Refinish, reface or just replace — that is the question

Building a custom home is a complex and time-consuming project. What with the mounting pressures as the process moves forward from drawing board to building phase and then on to furnishings, it’s little wonder that clients try to avoid change orders and cost overruns and now, more than ever, want and need to get the biggest bang for their buck.

And so I understood — but with great misgivings — why my clients decided to opt for a carpenter whose bid for a large built-in and two custom desks was so much lower than mine. It just seemed like too good a deal to pass up, but one that cost them more aggravation and money in the long run than if they had opted to go with my original proposal.

The desks were disposed of because of their poor quality and design, but what was to be done with the massive built-in unit that spanned over 16 feet floor to ceiling and wall to wall? By this point, the client didn’t know what to do, only that it was wrong for their home.

And because designers often go where mere mortals fear to tread, I bravely suggested that there was a way to save the unit and with far less expenditure than ripping it out and starting all over again. Happily, they trusted me enough to reface the unit with a walnut veneer completed over a three-day period when they were out of town.

The results were stunning, and I only wish that more people were familiar with the choices for refacing or refinishing cabinetry before they choose the more expensive option of replacement.

Refacing is a great way to go and can give you that custom look at an affordable price if your existing cabinets are in good shape that they provide you with enough storage and counter space and that you like their basic design and style.

The process consists of covering the exterior surfaces of your cabinets with a thin coat, generally about ¼ inch of wood veneer or laminate, which will give your room a new look while adding to the durability of your cabinets.

Often in the refacing process, the doors and drawer fronts are replaced, and front and side panels are given fresh paint or a new veneer. With refacing cabinets, there is little to no mess, no damage to walls or floors and in general, little disruption when compared with total replacement or refinishing. And, maybe best of all, the process only takes a few days to complete!

A word of caution: Don’t spend precious time and money on refacing your existing cabinets if they’re starting to fall apart or weren’t built right in the first place or if your floors have caused your cabinets to be out of kilter. If this is the case, then it’s absolutely best to replace your cabinets with new ones.

Personally, I’m a big fan of refinishing when it makes the most sense. Refinishing almost anything either with paint or stain is still one of the best and most affordable ways of improving your home.

Yes, of course, it involves a great deal of intense labor — hopefully done by a professional — but what fantastic results can be achieved when furniture or cabinetry is in the hands of a refinishing specialist who knows how to create custom stains, glazes, paints and finishes. Seeing something transformed from tired and ordinary to dazzling and exciting still remains one of my great joys in design.

These “looks” are achieved by first removing the old finish and sanding down to the bare wood. Then stain is applied, wiped, then a sealer, then re-stain and finally a clear coat. The refinishing process allows homeowners to change the finish of their existing cabinetry or furniture to any desired color or shade because the new finish is applied directly to bare wood unlike the aforementioned refacing which covers over the existing finish.

I suppose I’m such a big fan of the refinishing option because it remains the most inexpensive way to give furniture or cabinetry a new lease on life that will last for years, depending on the type of use that it gets. And even then, an advantage of refinishing is that most nicks or worn areas can usually be easily touched up.

Truly, any custom finish you can possibly imagine can be created, from restoration of an original finish to antique finishes, distressing, traditional European finishes or simply color matching. Pricing will have a lot to do with the type of paint and the look you want to achieve.

Finally, all wood and plywood cabinets can be repainted. Metal cabinets, laminate or melamine are more difficult to paint because they require special paints and can peel and chip if normal paint is used.

It’s always a good idea to use a sprayed-on finish for cabinets as it gives the most uniform coverage and leaves no marks from the application. Oil base primer works best because paint sticks to it, and the paint to use is gloss or semi-gloss, which are oil-based. If you opt for a water-based material, then be sure to get one that is 100 percent acrylic.

It has been said that replacing, refacing or refinishing cabinetry, especially in the kitchen, is a process you only want to go through once. And having experienced my own kitchen refinish, I’m here to say that’s absolutely true.

But, is the result worth the effort and inconvenience? You bet it is! To think that when older cabinetry or furniture becomes outdated or damaged and no longer fits in with today’s look that there’s the wonderful option of refinishing or refacing over costly replacement, then I say go for that instant transformation, get that custom look at an affordable price and save your money.

Stephen Leon is a licensed interior designer, certified professional in green residential design and president of Soleil Design (www.soleildezine.com). He is past president of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Questions can be sent to soleildesign@cox.net.