Cabinet Refinishing vs. Cabinet Replacement: Making the Right Choice for Your Kitchen

Living in developed cities like Toronto calls for staying on top of interior design and renovation trends to keep your house at par with the ever-changing outside world. But these changes do not always have to come at a hefty cost: there are various clever alternatives possible in the realm of interior design that do not necessitate taking help from professional cabinet painting Toronto, one of which is the dichotomy of cabinet refinishing vs. cabinet replacing in kitchens.

Let’s delve into this comparison to chalk out their pros and cons in the various walks of modern life to help you make the right choice for your kitchen.

Table of Contents

What is Cabinet Refinishing?

Cabinet refinishing or refacing entails a replacement of the hardware, drawers, and doors of your existing cabinets, keeping their internal structure intact. This process eliminates the need to break down entire cabinet walls and build new ones, allowing house owners to attain a refined kitchen appearance while investing considerably less time and money.

Refacing also enables house owners to tailor their kitchen cabinets according to their will while keeping their personalized cabinet structures in place.

The Process of Cabinet Refinishing

The cabinet refinishing process typically entails the following general steps:

Removing old hardware, drawers, and doors
Prepping the cabinet surfaces for primer, veneer, laminate, and paint
Installing new drawers, doors, and hardware
Adding molding or trim to finish off

Cabinet Refacing: Pros

Environmentally friendly and sustainable
More economical
Requires less time
Causes less disruption and mess

Cabinet Refacing: Cons

Only possible if the internal cabinet structures are intact
Cannot change cabinet size and placement
Cabinets not refaced from the inside

What is Cabinet Replacement?

As the name entails, cabinet replacement refers to removing old, worn-out cabinets and installing new ones. Homeowners can change the cabinets’ materials, size, layout, structure, and design in this process, adding to their kitchen’s overall functionality and visual appeal.

The Process of Cabinet Replacement

The cabinet replacement process typically covers the following steps:
Completely removing old worn-out cabinets
Installing brand new cabinets in their place
Adding molding or trim to finish off
Installing new hardware

Cabinet Replacement: Pros

Allows house owners to change cabinet size, structure, and look
Increases house value
Allows a complete kitchen revamping

Cabinet Replacement: Cons

More expensive
Takes relatively more time
Not sustainable as it may trash potentially functional cabinet structures
Causes a huge disruption

Cabinet Refinishing vs. Cabinet Replacement: Making The Right Choice

There is no correct answer when it comes to choosing between cabinet replacing and cabinet replacement: the correct answer depends upon the condition of your cabinets, your budget, and your desired layout. You should not go for cabinet refinishing just because it’s affordable if your cabinets have decayed on the inside and require replacement. Similarly, you should not go for cabinet replacement simply because you want a new look for your kitchen if your cabinets work completely fine.

Although situations determine the best solution between the two, here are a few factors that can help you make an informed decision:

Cost

The total expense of cabinet refinishing in a 10-foot by 10-foot kitchen space can amount to about $10,000 at a minimum, which is around 30% to 50% less than the total cost of cabinet replacement. Contractor-grade, budget cabinets can cost anywhere between $13,000 to $30,000, depending upon the dimensions of your kitchen.

Environment Friendliness

Cabinet refinishing only involves cabinet drawer and rusty drawer fonts getting landfilled, whereas cabinet replacement sends entire cabinets to landfills, including potentially functional ones. This makes cabinet refinishing relatively more sustainable than cabinet replacement.

DIY Installation

You can easily undertake a kitchen cabinet refacing task independently, investing only your time and undivided attention. Although professionals can do a relatively better and quicker job, you can save money doing it yourself. On the other hand, cabinet replacement is not a DIY process if you are not a professional and would require you to call on experts.

Professional Installation

Cabinet replacement is more professionally common than cabinet refacing, which is why you may have difficulty finding the right professional for a cabinet refacing job. Since cabinet refinishing is a niche industry, most handyman services and general carpenters are unable to provide this service. In contrast, you can easily find cabinet replacement experts, albeit expensive ones.

Cabinet Refinishing vs. Cabinet Replacement: Making the Right Choice for Your Kitchen