The Economics Of Kitchen Remodeling

Since your cabinets are the most dominant feature in your kitchen

, replacing or refreshing them is key to giving your kitchen a new look. If your cabinets are structurally sound, there are many ways to improve the appearance short of replacing them. In an era where remodeling in an environmentally-conscious way is important, reusing and refacing the cabinets you have is the ultimate green course of action.

Going this route also saves you green, considering that updating your cabinets costs 1/3 to 1/2 less than new cabinets and doors. Replacing the top and bottom cabinets costs about $4,000-5,000 in a 10' x 12' kitchen or ready-made cabinets, $8,000-10,000 for semi custom, and $16,000-20,000 for custom cabinets.Many types of cabinet refurbishing are good do-it-yourself projects, so you can even save on labor.If you buy unfinished cabinets, you will pay less than the approximate figures noted here.

The most basic type of cabinet restoration is to clean and paint the cabinets, and then add new hardware. You can go for bold colors or a basic while, black, or brown, or even go the next step and apply a distressed finish or stenciling. By finishing the cabinets with updated hardware and maybe even adding some decorative trim, you will save hundreds to thousands, depending on how much cabinetry you have. This approach works on metal cabinets as well as wood.

Since cabinet doors take the most abuse in a kitchen, plus date the kitchen, replacing the doors is the next level of cabinet refurbishing. New wood doors cost about $125-$325 per linear foot finished, while unfinished doors are less. You can also replace the doors with alternative material, just as glass or metal. Other popular choices are lacquer or thermofoil. Cabinet doors styles change yearly, so you might be able to find a deal on new doors if you go for last year's models.

You can also have the sides and frames of the cabinets refaced with plastic laminate or various grades of wood laminates. These materials run about $1,000-3,000 for plastic or $2,500-6,000 for wood veneer of 1/4 inch; higher quality veneers substantially increases the cost between $7,000 to 9,000.

Regardless of how you decide to proceed with your cabinet refacing, you will have to invest in a substantial amount in materials. If you have the tools, time, and skills to do the work yourself, you can handle painting and staining and even laminating the cabinet sides and frames, but working with wood veneers is more difficult and may require a professional for best results. Getting a few estimates for the cost of having a contractor do the work will help you decide the best option. Remodeling is fun and satisfying, but you may be disappointed in the results if you overestimate your capabilities or your tolerance for having your kitchen torn up for a longer time. Restoring your cabinets by painting or refacing them can give a new look to your kitchen at a much lower cost than replacing the cabinets.

by: Joaquin Erazo, Jr.

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