7 Reasons NOT to Paint Your Old Cabinet Doors.

Painting Cabinets has become a popular alternative to remodeling kitchens and bathrooms in recent years, but the problem is consumers may not be educated on alternative options available.  Lets dive into Cabinet Refacing and why it should be your ONLY OPTION to refinish your kitchen.

Cabinet Painting is a service offered mainly by Painters and Painting Companies designed to only renew the Aesthetic of the Cabinet and the Cabinet Door.  To understand the cons of Cabinet Painting lets compare them to an Alternative Solution offered by a cabinet company; CABINET REFACING.

What is Cabinet Refacing and Why is it not more well known?

Cabinet Refacing defined in three simple steps;

• Removal and Disposal of all Old Doors and Drawer Fronts: The old doors and drawer fronts are removed along with hinges and if selected, the cabinet drawers and drawer slides will be removed as well.
• Treatment of Remaning Cabinet Exterior Surfaces: Once the Doors and Drawer Fronts are removed all that is left are the cabinet exterior face frames.  These cabinet exteriors will now be sanded and then a special primer and bonding paint will be applied, providing a strong and durable mechanical and chemical bond.  If you are wanting to a solid wood look then at this time an all wood veneer would be applied.
• Installation of The New Doors and Drawer Fronts: At this stage your new doors and drawer fronts are installed with New Soft Close hinges, New Handles and Potentially New Soft Close Drawer Slides and Drawer Boxes.
• The reason why Cabinet Refacing is not more well known is because it is hard to find a Cabinet Company that specailizes in Refacing Kitchens.  Most cabinet companies focus on new cabinetry only due to higher profit margins. 

7 REASONS TO REFACE VS PAINTING YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS

PRICE

QUALITY

Cabinet doors have years and years of dirt and grime, not only on the surface, but also in those edges and corners that are impossible to clean - let alone sand effectively.  The resulting Cabinet Paint can fail prematurely and may not last as long.  Even when the doors are prepped and sanded perfect they are re-painted by hand with products suited for inhilation .  When refacing we use PRE FINISHED doors.  These doors are painted by robots on assembly lines with products, like a two step coneversion varnish that are much more harsh and not used by painters.. 

So costs are very similar and  ithere is an increased durability and longevity of the finish.

STYLE 

Why pay money to paint a cabinet door that is OUTDATED?  Newer doors are larger and cover more of the cabinet frames AND provide change ithat will be in style for many years to come! 

When repainting an older door, you will be left with the same door you started with.  In comparison, when installing new doors the kitchen will be brand new.  For a minimak cost difference, this is a WIN WIN!. 

So costs are similar, improved durability and quality and  a kitchen that looks brand new and is brand new!

Appraised Home Value

Painting a kitchen cabinet will improve aesthics but it will not increase the homes value.  The comparison is painting shingles on a roof.  This is a comical example that works very well to illustrate the difference between painting a cabinet door vs. replacing it.  New shingles have a new and renewed shelf life thus adding to the homes value.  It is the same with refacing vs. painting.  When adding all new wood doors, new soft close hinges the homes value is directly impacted, not only in aesthics but in real dollar value.  The highest rate of return in apraised home values comes from kitchen renovations and cabinets are a major contributor of that fact.  When refacing a kitchen cabinet you are left with a new cabinet in just days. 

So costs are similar, improved durability and quality, a modernized style and a home with increased value.

Cabinet Modifications

When painting a kitchen the only change occuring is the aestheics.  When refacing a kitchen the doors are removed, the hardware is removed and the cabinet frames are refinished. 

This is the time to utilize the benefits of custom cabinets modificaations!

We all can relate to the problem of accumulating too much stuff in our ktichens OR having the newest kitchen gadgets or appliances that are trending.  The kitchen is the most utilized space in the home.

Cabinet modifications allow for these inevitable changes by creating functional space and designs to accomodate our needs!  Cabinet modifications have an endless potential for everyon's vision of the perfect kitchen!

Cabinet Hinges

When replacing doors the old hinges are tossed and all new soft close hinges are installed.  The hinges will help prolong the useful life of the cabinet door and prevent any damage from slamming and rough usage.  New hinges are the final peice of a kitchen transformation, as opposed to painting your doors and the same old doors and same old hinges are reused.

Cabinet Drawer Boxes and Drawer Slides

Painters can paint walls, ceilings and many other things with great care and may do an excellent job, BUT when it comes to rebuilding drawers and replacing drawer slides in a manner that will be conducive to modernizzing your kitchen, their expertise falls short. 

In every kitchen the time will come where old drawer boxes will start to fall apart and drawer slides will become jammed and hard to open.  This is where refacing your cabinets will come in and save the day!

When you replace your existing drawers with high quality dove-tail drawer boxes and heavy duty soft close drawer slides, your kitchen will feel brand new, it will be brand new and it will last for decades to come!

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