Custom Interior Molding & Architectural Trimwork

(ARA) – If your kitchen needs an extreme makeover, updating it might seem like an impossible task. The existing cabinets largely determine the overall feel of your kitchen, and replacing them can be enormously expensive. Luckily, there are easier, less expensive options for giving one of the most important rooms in your house the new look it deserves.

If you have an outdated kitchen, one of the simplest and most rewarding fixes is to add new door and drawer fronts and reface your cabinets with veneer. By also adding new knobs and pulls and painting the kitchen walls, you can literally transform your entire kitchen without a lot of hassle and expense.

“Cabinetry is typically the most expensive component of a kitchen,” says Herrick Kimball, author of “Refacing Cabinets: Making an Old Kitchen New.” By using the existing structures and refacing the exteriors, “you can have a beautiful new kitchen for a fraction of the cost of ripping everything out and replacing it.”

Kimball adds that with some basic woodworking tools and skills, homeowners can easily reface their own cabinets. Doors and drawer fronts, which are the most labor-intensive cabinetry components, can be custom ordered and installed with just a screwdriver. And thanks to the countless wood species, door and drawer styles, and hardware options available, refacing your cabinetry can give you any look you want.

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, for example, offers a custom door and drawer front program that lets you choose from a wide variety of overall designs in red oak, maple, ash, cherry, hickory or white laminate. The doors and drawer fronts are made to the sizes you provide. You can also get custom cut-to-fit cabinet end panels and veneer sheets that match your wood or veneer.

“Replacing the doors and drawer fronts provides the most dramatic cosmetic improvement to the cabinetry,” says Rick White, a product manager at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware. “The nice thing about ordering new doors is that you have a lot more freedom to decide on which hardware to use. You don’t have to deal with unsightly holes where the old knobs were, and with careful planning, it’s even possible to change the style of hinge.” New hinges are available to suit your taste, including a selection of concealed hinges for a modern, streamlined look.

If you buy new doors and drawer fronts and want a painted finish all that is required is to paint the doors and drawer fronts to match the cabinet boxes. If you want a natural wood finish, you’ll probably want to apply new veneer to the cabinet boxes so they match the new doors and drawer fronts.

According to Kimball there are four basic steps:

1. Remove and discard existing door and drawer fronts. They will be replaced with new door and drawer fronts made to your specifications.

2. Resurface cabinet sides with hardwood or veneered plywood in the same species as the new doors that will be installed.

3. After prepping the face frames, apply a flexible peel-and-stick wood veneer and wrap it around the front and edges of the face-frame rails and stiles.

4. Install new doors, hinges, knobs and pulls.

To make the installation of veneer a snap, White recommends Rockler’s three-in-one laminate pressure tool and veneer trimming guide. The laminate pressure tool helps you roll the edging flat and smooth it out, while the veneer-trimming guide is designed for trimming off excess veneer so that it is flush with the face frame.

Finish your cabinet project with new hardware that will further personalize and add distinction to your kitchen space. Knobs and pulls are available in a wide variety of finishes and styles, from cast copper mission style to contemporary polished chrome. You may also want to add brass grille or textured and leaded glass panels to your cabinetry. These accent pieces are typically custom made and sized, and are available in numerous styles.

Whatever design you decide on, updating your kitchen doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive. For a small kitchen (eight doors and six drawers), the price of custom door and drawer fronts, cabinet end panels and veneer sheets in oak should be well under $1,000.

For additional information on how to make over your kitchen, call Rockler Woodworking and Hardware toll-free at (800) 279-4441, or visit rockler.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content