cabinet cases are a good alternative.
- Laminate: If you shudder at the thought of laminate-covered cabinets, it’s only because you haven’t looked at laminates lately. Laminating cabinet cases and even simple slab or Craftsman style doors and drawer fronts is well within the capabilities of home handyfolks. True, it will be easier if you take down the cases to work on them, but the flip side is that the creative possibilities are endless. Solid colors, textures, wood grains, and very hip patterns are possibilities for mixing and matching. Paint the cases and laminate the doors, or vice versa. And if you hire a contractor, it can be a very affordable cabinet refacing alternative.
If your purpose in kitchen cabinet refacing is home resale, it can be best to tone down the personal creativity a bit. Warm ivory painted cases with wood grain Thermofoil or taupe painted doors look current, yet are versatile. Unleash your wilder side for cabinets you plan to live with for a few years.
