After years of use and damage, many homeowners opt to refinish their old kitchen cabinets to improve their look and beauty. When you decide to refinish your cabinets, there are a variety of options to choose from, including pinstriped or rustic finishes, to name a few. Whichever type of finish you choose should match the design of your kitchen and your personal aesthetic. Whether you want to match your cabinets to your countertops or completely change up the look of your kitchen, there is a finish that can achieve your dream. Find out how the refinishing process works and what each finish looks like with this guide!

 

What’s So Great About Cabinet Refinishing?

When it comes to remodeling your kitchen cabinets, you want to make sure that the remodel is within your budget, fits your personal tastes and that the process is done correctly. For those looking for a non-intrusive and quick way to spiff up their kitchen cabinets, refinishing is for you. When your cabinetry is still in good shape but needs a face lift, opting to refinish them will save you the most money in the long run and will give you a great look that competes with other processes, like replacing or resurfacing. Refinishing is the most affordable option and costs about one-third of the price that replacing does. When refinishing, you keep all components of the original cabinetry but change the paint, stain or color of the frames, doors and drawers. You can choose from a variety of finishes or colors, depending on what you want to create, whereas other remodeling options are more limited and only offer a few colors and designs. However, if you’re cabinets have water damage, mold or are rotted in any shape or form, refinishing will not be a viable option for you. Your cabinets need to be in good shape for the finish to hold well and look nice.

 

Common Cabinet Finishes

Since there are so many options to choose from when refinishing your kitchen cabinets, it can be a hard decision to make. To help you out, the following finishes are some of the most popular that are used in homes across the country: solid, glazing, pinstriping, rustic and rub-through. Solid is the most basic finish and is usually one color, like white, red or black, that is used as an accent to complex backsplashes, floors or countertops. Glazing is another popular option that creates a multi-dimensional look to the finish by highlighting the grain of the wood. This look is developed by hand-rubbing the finish into the wood, and it’s also referred to as a “wash” or “rub”. Pinstriping is an accent that is usually combined with a solid finish to create lined edges around the cabinets. Accent lines are applied to all the door edges to create an eye-catching outline to your cabinets. Rustic uses both pinstriping and glazing to produce a slightly aged look to your kitchen, which goes well with Tuscan village or beach house decor. Lastly, rub-through creates a more antiquated look than rustic by sanding off random areas of the finish so that you can see parts of the underlying wood. You can opt for a light, medium or heavy rub-through in colors like dark brown or black. This type of finish is usually done on an island in the kitchen as a contrast to your other cabinets.

 

Each of these five finishes look great in any kitchen, but some look better than others depending on the design and decorations of the overall area. Make sure to think through and decide what you want the end product to look like before refinishing your cabinets. There are plenty of design ideas online that you can model your kitchen after, or you can meet with a professional who can develop a unique look for you.

 

What The Refinishing Process Looks LikeMan sanding down a wooden cabinet

One of the best things about refinishing your kitchen is that it can be completed within four to six days. That means you’ll be back in your kitchen faster and able to use it within the same week that you had it remodeled. The first part of the refinishing process involves removing grease and grime from the entire structure so that it can be clean for the finish. Then, your kitchen will be taped off and the cabinet frames coated before hand-sanding, priming, caulking and spraying the finish onto their exterior. The doors and drawers will go through the same exact process off-site where they will be handled with extreme care and professionalism. Once prepared, all pieces will have three commercial-grade acrylic coatings applied to them to create a beautiful and durable end look. This seals the finish and protects it against future damage. The doors, drawers, knobs and handles will then be reinstalled and your kitchen will be ready for use.

 

No matter which finish you choose, this is how the end look will be produced. Your kitchen cabinets will look brand-new and no one will know whether you paid to get them replaced or not. For beautiful cabinets at an inexpensive price, refinishing is the best way to achieve the look you desire.

 

Improve The Look of Your Cabinets With Our Help!

At Summit Cabinet Coatings, we offer a variety of different finishes for your next kitchen remodel. Our team has years of experience creating unique kitchen looks at an affordable price. Call our office today at (970) 282-9856 for a FREE estimate on your next project!