Kitchen cabinets - Photo by Jeanne Michelle Smith

Sometimes you want to enhance the appearance of your kitchen without racking up lots of renovation expenses. There are, of course, ways you can do this without it actually costing too much; all you need is a little creativity.

Have you thought about cabinet refacing?

A less costly option would be to reface your cabinets, whilst not only cheaper, it is also often seen as more eco-friendly.

Refacing, rather than replacing entire units, involves just replacing the cabinet door and using a veneer to match it up with the unit.

This is a particularly attractive option when you’re happy with  your current set up; it could be that the existing appearance looks a little tired.

As kitchens are often the room that makes or breaks a sale of a house, you’ll find that when it comes to resale, your investment is recuperated.

In fact, if you’re considering selling your home soon, you could find that refacing your kitchen cabinets will improve the likelihood of it selling more quickly.Beech veneer doors and granite - Photo by Smartpack...

As refacing is a much quicker process, it is also a lot less stressful and intrusive.

Although most people could strip an existing cabinet of paint, give it a good sanding and repaint, it is recommended to leave refacing to the experts!

Using veneers which is the most common method in refacing is not an easy to pick up skill.

Refacing a cabinet with veneer often requires a skilled tradesman with many years’ experience.

Old cabinets are usually the ones you can expect to see requiring refacing, especially as very old cabinets tend to have been built with real wood in the first place.

Generally speaking, any cabinet can be refaced as long as the substructure is strong.

In addition, refacing old cabinets is also more eco-friendly as through refacing you can avoid existing units ending up in the landfill.

There are other eco-friendly elements worth taking note of such as not contributing to the manufacture of new cabinets which in turn saves trees.

There are many types of resurfacing that can be done to cabinets, which included finishes such as:

  • Timber
  • Veneer
  • Metal
  • Glass

You could totally transform the look of your kitchen by refacing with any of these materials.

In order for the refacing to look as professional as possible it requires a keen eye at the measurement stage.

For the refacing to take place, measurements of the cabinets will need to be taken so that the veneers can be manufactured to the exact specification of the cabinet.

Kitchen cabinets - Photo by chotdaAfter that, a time will be arranged for the fitting to be carried out.

You’ll often find that the fitters will take away and recycle the old cabinet doors for you.

Also, if any repairs need to take place, this is often covered too, as it will increase the longevity of the refreshed unit.

As there are many specialists that can take on this task, it makes it worthwhile to shop around for different prices but remember, cheaper isn’t always better.

If you’re refacing your cabinets, you need to avoid traders that are willing to cut corners in order to save on costs.

Jose Mourice is a keen DIY enthusiast from Brazil that specialises in landscaping and interior fits. He regularly writes on behalf of interior design companies. This article was written on behalf of Doors Sincerely.