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Cabinet Refacing

Has anyone hired a company to reface their kitchen/bathroom cabinets?

If so, were you happy with the results and can you give me some tips?

Many thanks.

Kate

Reply to
Kate
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We did, with Sears in Florida. We had signed papers with Home Depot to replace cabinets with new, and got as far as the sub who did the measurements...when we went to HD afterward, the planner couldn't figure out why one wall of the kitchen had a wierd angle. That was a deal killer, as it was obvious that a measurement made at the corner of the two walls was incorrect; the sub put in something other than 90 degrees. I wasn't going to work with someone who couldn't solve such a simple issue. We weren't going to bother asking for our deposit ($100) back, but on a later trip to the store the kitchen planner flagged us down and made us take it :o)

We then decided that since the old cabinets were good, just ugly, we'd look at refacing. We had 3/4" ply, built in place cabinets as good as the day they were built. The carpenter for Sears worked for a week, refacing, new doors and drawers. We used old door and drawer pulls, but other hardware was new. I painted inside of cabinets prior to the work. The carp. was skilled and careful, but I had to call him on a couple of issues, the major one being counter-top that wasn't even along the miter at a corner. They are subject to water instrusion if not joined exactly even and tight. The next issue was a sub who installed the new sink...from RotoRooter, if I remember right. Late on a Friday, he tried to convince us that since he didn't have the right size clamps to hold down the stainless sink, just a line of silicone caulk was going to glue it down tight. No way!! Hubby made a run to plumbing supply whilst I held the guy prisoner and we got the sink fastened down right. The plumber was a dope.

Bottom line: a name is just a name. Sears or HD or whomever will have a variety of contractors, not all good or all bad. You need to know what they need to know and be there to watch them do the work. We didn't hover, but sure checked often. It was expensive, so refacing cheap cabinets may not be wise...if just refacing, not replacing major items, might be good. We also covered old metal wall tile with laminate and then installed glass as a backsplash above our cooktop...love it, so easy to clean.

I think it is always best to hire contractors whose work you can see, so check with friends or neighbors. Refacing might be fairly simple, just contact cement. The cutting and finishing is where quality shows.

Reply to
norminn

I'm going to say don't do what this person did. Sear and HD are not the place to go for work. Supplies yes, work no. They often have the least experienced contractors because Sears, HD, and ohers take a piece off the top. To be price competitive they need cheap contractors.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

My daughter had hers done in Las Vegas by a local company. They looked beautiful afterwards and the cost was much lower than new. I didn't think they were going to come out as good as they did. Shop around and ask people. You will find some who will give you an idea or direction in a short time. Some companies even provide names of satisfied customers, and you can go look at the work.

We just redid our kitchen, and we found a cabinet maker that was going out of business. They were prefabs, like HD's, and he could alter them, unlike HD. We had investigated HD before, and if it's anything other than the standard size, they can't or won't do it. The prices from our going out of business guy were 1/4 of HD, and the quality was the same. Such a deal, plus, he GAVE us about three dozen new in box cabinets and about 250 glides with piston stoppers that I'm selling on craigslist. I helped him sell a lot of his cabinets and his pallet racking shelves by putting ads on craigslist around the SW US, and it was quite a nice little commission.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

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Reply to
Steve B

Thank you for taking so much time to lay this out for me.

My project should be simple. I have Silestone quartz counter tops so my only option is to reface the cabinets. I have Opal Oak and want to go to a darker Cinnamon Oak cabinet. I won't be adding a new sink, extra cabinets, etc.

My problem is that I live in a small town, so I will definitely be driving 2 - 3 hours to see their work.

I can see my homework is cut out for me.

Many thanks.

Reply to
Kate

I don't have any confidence with Sears nor Home Depot, although I know people who have had great experiences with both.

I will be interviewing cabinet companies, and hope I choose the right one.

Thanks.

Reply to
Kate

It is nice to read about a success story. And, writing about reading, I just browsed part of your blog. It is very nicely done. I also wish you the best with your health.

Reply to
Kate

On 3/29/2011 2:40 PM, Kate wrote: (snip)

Any reason you can't degrease, sand, and stain? You can't go lighter with stain, but you can always go darker. (No idea what Opal and Cinnamon oak colors are- I wish there was a recognized standard for defining colors with a number.) Or are the existing cabinets faux woodgrain on the large faces or something?

Not a fan of cabinet refacing. When you open a cabinet, it always reminds me of a used car with a cheap paint job, where they didn't repaint the door edges.

Reply to
aemeijers

Thank you very much. My printed books are about to be delivered, and be available at amazon, kindle, etc. Bookmark my site, as you never know when you, a friend, or a family member may need it. And it is hard to find relevant information before surgery, I know. Lots of day to day experiences there, it is concentrated in the book.

Good luck with your cabinets. Just ask around and find some happy customers. My daughter's looked fantastic, and it takes a lot to grab my attention.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

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Reply to
Steve B

Yes, I could degrease, sand and stain, but what a job. Opal Oak is a pinkish color, and a cinnamon oak is a medium oak color.

They are oak cabinets. I know what you mean about the colors being defined by a number.

Thanks for your input.

Reply to
Kate

Great advice, and I did bookmark your site. And, although I don't drink much diet pop, I do believe I will cut it out altogether now. Great info. on your blog.

Reply to
Kate

On the other hand, when I close the door of my cheap, old cabinet, I can say "Wow! They really look great!" :o)

Reply to
norminn

OMG! How many doors and drawers? Flat surface or molding?

Reply to
norminn

"Kate" wrote in

We've all been through it with coffee, etc etc. It will kill you, it is good for you. Andy Rooney did a broadcast Sunday past. He said something like "life in substantial quantities will kill you." He was talking about all the things over the years that are supposed to be bad for us, then the following study says it is okay. I just personally don't like the taste of diet soda. It has a brassy taste to me. I'm amused that people will order a triple cheeseburger, chili cheese curly fries, and a diet drink. I guess the diet drink counteract and cancel out all those other calories.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

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Reply to
Steve B

9 door and 19 drawers. Molding.
Reply to
Kate

I have seen two homes that have had cabinet refacing and I could not tell the difference. Also, I just went to a Home Show (not in my area unfortunately) and was quite impressed.

Reply to
Kate

I see folks ordering that way all the time as well. I like the word "moderation".

Reply to
Kate

Your plan is to reface only the frames, keep doors and drawers as they are?

Reply to
norminn

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