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There are some home improvements people can do without needing to hire a professional contractor. If your kitchen is beginning to look worn because your cabinets are old, you can revitalize them by giving them a new look. In kitchen cabinet refacing you simply remove the top layer of paint or stain to expose the wood underneath.

Once you have your wood exposed you can sand down any rough areas to make them smooth. At this stage you also have the option of adding additional trim or panels if you want to create a whole different surface. You can purchase these smaller items at most home improvement stores as pieces of unfinished wood. If you happen to have drawers or doors that have become severely marred, you can pick up replacement panels at any place that sells wood and cabinet door items.

Some other cabinet refacing supplies you might want to pick up include adhesive tape, sandpaper and putty. The putty is used to fill any small holes that may have been placed in the wood from hanging items on doors with nails. You will also want to purchase the paint or stain you intend to use, as well as, a finish or sealer to put over it to protect the surface from getting scratched.

As an added touch you can choose new hardware items for your rejuvenated cabinets. The basic hardware will be hinges for any doors, door pulls and drawer knobs. Some styles use hidden catches instead of the traditional hardware items. These are magnetic catches that hold and release when you press against the door.

You can learn more about the step-by step process of refacing your cabinets by getting an informational book, video or visiting an online website. With a little patience and a bit of effort, you can create a beautiful kitchen you will be proud of without spending a fortune to do it.

If your kitchen is looking a little worn or tired than you basically have two options – either replace them completely or renovate your existing units with a bit of cabinet refacing. A lot of people go way over the top when it comes to giving the kitchen a new look and this can work out to be very expensive. You certainly don’t need to do a complete kitchen renovation to simply give your kitchen a new look.

Refacing kitchen cabinets can be one or the easiest and cheapest ways to give your kitchen a dramatic new look. This is an ideal option if you are happy with your cabinets and layout but just want to improve the look and have an inexpensive alternative to replacing them.

We will cover what the process of kitchen cabinet refacing involves. Although it takes a little time, it is relatively easy to do. Read on….

Firstly, you will need to remove the draw faces and cabinet doors. This will give you enough space and room to adequately access and properly finish the doors and frames if required. If you decide to use new hinges then fill in the holes left behind from the previous hinges as it is highly unlikely the holes in the new hinges will line up correctly with those of the old. If they do….great…one less job to do.

Strip and sand down all the cabinet surfaces to be refaced. With the sanding, keeping stepping down in the grade until you get to a very fine sandpaper. This will produce a nice smooth fine finish which will create a lovely finish when we get to the next stage.

The next step is to prep the surface which may be wiping down with white spirit if you are going to varnish. Then you will want to stain and then protect the surface with the finish of your choice. You can reface kitchen cabinets with paint, a color of your choice and then protect the surface, with a varnish. Some paints are already waterproof and designed for kitchen areas. There are some products that combine the stain and protective covering which look good. These are ideal if you want to do the whole reface cabinet thing quickly. After each layer, I would recommend going over each piece with a very fine sandpaper or steel wool between coats to get a smooth long lasting finish.

Once the refaced cabinets are dry then reattach the doors and drawer faces and realign the hinges. Nothing looks worse than crooked looking doors.

As you can see refacing kitchen cabinets is a straight forward process that does not require any special skills but just takes time and can be fiddly if your doors have any sort of detailing or recesses on them. As you are doing all this work though just keep reminding yourself of the money you are saving whilst cabinet refacing.