subject: Holding Down Kitchen Refacing Cost for New Countertops [print this page] Holding Down Kitchen Refacing Cost for New Countertops
Kitchen refacing cost need not get out of hand if you are experienced and skillful. Yet, being wise is just as good as being skillful if it means that you get someone with expertise to do the work for you. You have many choices in redoing kitchen countertops as a part of the refacing, and you should consider who is the best person or people to get the job done correctly.
Assuming you have laminate countertops, you can reface old, worn-out laminate countertops with new laminate countertops. This is a relatively inexpensive fix if it is done right the first time, but it is easy to make mistakes. A home remodeling company can actually cut your kitchen refacing cost on this by avoiding the waste of time and materials.
There are two basic ways to reface laminate countertops with new laminate. First, you can prime the surface of the old laminate and use a spray-on laminate coating to renew the surface. The second choice is to actually cut away the old laminate, put new boards down for the base if necessary, and add new laminate pieces on top.
You have to cut the laminate to fit and glue it down carefully with contact cement. It is important to lay it perfectly in place and to get out all the air bubbles. The job can be tricky, and is best left to a professional. Kitchen refacing cost can really add up if you try to do the process without understanding it.
Another choice is to reface your countertops with tiles. Placing tiles on laminate is much like installing tiles on many other surfaces. Before you start fitting the tiles, you will need to sand the laminate so that it will bond with the thinset you will be using. If your laminate is especially worn or damaged, you might have to do some fill work or remove the laminate altogether and start with a backer-board base.
Next, you have to fit the tiles and cut tiles at the corners and at the edges where they might not come out evenly. After you have laid them in place and know they will fit, you have to take them up and apply the thinset. Put the tiles back down using spacers to keep them separated evenly. When you have applied all the thinset and laid down all of the tiles, you have to let it set up before you add the grout.
There are many ways this process can lead to kitchen facing cost overruns if you are not careful. It is easy to break tiles when you have to cut them, even if you have done it a few times before. You may have trouble getting the tiles to stay in place with the spacers, and you may waste a lot of time trying to set up the tiles. You might end up starting over with new thinset, and may even have to strip the countertop back down to the base and start over. By hiring a home remodeling company, you can save kitchen refacing cost in both money and time.
