Cabinet resurface laminate
Can You Reface Laminate Cabinets?
Yes, laminate cabinets can be refaced as long as the cabinet boxes are in good shape. But if the cabinet boxes are weak or damaged, you may need to replace your cabinets altogether.
In this article, we’ll go over:
- What’s included in a refacing
- Whether to DIY reface or call in a professional
- Cabinet refacing finish options
- When it’s time to replace your cabinets
Need a cabinet refacing quote? Contact us online or call 480-641-9611 and we’ll send one of our experts to your home for a free consultation.
What’s included in a refacing
With a cabinet refacing, a professional will:
- Remove existing cabinet doors and drawer fronts. With a refacing, you’ll get brand new doors. The contractor will also strip and sand your cabinet boxes to prepare them for the new finish of your choosing.
- Apply the new finish. The contractor will coat your cabinet boxes in the new finish and apply the same finish to your new doors and drawer fronts.
- Install new doors and drawer fronts. The contractor will also install any upgraded hardware you chose, like new cabinet pulls or soft-close hinges or drawer tracks.
The cabinet refacing process usually takes about a week and may differ by a few days, depending on which company you go with.
DIY vs professional cabinet refacing
The cost of a professional cabinet refacing can range between $5,000 and $15,000. The cost of the project will increase with:
- The size of your kitchen or bathroom and number of cabinets
- Higher quality materials and finishes
- Cabinet or hardware upgrades (like high-quality hinges, new pulls, soft-close drawer tracks, etc.)
- More experienced and better quality contractors
Wondering if you can do the job yourself and save some money?
You might save a little money upfront with a DIY cabinet refacing, but we wouldn’t recommend doing the job yourself.
Why? Well, a professional cabinet refacing includes:
- Better quality finishes and professional guarantees. Professionals will have access to a range of high-quality finishes you likely can’t find at home improvement stores. For example, Cabinet Coatings uses only the strongest finishes to reface cabinets. They’re so durable, we back our finishes with a 5-year guarantee. If they chip, crack or fade before then, we’ll come back and redo the work at no cost to you.
- An inspection to catch structural problems. A professional will inspect your cabinets before refacing them to make sure they’re in good enough shape to be refaced (i.e. they’re not molding, warped or rotting from water damage, etc.). You may have to replace the cabinets if they’re in too bad of shape.
- A quick turnaround time. Even if you know what you’re doing, refacing the cabinets yourself could easily take several weeks to a month. Most professionals can get the job done between 3 and 5 days if you can plan ahead.
Cabinet refacing finish options
In terms of choosing a finish to match the look and feel you want for your cabinets, your options are virtually endless.
But when choosing a finish type, you essentially have 3 options:
- Laminate: You’re probably pretty familiar with the pros and cons of plastic laminate cabinets. To reface cabinets, the laminate is essentially melted on to provide a water-resistant seal. While you have a lot of color and texture options, the finish tends to start chipping after just a few years.
- Veneers: Veneers are super thin sheets of wood that are adhered to your cabinets. Veneers come in a range of tree types—maple, oak and cherry, to name a few—and can be stained to just about any color you want. Like laminate, veneers can easily chip or peel not long after it’s applied. (That’s just one of many reasons we’d never use veneers on your cabinets.)
- Water-borne coating: Some companies, like Cabinet Coatings, prefer to use an ultra-durable coating (available in almost any color) that’s sprayed onto the cabinets. These coatings are waterproof and strong enough to last years.
To get the most out of your cabinet refacing, we recommend going with a durable finish that will make your refacing last as long as possible.
To learn more about how long a typical refacing lasts, visit our blog “How Long Does Refacing Last?”
When it’s time to replace your cabinets
You’re better off replacing instead of refacing your kitchen cabinets if:
- Your cabinet boxes are badly damaged. If your cabinet boxes are warped or waterlogged, it’s probably time to replace them. Refacing damaged cabinet boxes would shorten the life of your refacing, since the damage would start showing its ugly face again soon after the job is done.
- You want to update your cabinet layout. If you find yourself needing extra storage or more counter space, replacing your cabinets will allow you to design a cabinet layout customized to your needs.
- You’re making other major changes to your kitchen or bathroom. If you’re doing a complete remodel of the kitchen or bathroom—like replacing flooring, appliances or fixtures—you may want to consider replacing the cabinets as well, instead of paying for 2 separate projects.
Learn more about when to replace your cabinets in our blog “Reface or Replace: Which is Best for My Cabinets? An Arizona Pro Explains.”
Need a quote to reface your laminate cabinets?
Schedule an appointment online or call us at 480-641-9611. One of our finishing pros will give you a free in-home or virtual consultation and same-day, upfront quote. We’ll help you find the right finish to reface your laminate cabinets and refresh your home.
Chuck Derouen
For 20 plus years chuck has been helping homeowners make decisions on how to bring new life into their kitchens. Most homeowners know what they want but don’t know how to communicate it. When chuck does the in-home consultation he draws from the client and uses his expertise to help them bring their imagination to life (achieve the look they imagine.) Chuck dubs himself a “professional mind maker upper.”
Laminate & Wood Cabinet Refacing Options
Choose from hundreds of style and color possibilities! Displayed here are Kitchen Magic’s ‘top picks’ – a sampling of our most popular cabinet refacing colors and styles in both laminate – and natural wood!
Laminate Refacing Colors and Styles
Laminate is highly durable and functional for just about any interior surface. A long history of advances in laminate design and craftsmanship is built into our refacing process. Our most popular laminate colors come with a Lifetime of Homeownership Warranty, your design consultant can provide additional details.
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Frosty White
New
Chestnut
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Colonial Blue
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Satin Black
Wood Refacing Colors and Styles
Displayed here are just a small sampling of our most popular wood cabinet refacing colors and styles.
Choose from hundreds of wood grain, stain and glaze combinations to create that one of a kind look that you will be proud to make your own. Our wood refacing material is of the highest quality and finish. Each stain and glaze is applied by hand to achieve a rich, deep finished look. Our ever-expanding palate of colors and treatments providevirtually endless possibilities! Many natural characteristics present in wood may affect how stain is absorbed and will cause mild color deviations that will make your refaced cabinets one of a kind.
New
Bamboo Harvest
New
Cherry Cordovan on Cherry
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Cherry Harvest with Caramel Glaze
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Natural Cherry with Glaze
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Harvest Gold on Maple
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Maple with Nutmeg Stain
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Red Oak Honey Pewter
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Product Title
Looking for More Cabinet Refacing Options?
Please ask your representative at time of estimate to show you additional color and style collections. The ideal way to view samples is in the comfort and lighting of your very own kitchen. Actual color may differ from what appears on your screen due to variations in computer monitors and other factors. You may request a sample swatch of the desired species, stain or treatment prior to placing an order.
Kitchen Magic offers professional kitchen remodeling services including cabinet refacing. We work on the existing layout of your kitchen to create a renewed and updated look that is more relevant to the current times. If you are ready to transform the appearance of your kitchen cabinets, schedule a free design consultation with our designers today.
Understanding Cabinet Refacing Options
We offer an exclusive cabinet refacing method that is performed by certified, experienced installers. The process consists of a total of 4 main steps that will resurface, reinforce, and renew your cabinetry. The first step is to remove all your existing cabinet doors before we can prepare the surfaces for refacing. This is followed by a double-lamination process that utilizes quality 1/4" plywood that gets bonded to the frames of your cabinets. Subsequently, a layer of high-grade wood or laminate will be applied to reinforce the structure. This is followed by the final step of installing new doors and drawer fronts with the option of adding new drawer boxes. The color choices that our designers recommend will help to ensure that your existing structure can match exactly with the new layers and accessories.
Benefits of Cabinet Refacing
The main benefit of working with Kitchen Magic is to help you save on at least 50% of costs. Cabinet refacing works on the existing structure of your cabinets, so the costs of new installations are not required. The entire cabinet refacing process is also not as time-consuming as new installations as our craftsmen work on the existing foundation of your cabinets and you can enjoy your refaced cabinets within only 5 days. This makes cabinet refacing a much eco-friendlier option which still produces amazing results that last for an extended period of time.
Installation Options for Cabinet Refacing
Kitchen Magic reinforces the existing frames of your cabinets through the use of durable 1/4" plywood before applying a veneer of maintenance-free laminate or real wood. Our professional craftsmen make prior precise measurements to ensure a good fit can be achieved for a seamless application. The color options that we recommend will help to ensure that your choice of colors will match the existing structure of your cabinets for a flawless transformation along with the new knobs, pulls, hinges, and molding.
Why Work with Kitchen Magic for Cabinet Refacing?
Kitchen Magic is a BBB-accredited business with an A+ rating. We have been rated an average of 4.5 on Google ratings and 4.7 on Houzz and HomeAdvisor. Our craftsmen are all fully qualified and trained to perform remodeling services to offer incredible transformation results at highly attractive prices. Our countless testimonials from past clients show the top-notch quality that our team always delivers in a timely fashion so you can expect to work with professionals with years of industry expertise. We also have a team of designers with whom you can work with to obtain design advice and insight that can help you to make suitable choices that let you achieve optimum results while saving on hefty costs.
Laminate left - By floor
After the repair, some amount of unused building material remains. It is a pity to throw it away, it is better to come up with a worthy application for it. Often, after the installation of the laminate flooring, its trimmings remain. This high quality material is durable and reliable. What can be done from the remnants of the laminate?
If you take this problem seriously, you need to familiarize yourself with the theory of such works. The methodical development of a lesson on creating crafts from this material will help you quickly figure out what the scheme of the future design should be. The drawings, according to which the rack will be made from pieces of laminate, will help to create such a design without any problems. nine0003
Contents
- 1 We create furniture
- 2 Household crafts
- 3 original application
- 4 How is furniture made from laminate remnants?
- 4.1 related posts:
- 4.2 Needed goods
- 5 Interior decoration
- 6 functional items
- 7 Accessories for children's games
- 8 Stationery
- 9 Video
We create furniture
What can be made from laminate, and how to use its remnants to good use? The first thing the masters begin to think about is how to make furniture with their own hands, what kind of interior items can be created?
Home craftsmen, when a large number of long laminate boards remain, make a table. When there is not enough furniture in the house to store the necessary things, you can make a large rack. A shelf for spices or other utensils in the kitchen will also be useful. The shoe rack will fit perfectly in the hallway. DIY-made shelves will be a good help for storing tools in the garage. nine0003
From the substrate under the laminate, especially if it is made of cork, you can make additional soundproofing of walls and interior doors.
What can be done from the remains of a laminate to decorate a room? You can make a laminated window sill that will decorate the window. Moreover, a window sill made from the remains of panels can be large or small, according to individual dimensions.
Laminate furniture looks beautiful. Beds finished with laminate are distinguished by their original design. The remaining rectangular material that can be attached to the end of the bed, decorating it in this way. A homemade rack made of this material is convenient to install in a hallway or garage. The floor laminate is durable, so such a rack will be used for many years without chips and breakages. The beds will also remain very durable even after many years of use. The rack can be made from different laminate remnants. To do this, first a sketch of the future design is created, suitable segments are selected. Then the material is assembled and fixed. nine0003
To make a bed, you will definitely need an electric jigsaw. It will help you quickly cut laminate boards to the desired dimensions. To make the look of the bed beautiful and aesthetic, a decorative layer is created. Colored acrylic paint is suitable for painting.
A false laminate beam will be an excellent tool for laying cables and other electrical wires. In addition, false beams in the form of a small box will hide pipelines in the kitchen.
Summer residents make boxes for seedlings from laminate. The design is developed, the necessary details are cut out. Then they are put on glue. The bottom of the box is covered with a protective material to retain moisture. nine0003
Household crafts
Laminate residues are sure to come in handy on the farm. From them you can build a variety of structures that are so necessary in any home. However, the load capacity of the material must be taken into account.
For example, a laminate shelf may not withstand heavy books, but it will be just right for shoes. Home craftsmen create a lot of different simple furniture from laminate remnants.
- Shelves. They can be installed in the country, they look good in the apartment. The design dimensions and shape are chosen in any order. nine0010
- Old furniture finished with laminate strips. Mostly country furniture is decorated. Trimmings are stacked in a chaotic manner so that the furniture takes on a more decorative look.
- For a good craftsman, it costs nothing to build a table from the leftover laminate. In the apartment, you can install a chest of drawers made of laminate with a large number of various drawers.
- Old batteries spoil the appearance of the interior. They can be covered with a laminate shield. It looks beautiful and harmonizes with the flooring. nine0010
Original application
The birdhouse made of laminate looks very nice. Children rejoice at such designs, while the craft may be of interest to the young master, and he will willingly help in its creation.
For kids, you can cut out snowflakes from the remains of the laminate. Painted white, they become a decoration of the room. Snowflakes fastened with a rope can become a kind of garland.
All kinds of feeders can be made quickly. Hanged on a tree, they will stand for a long time, thanks to the strength of the laminate. nine0003
How is furniture made from laminate remnants?
You can make a sliding wardrobe from a laminate with your own hands. First, a sketch of the general view of the structure is necessarily made. Then, for manufacturing, each part is drawn separately. Of course, you can use ready-made projects, but this will require binding the overall dimensions to the existing area.
To create a wardrobe, you need to prepare in advance:
- material;
- fittings; nine0010
- accessories;
- accessories;
- fasteners.
Laminate sheets are cut to the desired size with a jigsaw. The quality of the future assembly depends on the accuracy of such work. First, all the parts are laid, according to the assembly sequence. On one side there will be sheet material, fittings and fasteners. On the opposite side is a marking tool.
This technology helps speed up the assembly process. There will be no need to waste time looking for the right tool and the necessary parts. For marking laminate boards, dimensions are determined with a tape measure, and marks are made with an ordinary pencil. nine0003
In the right places mark the points where the holes will be made. To do this, 5 cm is deposited from the end of the sheet. The location of the holes depends on the number of shelves that will be in the closet.
For specialized furniture screws, special recesses are made in the panels to drown the heads of the fasteners. Right angles are constantly checked with a metal square. This helps to avoid distortion of the cabinet walls.
The assembly of the cabinet is carried out strictly according to the developed sketch. To install the back wall with a jigsaw, the required dimensions of the fiberboard sheet are cut. Then it is fixed with small nails to the outside of the cabinet. nine0003
Scraps of laminate panels that fall into the hands of a good craftsman will never be thrown away. He will be able to create a lot of good things from them, starting with the simplest shelf and ending with a large multi-shelf wardrobe. It all depends on desire and skill.
You can learn how to work with laminate panels, creating small, but practical products from them, from the video.
Related posts:
Items needed
All repair and finishing work has been completed and, it would seem, nothing else will disturb you - you can enjoy life in a clean house. But, there is another problem - these are the remains of materials, which accumulate a lot. Just throwing it away is irrational, as they cost a lot of money. It can be folded on a balcony or in a barn, but over time they will deteriorate, never surviving until the next repair. In fact, almost every material can be given a second life. If you do not know what to make from the remnants of the laminate, then you should read this article, which shows various options. nine0003
Interior decoration
Laminate can be used in a variety of ways. For example, in interior decoration. If earlier this coating was laid only on the floor, then, creating a modern interior, designers decorate the walls and ceilings of rooms for various purposes with it. To fix the remains of the laminate on the surface, you can use liquid nails. It is also worth considering the option of installing a profile system, which will be appropriate for large boards. The frame can be made from different materials: nine0003
- aluminum profile;
- wood.
An updated old door will look no less interesting. This work can be done independently without the involvement of specialists. In addition, all the necessary tools and materials can be found in every house:
- liquid nails;
- laminate residues;
- tape measure;
- pencil;
- grinder or saw.
From pieces of laminate you can make an apron in the kitchen. To do this, you need to apply the same technology as for wall mounting. If you wish and if you have free time, with the help of the remnants of the material, you can update cabinet furniture. nine0003
Functional items
It would seem, what else can be done? It turns out that this list is very long and can be continued. So, with the help of laminate, it is possible not only to change the interior of the house, but also to make functional items. The simplest will be the shelves. They are equipped in different rooms:
- kitchen;
- for children;
- bathroom;
- garage;
- pantry.
Gardeners can use the remnants of the laminate in the country, making boxes for seedlings or flowers from them. It is enough to paste over them inside with polyethylene so that moisture and soil do not destroy the structure. Such a box will be reliable and durable, so it is used for more than one season, which will save money on buying new containers. The same option is suitable for storing vegetables and fruits, but unlike the previous scheme, it is better to make a lid. It will protect the fruits from the influence of external factors. nine0003
The most difficult product will be a protective shield for heating radiators. This question is relevant for owners of an old heating system with cast iron pipes and radiators. To assemble the shield, it is enough to fasten the laminate boards together using a locking joint. The perimeter of the resulting product should be trimmed with plastic strips, which can be bought at specialized hardware stores. There is another option for decorating the ends - pasting with self-adhesive tape. Fasten the shield to the window sill with screws. The result will please everyone - the floor covering and the protective shield for the radiator will be combined with each other. nine0003
Accessories for children's games
Only real specialists and craftsmen will be able to make a real house in miniature from laminate with their own hands. This product is one of the most difficult. It is important to think through everything to the smallest detail. It should contain elements such as:
- doors;
- windows;
- benches;
- fireplace;
- table.
This element will be dangerous to the life of the child, due to the sharp corners of the boards. To avoid this, everything will have to be upholstered with felt. It is also desirable to upholster the inside of the house with soft material, the same felt or thin foam rubber. For fixing, you can use PVA glue or a construction stapler. nine0003
To fill the received house with all the accessories, you can connect the child and use other, safe materials, for example:
- cardboard;
- colored paper;
- paint;
- textiles;
- foil.
They will make window sills and indoor flowers. Cardboard is used for pots and window sills. Styrofoam is placed inside, and flowers are cut out of colored paper. Everything is fixed with glue. Do not forget that curtains are needed to decorate the window, which can be any shreds. They also cover the table. nine0003
As a result of laborious and painstaking work, you can get a real house from your child's favorite fairy tale or cartoon. Each element will be thought out and taken into account, which will allow the baby to come up with a variety of games and, importantly, to study life, develop fine motor skills.
Stationery
The smallest remnants of the laminate should also not be thrown away, they can be used for stationery. For example, it is quite simple to make: nine0003
- boxes;
- pencil holders;
- glasses;
- stands;
- boxes and more.
According to the principle of making boxes for seedlings or vegetables, boxes are made in which books, notebooks, documents and much more will be stored. It is worth noting that the trash can can also be made from laminate.
This is just a small list of options that can be brought to life with a little effort and time. nine0003
In order to use the remnants of the laminate for its intended purpose, it is enough to look around and evaluate your needs for certain products. Then it remains only to dream a little, consider ideas and allocate a little time. The remains of the flooring are not waste, but a necessary material that is used for a variety of purposes.
Video
Laminate table:
Bird feeders:
Non-standard use of laminate in decor
Laminate has long established itself as a great alternative to parquet. The material is cheaper, unpretentious in care, able to withstand various kinds of influences. Installation is simple and straightforward. And sometimes, after installing the laminate, small cuts and solid parts remain. At one fine moment, an economical person decided not to throw them away, but to come up with some special use for them. Since then, laminate has been used as a non-standard solution in the interior. nine0002 Creative Freedom is still coming up with different ways to use laminate boards in the home. The first idea of using laminate is, of course, wall cladding. Imagine the floor blending into the wall. This approach looks impressive and unusual. Often used such a cladding on the balcony. In residential premises, they can basically single out one wall or just a certain area. It is a good idea to cover the walls with laminate in the toilet: the humidity here is not high, and in terms of ease of wiping the surface, the laminate is on equal terms or maybe even superior to a standard tiled surface. The laminate is attached to a pre-prepared crate. Screws, bolts, glue, etc. are used as fastening methods. nine0003
We will not bypass the ceiling either, as this is an original idea. The ceiling can cover completely or select zones. A fashionable solution would be to highlight the area above the bed. A combination of several color shades will look beautiful. Do not get attached to the direction of the room during installation, try choosing a diagonal direction. it will look unusual and bright. For loft-style rooms, this method is suitable like no other. nine0002 Installing laminate on a door is not considered something extraordinary. At a time when self-adhesive film was in vogue, many people pasted over doors, and often used a pattern imitating wood texture. Laminate installation is a logical continuation of that tradition. The film could not cope with external influences, was torn, crumpled, dirty. Laminate is universal in this matter, it counteracts mechanical influences and is easy to clean. In addition, being a good sound insulator, it does not let in sounds from the outside and does not let out from the inside. nine0003
Slopes for window and door openings will be a great addition to the interior of any room. Thus, you can focus on windows and doors. It looks beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. The material will look good in arched elements and window sills.
The screen design for a laminated board radiator is not only a beautiful design solution, but also a functional indoor solution. The main thing is not to forget to make holes for the heat to escape. It is advisable to do them from above and from the side. nine0003
Moisture-resistant laminate models will look great as an apron in the kitchen. The covering is easily wiped resists to moisture and temperatures. It is important to choose a quality product made from environmentally friendly materials, since interaction with temperature can provoke the release of harmful substances from a low-quality product. Mosaic from different pieces with different shades is an interesting solution for the kitchen.
Finishing horizontal surfaces of laminates in a room, in combination with a laminate floor, looks bright and beautiful. A typical example would be the covering of tables and countertops with this material. It is not subject to mechanical stress, resists moisture and temperature, why not a countertop? nine0003
Making furniture and other accessories from laminate is quite simple. It is necessary to create a solid frame and attach parts to it. In this way, you can do anything, a wardrobe in a nursery, a shoe rack in the hallway, a coffee table, a hanger and a key holder, all possible shelves and lockers. Beautiful items will stylishly fit into the interior, perfectly combined with the flooring. since the products do not have a large bearing capacity. It is worth using such furniture for various small things and accessories. nine0003
DIY decorative items can literally turn your home into a modern art museum. Particularly beautiful panels are obtained from various shades of laminate. Various household items also look good in this design. What is the product that performs the functions of a cutting board: durable, does not scratch, withstands temperatures.