There are several different ways you can refinish your cabinets. You can change the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, refinish them, or change the door hardware. Kitchen cabinet refinishing is much cheaper than replacing the cabinets. Or, you can add new hardware to change the appearance of your cabinets.

Kitchen cabinet refinishing either by replacing the doors and drawer fronts or refinishing them yourself will cost a fraction of the price for new cabinets. A typical complete kitchen cabinet replacement can cost upward from $15k. Custom kitchen cabinets cost even more. Replacing the doors and drawer fronts will cost approximately $3 to $4k depending on the style you choose.

Refinishing the cabinets and drawer fronts is even less expensive. The cost is approximately $500 to $1,000 depending if you do them yourself or you have a cabinet shop do the task. Refinishing can either be by painting or refinishing the existing finish. Another method is by installing a wood veneer on top of the existing cabinet doors and drawer fronts. A wood veneer with a peel-and-stick backing is easy to install. Wood veneer also comes in a variety of different colors.

The third option is by replacing the door and drawer front hardware as it is the least expensive. There seems to be an endless variety and style of kitchen cabinet hardware to choose from. Visit your home improvement supply center and review the many different varieties. If you can’t find what you want there, visit a kitchen cabinet shop. They usually have a larger variety of hardware to select from.

Removing the old hardware and installing the new hardware is a simple task for most DIY homeowners. All it takes is to remove the mounting screws, remove the old hardware and installing the new hardware.

Painting Kitchen Cabinets:

If you elect to refinish the cabinets and drawer fronts by painting them yourself, simply remove them from the cabinets and drawers and remove all the hardware.

Set the doors and drawer fronts on a work bench.
Clean with soap and water to remove any furniture wax or grime.
Sand them lightly with 200 grit sand paper. An orbital sander works well for this task.
Clean any residue and wipe with a paint solvent.
Apply the first coat of paint and let dry.
Buff the first coat of paint with 0000 grit steel wool.
Apply the second coat of paint and let dry.
Buff again with steel wool and apply a liberal coat of finishing wax.
Reinstall the hardware and install the doors and drawer fronts.

Your kitchen cabinets should look just like new with a completely new appearance. Kitchen cabinet refinishing is a lot less expensive than replacing them and you can get exactly what you want in terms of color and hardware style.

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