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If you want to make your kitchen look as good as the day you first put it in, but have a limited budget and can’t afford to replace everything, then a makeover for the kitchen cabinet doors is one money saving option.
It means that you aren’t paying for a whole new kitchen, which isn’t economical especially if the cabinets themselves are still serviceable, and it has a few options for the way you go about it. You also have the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve done the work yourself rather than paying someone else to do it.
Resurfacing
Resurfacing simply involves the application of a new veneer to the surface of the door. It’s not the easiest job to DIY as you have to carefully remove the old veneer and then apply the new one without any wrinkles or creases, but it’s worth the effort. It tends to work best with cabinets that are made from man-made materials, or those made from lower quality wood which haven’t stood up to the abuse of everyday life in the kitchen. You have a choice of plain veneer or patterned, with the most popular being a wood effect that gives the impression that the door is solid wood. The veneer finish is easy to keep clean as it just requires a wipe down with a damp cloth, and its durability will provide you with many years of surface.
Refinishing
Unlike resurfacing, this option is pretty easy and can be done by just about anyone with even minimal DIY skills. It is best suited to solid wood doors, and it’s the cheapest of the refurbishment options as the only cost is the materials to do it – you’ll need preparation materials, paint or wood stain, brushes and perhaps a plastic bath if you decide to dip the doors. Your first job is to strip down the door by sanding or applying paint stripper, then smoothing it so you’ve got a good flat surface. One you are happy there are no imperfections such as bumps in the doors, you can paint them, leave them to dry overnight, and you are done.
Refacing
This is a good one for making it look like you’ve changed your kitchen cabinets completely, rather than just the doors. You’ll need average DIY skills as it involves removal of your old doors and drawer fronts and replacement of them with new ones, but it can be done with a few basic tools. You can buy your doors new at reasonable prices and in a range of colours and finishes, and you just need to make sure that you’ve got your sizes right. Alternatively, if you want to keep your costs to an absolute minimum, you might be able to source some second hand doors as plenty of people throw out perfectly good doors, especially solid wood ones, when they update their kitchens. Make sure you match colours though, as older doors and cabinets can fade with time and a mis-match will stand out.
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