The Pros and Cons of Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets

Posted on: 20 January 2017

If you are looking to remodel your kitchen but are on a tight budget, you may be considering refinishing your existing cabinets. Refinishing cabinets can include anything and everything from sanding your existing ones down, staining or painting them, replacing the doors on the cabinets, and adding new hardware. All of this helps to make your cabinets look new and fresh. However, refinishing cabinets is not right for everyone. Learning about the pros and cons will help you decide whether refinishing is right for your kitchen-remodel project. Here are some of those pros and cons.

Cons of Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets

Refinishing Limits to Kitchen Cabinets

One of the downsides of refinishing kitchen cabinets is not every cabinet can be refinished. Most particle-board cabinets cannot be sanded down and stained or repainted. And cabinets that are warped or have damage to them cannot be refinished. A remodeling contractor will be able to take a look at your cabinets and tell you whether they would recommend you resurface them or not. Until they tell you otherwise, don't plan on being able to do this when making a budget.

Time Limits to Refinishing

The other disadvantage to refinishing kitchen cabinets is that it can be time consuming. The kitchen cabinets need to be removed from the wall, sanded down, and stained or painted. Then, new doors or hardware may need to be installed before the cabinets are rehung. Removing the old cabinets and installing new ones is faster. If you are on a tight timeline for completion of your kitchen renovation, refinishing kitchen cabinets may not be the way to go.

Pros of Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets

Cost Savings

The biggest benefit to refinishing your kitchen cabinets is the cost savings. New kitchen cabinets can be expensive. Refinishing your existing ones can help you save a lot of money. This money can then be invested into something else in the kitchen or can help to make the entire remodel fit within your budget.

Customization of Cabinets

The other advantage to refinishing cabinets is that you get to customize your cabinets. When you buy stock cabinets, you have limited color options, door options, and hardware options. And buying new custom cabinets can cause the cost of your cabinetry to sky rocket. When you refinish your existing cabinets, you get the best of both worlds. You get to pick your paint or stain color, select the doors or cabinet faces if you are replacing yours, and pick the hardware. Ultimately, you get the cabinet look you are after without having to pay for custom ones.

When you are remodeling your kitchen, you have many decisions to make. One of the choices you may be considering is refinishing your existing kitchen cabinets. Taking the time to learn the pros and cons of doing so will help you make the right decision for you and your kitchen.

Share