Refinish, Reface, Replace? It Depends, Says The Kitchen Taylor
Posted by Laura Nelson on June 21, 2010
Dennis Taylor, The Kitchen Taylor
Updating a kitchen is the most popular investment for a home remodeling project, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, (NARI). Kitchen projects can be complicated and costly, so it’s critical to work with professionals who can work through the remodel from start to finish.
“Cabinetry is the most expensive element in kitchen re-dos,” says Dennis Taylor, owner of The Kitchen Taylor. Recessionary times call for recessionary measures, he maintains. While he’s a master craftsman and builds custom cabinetry for high-end projects, Taylor also recommends ways homeowners can save substantially in updating cabinetry.
Taylor, with more than 30 years in the remodeling business, says there’s an easy way to tell if your cabinets are worth refinishing. If the cabinets are built of wood, refinishing or refacing is a good option. (If, on the other hand, they’re pressed board with contact paper on the sides, new cabinets should be installed). In most homes 25 to 40 years old, the quality of standard cabinetry was designed to last a lifetime.
In refinishing, all cabinet doors and drawers are removed. The wood is stripped, sanded, hand-rubbed and refinished in the workshop to produce a durable new finish. It is possible to change the color of cabinets in most cases.
Refacing is done when cabinets are structurally sound, but built of a wood shade that is unattractive, or in a shade that cannot be altered satisfactorily by refinishing. In refacing, door and drawer fronts are replaced and all exterior surfaces of the cabinets are covered with new wood or laminate.
For more information, contact Dennis Taylor, of The Kitchen Taylor, (630) 653-5402. www.thekitchentaylor.com
Tags:Home & Garden
