Refacing Kitchen Cabinet Doors Cheaply and Easily

Refacing kitchen cabinet doors becomes necessary after some use because they are the most visible part of a kitchen cabinet and the most exposed to soiling, wear and tear. They get heated up when you cook in the kitchen. They also collect grime, children’s fingerprints, water droplets and stains during washing, nicks and scratches while putting in things and taking them out. This is not surprising because next to the bathroom your kitchen is probably the most used portion in your home. Thus you will need to replace or reface your kitchen cabinet doors from time to time if you want to keep your kitchen looking good.

The good news is that if the other parts of the cabinets are undamaged then replacing or refacing your kitchen cabinet doors, when they start looking bad or worn out, will be enough to give your kitchen a nice facelift. You may also want to reface your kitchen cabinet doors just to give them a more contemporary look. Also as replacing the doors can be quite expensive you can reface them and save a lot of money. You can do the refacing job yourself or get it done by professionals. With the right knowledge and materials you can easily do the refacing yourself. Doing it yourself will result in further savings. Refacing supplies are easily available in stores selling kitchen cabinetry and you will have a wide range of materials to choose from.

You will need to set aside two or three days if you decide to reface the cabinet doors yourself. Many go for the clean white look or a velvet black color that has a dramatic effect and with the wood grain underneath visible. If your doors are laminate you can reface them with a new paint job and/or by adding decorative molding to them. For giving a new paint job you have to prepare the surfaces. First remove all the doors and take them to a place where you can carry out the cleaning and painting jobs. Make sure that the area is well ventilated and dust free. It should be not windy. Mark the position of each door so that it will be easy when you refit them. Remove all handles and hinges.

The next step is to clean all the surfaces and dry them thoroughly. First clean with a general cleaning solution and then with paint thinner. This will remove the grease that gets accumulated. For those having a wooden finish on the surface use a deglosser to lift the wood grain and remove the oily and waxy grime. You may also remove thick deposits with a plastic scraper. Fill all the dents and scratches with wood putty and lightly sand them to give a smooth surface.

Thoroughly remove any dust from the sanding with a tack cloth. Use China bristle brushes for a better finish. Apply a primer meant for shining surfaces in case of laminated doors. There in no need to sand after applying primer. Use an oil based or latex paint to paint it. For this choose a semi-gloss or heavy-duty gloss enamel paint. Apply at least two coats to get an evenly painted surface. The second coat should be applied after 24 hours when the first coat is thoroughly dry. You can also spray paint the doors by either buying or renting spraying equipment.

Plain kitchen cabinet doors can be made more attractive by adding decorative molding to them. For this remove all the doors and mark them as usual. Clean all the surfaces as described above and paint them if necessary. Paint the moldings as well to match the color of the doors or in a contrasting color. Cut the molding to pieces as required and attach to the doors. Fill any gaps with putty and give a final coat or two of paint. After finishing the painting and molding jobs refit the handles and hinges and replace the doors to their original position. Whether you opt for refacing kitchen cabinet doors by painting, adding moldings or both you will have a ‘new look’ kitchen with very little expense. So why not give it a try?