If your kitchen cabinets are starting to look a little worn out, tired and dated, you don’t necessarily have to throw them out in favor of a brand new set, you can simply do kitchen cabinet refinishing. After all, installing a new set of kitchen cabinets requires a significant amount of money. So if your kitchen cabinets are still in good physical condition, you can choose to update them in order to restore their glorious looks and extend their usability.
With that in mind, there are a variety of ways to update your kitchen cabinets depending on their material, previous finish, physical condition, and personal preferences. Below are some of the most popular ways.
Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets
This is one of the cheapest but highly effective kitchen cabinet refinishing methods. A fresh coat of paint transforms the look of your tired cabinets while protecting the wood against the elements of surface wear and tear, and discoloration. You have endless options when it comes to colors –a hired professional painting contractor can paint the doors, drawer fronts and cabinet boxes in any color you like.
Stain Kitchen Cabinets
A wood stain, unlike paint, gets absorbed into the wood and doesn’t form a solid film on the surface of your cabinets. This is a great option if your cabinets are still relatively new with minimum or no surface dents and imperfections. The stain protects your cabinets while still allowing the natural beauty of the wood (knots and grains) to show through. Applying the stain is much easier than painting since it requires less surface preparation.
Change the Hardware
The cabinet door knobs, drawer pulls and hinges can all be changed to give your kitchen cabinets a new subtle look. You can get as fancy or as basic as your budget can allow, but just make sure that whatever style you choose matches with the overall theme of your interior décor. If you’re on a tight budget or on a light kitchen cabinet refinishing mission, you can buy 10-packs of simple, contemporary hardware at big box stores which often goes for less than $20.
Reface Kitchen Cabinets
Refacing is kind of giving a new ‘skin’ to your kitchen cabinets. This, again, costs less compared to replacing your kitchen cabinets. You can either add a new veneer to the front-facing flat parts or only change the door panels if they are significantly dated. Some cabinet manufacturers offer peel-and-stick veneer which makes the whole process much easier. Just make sure the color or the new veneer matches the other parts that you will not be covering.
Bonus Tip: Install Under-cabinet Lighting
Most cabinets, especially in older homes, miss good lighting, and this could easily be the only thing you need to bring out the shine in your kitchen cabinets. You get better results when using dimmer lighting, but with a bit of colored light, you can introduce a flittering accent lighting theme.
The Bottom Line
Updating your kitchen cabinets by either repainting, staining, refacing, or installing new hardware is an effective and much cheaper alternative to replacing them. Installing a new set of cabinets can cost nearly $5,000 depending on the material and brand. On the other hand, an average kitchen cabinet paint job could cost anywhere between $600 and $1500.
If you need professional help updating your kitchen cabinet, our team at Brush & Color Painting can help. We offer interior and cabinet eco-friendly painting services in Austin TX, Tarrytown TX, Clarksville TX, and Westlake TX. To use our services, simply book a free estimate or call us on (512) 947-0594 if you have any question.