With so many clients, repeat clients, as well as potential clients that have reached out to me through the website, struggling with what to do in our current economy, when they know their Kitchen and/or Bathrooms need to be updated badly, it becomes difficult to decide if it’s best to Reface, Repaint, or Replace.

I recently went out to one of my repeat client’s rental properties in Beverly Hills to inspect a Kitchen in a beautiful Spanish style 6-plex that hadn’t been remodeled in 30 years. The shallow depth cabinets allowed for more walk-around space, although the dated doors and drawer fronts were cracked, chipped, and barely closing fully due to their age and normal wear. The tenant had suggested a good quality coat of paint, although I knew immediately that a coat of paint would not make the doors close fully, nor would it help the 30 year old drawers open and close as if on clouds. This Kitchen needed to be fully replaced.

I have had several clients over the years that have purchased a home that had solid cabinets, great soft-close drawers, beautifully designed interior fittings, but cabinet fronts that had less that attractive appeal, or maybe fronts that were custom, but had already started to crack and show their age. In these cases I look at the stability and sturdiness of the frames. I look at the countertops, which could get very costly if they need to be replaced, and I ask my client if they are happy with the overall design, and storage volume/features. If the countertop has to go, then we’re usually at a point where refacing or replacing are both good options. If the countertop is in good shape, and the client loves the surface, then refacing may be the best option.

  • Repainting cabinet fronts  makes sense if, as in refacing, the core of the cabinets is in very good condition. The configuration, drawers, and pantry pull-outs are great, and you love the countertop. The other factor here is that the fronts need to be paintable. If you have laminate, foil, MDF based, or even thin fronts, the paint will not hold or stick to the laminate/foil fronts, and the weight of a good paint may be too much for thinner doors, and subsequently the hinges provided. Most sturdy door and drawer fronts will be 5/8″ to 3/4″ thick. Some may be as thick as 1″, especially if they have a J-handle, a built-in groove into the door to eliminate the need for a more traditional handle.
  • Refacing, in most cases, is more expensive than all new IKEA cabinetry. Keep in mind, if you’re considering refacing your Kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts, that are possibly 10-15 years old, you’re only replacing the fronts. The interior drawers, shelves and any pull-outs are still the same ol’ interiors. It’s likely the manufacturer of these cabinets is either unknown, out of business, or that manufacturer has upgraded that line of cabinets. So a Kitchen designer, like myself, or a cabinet maker, will need to measure out each door, drawer front, decor strip, toe-kick, filler, and trim to the closest 1/32″, or at least 1/16″. Then these fronts and trim pieces will need to be handmade, custom cut, to fit your needed measurements. This is time consuming and therefore a bit costly.

My suggestion is to reach out to a designer that is knowledgeable, has a low minimum rate to come to your home to give you sound advice, and a designer that really wants you to have your Dream Kitchen without breaking the bank.