Dear Haskell,
I have an older house with an outdated kitchen and really ugly cabinets.ﾃつ I want to get new cabinets to update the look of our kitchen but my husband says we can just refinish and save money.ﾃつ How do you decide whether to buy new cabinets or keep the old ones and just repaint?
Thanks!
Melissa,Monteagele,TN
Melissa,
Today you have options.ﾃつ Yes, you can of course completely buy new cabinetry and it will completely transform your kitchen, but it is expensive.ﾃつ On the other hand you could just repaint or stain, but while inexpensive may not hold up well and is more than a weekendﾃつ do it yourself project.ﾃつ But, before you make your decision, ask yourself these two important questions.
1.Isﾃつthe layout of my current kitchen functional?
2.Are my cabinets in good condition?
If you answer yes to either or both questions you may be a good candidate for a new type of cabinetry makeover: a cabinetry renew.ﾃつ Many times it is the outdated look that bothers people the most.ﾃつ If your cabinets, especially the interiors, are in good shape and the basic layout of the kitchen works for you, then a cabinetry renew might be the answer.ﾃつ This solution is a process where the door and drawer fronts are replaced and new material is applied to the cabinetﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s front and exposed ends.ﾃつ But because the cabinet boxes remain, the cost, the mess and the downtime are greatly reduced.ﾃつ Many times we can even add or replace a few new cabinets and perhaps add a new island but this approach still costs less than a complete redo.ﾃつ New countertops, hardware and appliances can be added as well to achieve essentially a brand new kitchen.
With the renew process we employ, you can also add new interior upgrades such as rollouts, spice drawers, lazy susans and tray dividers to help increase the functional aspects of your kitchen.
You can see illustrations below of just how dramatic the Renew transformation can be using the same cabinet boxes, the same layout, but with brand new fronts and trim.
ﾃつHere is an example of that old kitchen we have all seen!ﾃつ Dated cabinetry, obsolete appliance and bad hardware!
Here is the layout of the kitchen wall, as seen above, in computer layout.
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We removed the old range, the cabinets above the range, as well as a cabinet and base cabinet to make way for a larger appliance.ﾃつ Many times we can add or delete a few cabinets to much improve function.
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A beautiful new hood with full venting was added.ﾃつ We also added new veneers to all exposed cabinet boxes.
New cherry doors and drawer fronts are applied to round out the cabinetry renewal.
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New granite countertops, mosaic backsplash and appliances make this incredible transformation complete.
As you can see Melissa, both you and your husband can get what you want.ﾃつ A cabinetry renewal is a great way for many homeowners to have a new kitchen look and function while staying on a budget.ﾃつ So before you start into a total kitchen remodel, call us and letﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s discuss what a kitchen Renew can do for you!
If you would like to pose your own design dilemma for Haskell to address, just post it on our FB page or via Contact Us on our website.ﾃつﾃつHaskell will select one to answer each week.