Cabinet restoration may be the thing for you if you want to refresh your home and bring new life into your kitchen.
Your cabinets are the centerpiece of your kitchen, which is often why many people start home remodeling by tackling their kitchen cabinetry. But have you considered replacing cabinets to only realize how expensive and time-consuming the whole process would be?
We’ve all been there! Many commonly overlook choosing to restore your cabinets is a time and cost-effective option.
Today, we’re giving you a complete guide to cabinet restoration so you can see why it just might be the perfect solution to your home remodeling dilemma. Keep reading to learn more!
Can Old Cabinets be Restored?
You might think your cabinets are old and run down, but you’d be surprised to find out that you will likely still qualify for restoration. Most cabinets can be restored to like-new condition, long as the wood they are made from remains structurally sound.
Professional refinishers can quickly fix these issues if you have light scratches, surface stains, or a chipping finish. A trustworthy specialist can also fix deep scratches, gouges, and wood discoloration.
What Does the Cabinet Restoration Process Look Like?
Whether you’re planning to restore your cabinets yourself or hire a professional, you probably want to know about the process. We will briefly break down the five steps in the cabinet restoration process.
- Remove cabinet doors and drawer fronts – It’s easiest to clean, sand, and paint or get an even layer of finish if you’re working from a flat surface. During this step, remove the cabinet hardware and set it aside for safekeeping. You can throw it out if you plan to replace the hardware when you have finished your cabinet restoration project.
- Clean all surfaces – Gently scrub your cabinet pieces to clean them of debris, dust, or caked-on foods, then give the wood time to dry completely.
- Protect the rest of your kitchen and yourself – Spread painter’s plastic or drop cloths on the countertops, appliances, and floors. To protect your hands, wear sturdy work gloves. Also, make sure to protect your eyes by wearing safety glasses. Safety gear is vital for sanding or stripping wood as splinters and sawdust can cause irritation and injury.
- Prep the cabinetry – You may need to strip some cabinets of their finishing, while others might just need some light sanding. Your cabinetry expert will determine the best plan of action before moving forward. After stripping and sanding the cabinetry, any gouges or deep scrapes can be filled in and later concealed with paint or stain.
- Paint and Refinish – Finally, it’s time to paint the cabinetry in a fresh coat using a roller or a detail brush if your cabinets have molding. Your cabinets may require more than one layer of paint, depending on the color and quality of paint your choose.
- Replace doors, drawer fronts, and hardware – After the paint on the cabinet boxes and doors has thoroughly dried, it’s time to reinstall everything back in its place. To complete the project, you may need to replace or install additional hardware such as hinges and runners. Once this is completed, reattach and install your cabinet doors and drawers.
What are the Benefits of Restoring my Cabinets?
While there are plenty of benefits to restoring your cabinets rather than replacing them, there are three main reasons why people often choose this route over the alternative.
- Cost-effectiveness – You will spend significantly less restoring your current cabinets over an entire replacement. Replacing your cabinets is costly, but refinishing and restoring your cabinets can cost you up to half of what you spend for a new setup.
- Think about it: New cabinets require financing, manually removing the old cabinets, and installing new cabinetry. It’s a lengthy process that can take weeks to complete, whereas restoring your current cabinets is less labor-intensive. When hiring a professional, you’re mostly paying for the cost of paint and labor, so you’ll save money going this route.
- Options Galore – You might think that the best way to fit your exact style would be to start from scratch, but refinishing still gives you plenty of options for finishes and colors. You can repaint your kitchen cabinets in practically any color you want. From bright colors to neutral, you have the power of design right in your hands. If you’re not a fan of the painted cabinetry look, you can opt for a specific finish such as staining, glazing, glossing, stressing, and antiquing.
- Eco-Friendliness – Think about the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. If you want to respect mother nature, it’s best to reuse and repurpose the materials you already have in your home rather than contributing to more waste by throwing out your old cabinetry. If you’re striving to keep your carbon footprint to a minimum, cabinet restoration is the way to go!
Cabinet Restoration: How Much Does it Cost?
According to HomeAdvisor, refinishing cabinets costs $2,936 on average, with a typical range of $1,793 and $4,102. It ultimately depends on how many cabinets and drawers you have and the materials and finishes you pick out.
Remember that this is still significantly less than what you’d pay for a complete installation of new cupboards and drawers, which could cost at least double or possibly triple this range.
Choose Allen Brothers Cabinet Painting for Your Cabinet Restoration Project
Are you ready to learn more about cabinet restoration and schedule someone to makeover your kitchen? Then give the experts at Allen Brothers Cabinet Painting a call. We pride ourselves on doing high-quality work promptly, so you can get back to using your cabinets faster than you might think.
Plus, it’s all done for a great price, and you can complete control of color options and finishes! It really is that easy! Contact us today to get a free bid on your cabinet restoration and an accurate project estimate and timeline.
We serve the northern Utah cities of Sandy, Draper, South Jordan, West Jordan, and Salt Lake City.
