If you’re looking to spruce up your kitchen cabinets and the doors and drawer-fronts are in good shape, you may just need to paint them. If the hardware is funky or outdated, you can add new hinges, pulls, and knobs as part of the painting project and create an entire new look for your kitchen. Of course, if the cabinets are too damaged to paint, you might salvage them by hiring a contractor who’s experienced in cabinet refacing.

Sunset Magazine recommends other alternatives than new paint for refinishing kitchen cabinets if you already have melamine and laminate veneers  now. But solid wood veneers and metal cabinets can hold a fresh coat of paint. They recommend that you set aside four days to do the job right, removing the hardware, including prepping and cleaning the surfaces, and time to dry between coats. The better quality of paint you can afford, the better the ultimate look and durability you’ll have for the paint job itself.  Many professionals prefer 100-percent acrylic enamel paint. Oil-based paints can be a nightmare to clean up afterward.

Do You Need a  Professional for Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets?

The folks at Reliable Remodeler suggest that you look at all the stages of painting—dismantling, cleaning, prepping, sanding, priming, spray finishing, and a week’s worth of drying—before deciding whether you can do the job or need to call in a professional.

The trickiest part can lie in the spray finishing. For this reason, some homeowners will compromise the fine, clean finish created by spraying in favor of using a roller. If you spray, microscopic overspray can get all over the kitchen. You may even want to employ a brush, pulling it into corners rather than slopping paint in there, causing drips.

If you’re concerned about the environment and concerned about your beat-up kitchen cabinets, you don’t have to choose a home improvement project at the cost of damaging the Earth. While the use of traditional, non-sustainable hard woods for building replacement cabinets has an impact on the environment, choosing the right green materials for refacing your cabinets helps you do your part.

Let’s start with the supposition that your existing cabinet boxes are in good structural shape. Perhaps you can avoid a costly and non-sustainable replacement project by adding a veneer and new hardware. That’s a win-win situation for you and the planet. New, green veneer products are released all the time, and they’re known for sustainability, ease of maintenance, and durability, too!

Green Refacing Choices

The Forest Stewardship Council maintains a list of companies that use wood certified for sustainable harvesting. You can choose veneers for cabinet doors and drawer fronts that are warp-resistant, scratch-resistant, and heat-resistant. Moreover, when you order up a kitchen cabinet refacing project, there are fewer materials destined for the landfill.

In fact, many homeowners choose recycled wood materials in their veneers and have their contractors recycle all materials that come off the old cabinets.

Cabinet costs make up nearly half of the total cost of a kitchen remodeling effort. When you consider new faces, you can save between one and two-thirds the cost of having new cabinets installed.

Green remodeling also employs the use of sustainable materials (such as bamboo and cork) for kitchen counters and flooring. Eco-friendly kitchen cabinet refacing materials mean you choose a green project that saves green in your wallet, too!

A tile backsplash is relatively simple to maintain with dish soap, non-abrasive cleaners, and warm tap water. In return, the backsplash protects your walls from water damage and stains, and tile can be an exceptionally beautiful addition when coordinated with your cabinets and counters. If you’re considering doing the tile installation yourself, be sure you’re comfortable working with a tile cutter or wet saw, trowels, and adhesives. If not, call in an experienced contractor.

HGTV has a straightforward explanation of the steps involved in putting in your own tile backsplash. You may want to read it through before racing out to buy materials you’re completely uncomfortable installing on your own.

Basic Tile Preparation Procedure

Before you begin, we can help you plan your backsplash project. If you decide to use tile, you’ll need to thoroughly degrease and clean all the surfaces where you’re installing the backsplash or the grout may not hold the tiles with uniformity, or at all. You can use a commercial wall degreaser product, or make your own solution with laundry bleach and water.

One key in getting the line of tiles straight across the backsplash area is to measure with width of any area that will run beneath an existing window. That width must be filled with uncut, full-sized tiles. Nearly all tile experts will tell you to “dry fit” the backsplash to the wall before you try to attach them with grout or an adhesive. Starting from the row that rests against the countertop, add rows until you reach the bottom of the window.

You can create a plumb line and mark the rest of the wall using the base of the window as a straight-edge. If you’re still unsure if tile is for you, Better Homes and Gardens has a great rundown on materials.