A great way to breathe new life into your old cabinets is to have them refinished. Refinishing is a process whereby the old paint or stain is removed, the surface is sanded and repaired, and new, paint, stain, or varnish is applied to the bare wood. By refinishing your cabinets you can completely change the look and feel of your entire kitchen. Cabinet refinishing allows for a light wood to become much darker or for color to be added to a room that might previously have been neutral. Refinishing also makes old worn cabinets with scuffs, scratches and old paint look like they are brand new. Refinishing your cabinets is more affordable than replacing them. So if your cabinets are in good shape, they just don't have the look you desire, refinishing is a great choice.The process of refinishing cabinets isn't complicated but it does require experience and precision and is therefore best left to a professional. The money you may save by doing your own refinishing may not be worth it if the final product isn't done well.
Number of Cabinets
If you have a large kitchen with many cabinets, then the cost of your cabinet refinishing will go up proportionally. However, the cost of refinishing a dozen cabinets is not the same as refinishing one cabinet 12 times! Most pros will charge you less per cabinet, the more of them you do as long as all of the cabinetry is receiving the same finish. So it can make financial sense to do all your refinishing at one time.Refinishing Complexity
Smooth front cabinetry without detailing, carving, or trim is simpler to refinish than cabinets with complex designs and details. Evenly refinishing complex carved or detailed cabinets takes more time and skill and is therefore more expensive.Preparation and Repair
Before any refinishing can take place, your cabinets must be stripped of all previous coats of paint, stain or varnish. Any places that are broken or splintered will need to be repaired, and all surfaces must be sanded until they are clean and smooth. Without adequate preparation the new finish will not adhere evenly and smoothly to the old surface. If your cabinets are very damaged, need extensive repair or have many previous coats of paint or stain, the preparation work will be more time consuming and therefore more expensive. Prep work is NOT a place to cut corners! If you try to save money by refinishing your cabinets without removing all the old paint or repairing the surface, the new finish may appear bumpy and uneven, or may even peel off after a short period of time.Materials for Repair
Refinishing materials come in a variety of quality levels. There are higher grade stains and varnishes and cheaper versions as well. If your cabinets will be in direct sunlight or located in an outdoor kitchen, you may need higher grade materials than if they do not get exposed to the elements at all. If you are spending the time and money for refinishing, it makes sense to buy the highest quality materials. However, in some cases, a lower cost option may be similar in quality to its higher priced counterpart. Talk to your refinishing professional about the bet materials for your job.Refer a Pro who does this service and receive an Amazon Gift Card!
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This is a great service, so many companies don't want to give you a idea about cost unless they come out first. I just need a starting point , how much do I need to save or do I have the money to do this project. Thank you for this valuable information. When I know I'm ready to start I will first come to you.
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Was surprised to see the difference in all aspects of cabinet prices
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Great info and I didn't have to pay or give my life history to gain access! Was super easy and very helpful, will definately come back soon to start my projects. Thanks for providing the public with this site
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Waiting for estimate!
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My cabinets were varnished then I don't know how many coats of paint added. I have 5/ 32"X32" each with two doors +2 of them have 2 drawers, 2/ 12"X36" with 2 doors, 1/ 12"X30" 1 drawer/1 door, 1/ 22"X30 with 2 doors and 2 mock drawers (under sink),  1/ 15" X 30" with 1 door, and 1/ 18" X 30" with door. Also 2/ 2' cabinet ends and 1/ 5' side with one18" X 24" door. All doors have a raised1.5" trim.
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Very helpful. Thank you.
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Do these prices usually include inside cabinets?
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We are seniors and the previous tenants did not take care of our home. The cabinets (small kitchen) need a face lift. We are also taking a look at buying an island doe added storage. We need some ideas that are low budget. Thx
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I was hoping for more details, like I received on the "refinishing wood floors." Â I appreciate the information that you have provided, just would like to have more!!
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Great service however, I was looking into Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing and at first was given 6 contractors to review. Only 1 of the 6 said that they did what I needed. Luckily the 1 company does sound like a good one. Thanks for your service HomeAdvisor.
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Thanks for the information, had no idea what pricing would be .
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Yes.....very helpful. Am just in the planning stage. I'm pretty sure a new finish is all I want to do, but would like to get a figure on possibly relaxing cabinets with a moderately priced type. They do not provide as much storage space as I think they could if redesigned, but I would like to have a professional look to see what my options might be....
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Thanks grate information.
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This was a great starting point! Â Â
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Thanks for info. Very helpful!
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appreciated the information it was very helpful
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How nice to get an idea of costs and service.
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hello and sure will be glad to leave a comment just as soon as i get a return call.thanks dbarr
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Hello
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