You have heard and seen plenty of commercials for "kitchen cabinet refacing." Sure, it sounds awesome, but can refacing really look better than new cabinets? The answer is, no, not really, especially when your cabinets are already older than the dinosaurs. Here are three reasons to avoid kitchen cabinet refacing and opt for custom kitchen cabinets instead.
Refacing Uses Laminate to Make Things Pretty
Refacing uses laminate over your old kitchen cabinets and the frames to make it look pretty. While that works for now, all it takes is a little wear and tear or a lot of water and the laminate begins to pull away from the wood underneath. It will split and bubble, causing unsightly cabinetry. Custom kitchen cabinets only and always use real wood, not laminate.
If You Do Not Like Your Cabinets Now, You Will Not Like Them Better After Refacing
Usually, when homeowners want new kitchen cabinets, they do not like how their cabinets function right now. Maybe you have shelves that do not adjust and only give you unreasonable heights and excess space. Maybe you cannot convert them into other cabinets with different functions, such as roll-outs. These features do not go away when you reface; they are just hidden from view. You will still have to contend with these less-than-functional and less-than-effective cabinet features after refacing the cabinets.
Custom Cabinets are Unique
Refacing kitchen cabinets means that they end up looking like everyone else's cabinets. Custom kitchen cabinets, on the other hand, mean that you will always have very unique-looking cabinets. They are your own design and choosing, as well as your own stain or paint color. Any extras you want added to them, such as diamond pane or stained glass, custom hardware, etc., really makes them stand out.
Custom Cabinets Increase Your Home's Value
Custom kitchen cabinets increase your home's value because they are unique, durable and valuable right from the start. Refacing cabinets may make your kitchen look attractive during the sale of your home, but they add next to no additional value because they are just laminate surfaces. It is the difference between doing a complete overhaul of your master bathroom and doing a "drop-in" tub over the top of your old tub. The remodeling done on the bathroom is much more valuable than faking out the appearance of your tub with a covering tub install. If you need proof, ask the remodeling contractor how much more your home's value could increase with custom cabinets versus refacing.