As we enter the fall season, there are plenty of opportunities to revamp the look of your kitchen with a new finish. Sometimes cabinets wear out with age or you just want to change the overall style. Whatever the case, you’ll want to make sure that the end product looks great. Refinishing your cabinets is one of the best options for you to get a new and improved kitchen without breaking your bank. Find out what finishes are available to create your dream kitchen with this guide!

 

Why Kitchen Makeovers Are So Expensive

If you’re undertaking a kitchen makeover anytime soon, you should know which parts of your kitchen will take the most time and money to fix and what you can do to keep costs down. While labor and installation costs for appliances, flooring, cabinets and countertops tend to be pricey, they’re typically not as expensive as the finished products themselves. These products and appliances represent up to 70% of the finished cost, which can add up to $15,000-$60,000 by themselves. Since they’re so expensive, it’s important that you establish a needs and wants list (those things that you HAVE to have and those that would be nice if you can afford it) along with a budget that will help guide your choices. These two tips will help you avoid costly expenditures and keep you focused on the changes that are most important during a kitchen makeover. Out of all the updates that you could do to your kitchen, the cabinets are by far the most expensive part of a remodel and tend to account for the majority of your expenses. Average stock cabinetry costs anywhere from $10,000-$20,000 to buy, while high-end cabinetry can exceed $20,000 or more, which doesn’t include installation. These prices represent new cabinets and while they’re a nice thing to have if your old cabinets need to be replaced, they function just as well as older cabinets that have been refinished. If you’re on a tight budget and your cabinets need an update, consider refinishing them rather than replacing so that you have extra money left over to focus on other areas of your kitchen. A kitchen makeover can be expensive if you don’t know where to allocate your money, but by nixing new cabinets and restoring them instead, you’ll be able to create a better-looking kitchen than you thought possible.

 

Why You Should Refinish Your CabinetsCarpenter painting wood with a new finish.

One of the biggest reasons why homeowners refinish their cabinets is because of the cost. Not only is refinishing easy to do, it can save you 60-70% of the cost it would take to replace your cabinets. When you’re installing new cabinets, they have to rip the old ones out, repair the walls and make other minor adjustments to ensure that the new cabinetry fits well. After that, they place your new cabinets where the old ones used to be. This process can take weeks to do, while refinishing older cabinets can be finished between 4-6 days. That means that you can have a newly restored kitchen that is completely usable in less than a week! The refinishing process is fairly simple to do and involves washing, hand-sanding, priming, caulking and adding your choice of finish onto the cabinet doors, drawers and frames for a beautiful and long-lasting look. All parts of the cabinetry receive three coats of high-end acrylic coatings that create a stain and scratch-resistant look that mirrors brand new cabinets. Once this is finished, the cabinet doors and drawers are reinstalled onto the frames, along with any new knobs or handles to complete the process.

 

Get A Clean, Modern Look With A Solid Finish

There are many types of finishes out there, but the best finish recommended by professionals is the solid finish. A solid finish is the simplest finish out there, and it usually involves painting your cabinets in one color to create a clean, modern look. You can use any color for a solid finish, whether it be white, black, blue, red, gray or brown, and it works great to tie in other parts of your kitchen that have complex designs, such as your flooring or countertops. Some homeowners like seeing the grain texture poke through their cabinet finish while others like their cabinets to look and feel completely smooth. Natural wood cabinets look great both ways and you can choose to show a little grain or fill it in completely, based on your taste and the overall aesthetic look that you’re wanting to achieve. However, it’s important to note that cabinets made out of laminate or metal don’t do well under any type of finish since sanding and painting don’t work well on them. You also need to keep in mind that surface preparation is vitally important for a good finish to be produced. Without this, the finish might not adhere well to the wood and future cleaning will be hard to do. This is why it’s so important that a professional refinishes your cabinetry for you, even if you think you can do it yourself. If you’re wanting a clean look that a solid finish can provide, make sure that you hire an experienced contractor to do it for you to avoid putting the wrong type of finish/paint on your cabinets.

 

Complete Your Next Project With Our Help!

At Summit Cabinet Coatings, we offer beautiful solid finishes that will spice up your kitchen and create a professional look that will last for years to come. Whether you’re looking for a simple look or trying to create something personal and unique, we can help! For a FREE estimate on your next cabinet project, call our office at (970) 282-9856. Your dream kitchen is one call away, so call today to start your kitchen makeover!