we are going to tackle refacing our kitchen cabinets ourselves since people came in and gave us prices we could not afford. we have picked up all the brochures and such from lowes and home depot. ANY advise would be great. Any thing that would help us get through this is welcome. Any any suggestions on products to use!

We are going to paint ours, it doesn't seem to difficult. Won't work with laminated wood.

Painting is not really an option. the doors are in bad shape. we would have to replace them anyway. we don't want to replace the cabinets (boxes) since they are built in and hardwood. refacing the boxes and new door are a much better option for us

I am considering hiring a contractor to reface my cabinets. More $$$ than I thought! Do you know how much more replacing is than refacing? Is refacing much less expensive? Are you considering laminate for the refacing plus wood doors, or thermafoil faces and doors?

I don't know how much more it would be to replace. It depends i guess on what you replace with. Mine are hardwood and if you go somewhere like lowes or homedepot they are flakeboard not solid hardwood. Mine are also built in and i don't want to go through the nightmare of taking them out. I am looking at the laminate on the cabinet and replacing the doors and draw fronts. It was too expensive to have some one do it for me. I know it will be alot cheaper to do it myself. I am in the process of figuring it out today what it will cost

Hello. I have been asking the same questions as those in this thread. Very hard for me to tell what prices may be in terms of replacing vs. re-surfacing cabinets. Mine are solid wood, and in great condition. Want to use lighter wood on cabinets. My questions: (1) For an apx. 12 x 10 cabinet area, what types of prices have others found (both replacing vs. re-surfacing)? (2) What is the average (percentage) of replacing vs. re-surfacing? (3) What does re-surfacing the boxes involve? Do you make a template and then cut the laminate? How do you cut the laminate? How does it stick to the wood? What is the prep work prior to sticking on the new laminate? We've never done this before. We do a lot of projects. How hard is it to cut and paste the laminate? Does it involve many mistakes and having to constantly re-cut? Or is cutting it and putting it on the wood relatively easy? Any thoughts from those who have done this before welcomed! Thank you!

Hello,

Our 1988 wooden cabinets are darker then we'd like -- i'd call them medium pine.

Is there a way to lighten them? They are stained, and they are real wood.

If it is possible, how would we do so?

Thanks.

Betty

1. The usual rule of thumb used to be that half the cost of cabinets was in the show side and the other half in the carcase and hardware.

2. If you are considering doing your own refacing, I'd recommend getting this book before you decide and start.
http://www.amazon.com/Refacing-Cabinets-Making-Kitchen-Homebuilding/dp/1561581976/ref=sr_1_4/104-9822440-3198333?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187392071&sr=8-4
You can buy the MUT he describes at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware for just a few dollars. Rockler also carries the self-adhesive or heat-activated veneers.

3. There are various places to buy new drawer fronts and doors (and hinges & pulls) -- mail order, big boxes, builders supply houses, etc.

4. There is no "dark eraser" on wood stains. If you want to go lighter, you must strip and refinish. It's a lot of work, and unless you have a good reason, it may be cost effective to just replace / re-face.