There comes a time in the life of any kitchen when the cabinets are going to need some renovation. After all, they are used constantly day after day, and they are exposed to all of the harsh conditions inherent in a kitchen situation, which include heat, grease, and moisture. Eventually they are going to need attention, repair, or even replacement, but replacing kitchen cabinets is a major expense that not everyone can afford. That's when people start looking at other, more economical fixes. Refacing kitchen cabinet doors is an option that is becoming more and more popular among homeowners.
Refacing your cabinets will give you a couple of choices. You can either call a professional to come in and do the job for you, or you can purchase materials and tackle the task yourself. Due to the fact that the job is quite labor intense, you can save a bundle of money by purchasing facing materials and covering the door and drawer fronts on your own. Maybe you can even ask a couple of friends to help you do the work. The first part of the process is very basic albeit time-consuming. You need to remove all the doors and hardware, although some type of electric screwdriver will help you complete the job much more quickly.
After you've removed everything from the cabinet frames, you need to prepare the wood surfaces. Start by pulling off any loose finish, and then sand lightly to remove smaller flakes and scratches. Don't sand too much in any one area, because you'll make a noticeable depression in the wood. You also don't want to sand down to the bare wood, because self-adhesive veneers are designed to be used on top of existing finishes and won't adhere well to unfinished wood.
To start refacing, begin with the frames. Do each section of frame on its own. Using a razor knife, you will cut the veneer to fit each piece. Make sure to measure carefully. To cover the surface, pull back a little of the backing paper and press snugly into place. Work slowly and carefully to make all edges match. When you've finished with the frames, you can use the same process on doors and drawer fronts. Whether or not you cover door interiors is up to you. You can find pictures online that will assist you in putting the veneer on correctly.
Once everything is covered, you're ready to reattach the doors and drawers and put the hardware back on or replace it with new if you'd like to update the look. As you can see, it's a big job, but there's no reason that if you work carefully you can't do the job yourself. You'll end up with refaced cabinets that will look new even though they didn't cost you a fortune.
