Kitchen reface experience

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redknife

Chris
Corporate Member
Does anyone here have cabinet refacing experience to convey?
We have a house on the market and feedback has been that the kitchen is dated. The bones and layout are fine. We have arch top doors and honey oak finish which is said to date the kitchen. Considering options, DYI refacing being one. I wondered what experiences people have had with refacing?
 

Gilley23

New User
Bryan
Please post up a few pictures of your kitchen.

I've only seen one refacing join and it really made a big difference. New doors, hardware and all painted white is what I saw. Looked totally different!
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I have no experience to share but I would also suggest spraying the cabinets and doors white is probably the right path. Replacing door hinges if they are the older surface mount variety is also a good idea. Bar pulls also seem to be the preference these days. Prices for these pulls is not bad if you get the hollow ones - around $1 each in quantity (versus close to $5 for solid). You cannot tell hollow versus solid once they are on the door. Soft close doors and drawers are also what all the new cabinets have (bath and kitchen). I wouldn't mess with drawers but if you replace the door hinges you might want to spend a couple dollars more for the soft close ones.

If you decide to spray, I like Resisthane. I would also get their primer. You could put on three coats in a day and it is rated as a kitchen cabinet finish.
 

redknife

Chris
Corporate Member
Bryan: Here are some pics- not a great but all I have at the moment. The one pic has a cabinet temporarily sitting on the counter that I removed from another wall.
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Gilley23

New User
Bryan
If it were me, I'd paint those puppies white , change the hardware and call it done for the cabinets. It's the dark wood color that's making it look dated. Then do a glass/tile backsplash to really dress it up, something like this: https://goo.gl/wccHxR. I'd spend the money on the backsplash, not the refacing.
 

Brantnative

Jeff
Corporate Member
Number one color for kitchen cabinets these days is white. Unfortunately it looks like white will blend in too much with the counter top. Any money in the budget for granite?
 

redknife

Chris
Corporate Member
Number one color for kitchen cabinets these days is white. Unfortunately it looks like white will blend in too much with the counter top. Any money in the budget for granite?
We’ve talked about the counters which are currently Corian off-white. Might get some estimates for granite/quartz. As you say, I was reluctant to go white on the cabinets given the counter color. With carrying 2 houses, we don’t have a ton of capital.
 

Robb Parker

Robb
Corporate Member
Those are oak cabinets. They will not paint very well as the pores are very open. You'll never get them to look right. Modern white kitchens are made from maple or mdf, so the finish is slick, no imperfections. Oak will show the grain and the pores. Just the nature of oak. Grain fill is an option but I'd hate to think what that labor would be. Sorry to be such the pessimist, just realistic.
 

Gilley23

New User
Bryan
The white on white will look ok, IMO, with the color in the backsplash breaking it up. There are some free apps that you can use to do a mock up of what it will look like.
 

cyclopentadiene

Update your profile with your name
User
I agree with others, spray the cabinets. I posted photos of our kitchen remodel recently. The cabinets were already white (which I hate) but this is trendy again. I removed the doors, washed everything with TSP and sanded all surfaces using 400 grit. I sprayed the cabinets using the Sherwin Williams Alkyd paint that they recommended. We als replaced the counter tops with granite and I added a subway tile backsplash and painted the kitchen. The counter tops, undercounter LED lighting and sink were the expensive parts of the project. We also replaced all the electrical outlets and lighting.The entire project was about $5k with me doing all of the work except the granite and plumbing. If you are selling, just painting the cabinets and walls would be an inexpensive way to freshen up.
 

redknife

Chris
Corporate Member
Those are oak cabinets. They will not paint very well as the pores are very open. You'll never get them to look right. Modern white kitchens are made from maple or mdf, so the finish is slick, no imperfections. Oak will show the grain and the pores. Just the nature of oak. Grain fill is an option but I'd hate to think what that labor would be. Sorry to be such the pessimist, just realistic.
I hear you, Robb. I was considering grain fill to account for the oak pores. One of the reasons I started the thread with reface was because of the oak pore issue. Refacing of course would involve new doors and veneer over the base cabinet. More money, though.
 

Willemjm

Willem
Corporate Member
I don't think those look dated, think they still look pretty good!!! But then again, I like wood not paint. Probably a lot of opinions, white is inexpensive, hence the trend. In my opinion the dating has more to do with the layout, the Corian, the cabinets not being stacked but rather in a straight line. I don't think refacing them will make much difference. I just sold a house and there were all kinds of feedback until the right buyer who was seriously looking, not just window shopping came by and it sold. If it were me I would leave the kitchen as is.
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
Have you considered adding more light? It looks very dark in there. If you add more light it just doesnt seem so dated. You can easily and inexpensively add remodel cans in the ceiling and tie it to the existing lighting. Add LED trim inserts and you have a whole new look. You will be amazed if you add lighting over the countertops and "wash" the faces of those upper cabinets and cooktop how different it will look. Even if its not enough, they will still add huge value for very little money.
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
Personally, I would leave them as is. Most likely buyer is going to rip them out anyway. As an example, house across the street. Four years ago, owner went thru, up dated counters, and cabinets. First thing buyer did was rip out complete kitchen. Then last year, they sold house, and guess what next buyer did? Yep, ripped out the complete new, and replaced it even though it was only two years old. Unfortunately wood gets darker with age, so oak kitchens become dark over time. I look at ours (37 years) and then see photos from when it was new. Looks completely different due to darkening. A good painter can fill and paint oak cabinets.
 

zdorsch

Zach
Corporate Member
Chris,

Have you thought about a light gray or off white for the cabinets? I realize that you’d have to repaint the wall, but it’s cheaper than replacing cabinets. I’ve had good luck with the General Finishes ”milk paint” (it’s not actually milk paint, but sticks wells, lays down well and dries quickly). Their “antique white” or “sea gull gray” might work well.

https://generalfinishes.com/wood-fi...-style-paints-glazes-pearl-effects/milk-paint

A few kitchen pictures with their paint:

https://designs.generalfinishes.com/color-category/kitchen-bath-upcycled

I plan to use GF for my kitchen cabinets after using their paint on a few projects.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
With carrying 2 houses, we don’t have a ton of capital.

I agree with the "leave it as is" crowd. After doing the major refacing that others are suggesting I doubt that you'll recover much of that dollar outlay in an increased sales price for the home. Potential new buyers may also be millennials with an eye towards an Ikea makeover rather than anal woodworking makeovers.

Secondly, the logistics required for refacing the oak cabinets properly while in place is hugely impractical (read half-arsed)! Cut your losses and don't look back either.
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
So, the "trending" look is cheap MDF painted white??? I don't even know what to say to that other than Yuck.
 

zdorsch

Zach
Corporate Member
Jim,

I think it’s a matter of cost and look at first sight. As long as it looks nice, does the average homebuyer really care what the cabinets are made of? I’d guess most on this forum would want natural hardwood cabinets, but we would have certain expectations like solid wood rails and stiles if painted—and more importantly most on this forum would probably know how, or learn, to figure out the cabinet materials used in cabinet construction.

Just look at the number of folks selling “heirloom quality” furniture constructed with screws in “the wrong” places; ie bread board ends, at the x-members, etc. I would guess that most of us would hide the screws or use mortise and tenon joinery.
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
If the average home buyer today doesn't know or care what the cabinets are made of then I'd think I'd be wanting a realtor who can hard sell and educate the potential buyer on what a good deal getting real wood cabinets is and why they really shouldn't demand that the owner rip them out and replace them with junk as a sales condition. But that's just me. I'm not selling my house.
 

Jim M.

Woody
Corporate Member
Like most have said, leave it be, they'll most likely rip out whatever you do. I asked my wife, she said two things that are simple she'd change to make it more appealing, remove the appliance garage and change the knobs and pulls to stainless steel to match the appliances.
 
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