Learn How To Do Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing And Why Hiring A Pro Is Your Best Bet

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s a place where you can reflect your style and feel at home. It’s the place to prepare meals, entertain guests, and make your morning coffee.

Since kitchens hold so much value in our lives, it’s not surprising that a kitchen remodel can get very expensive. Instead of a complete remodel, many people decide to do kitchen cabinet refinishing.

You can DIY refinishing kitchen cabinets, or you can hire a professional. Which is the best option?

Why Refinish Kitchen Cabinets?

As homes get older and they’re used more, they can begin to look dated and worn. That’s especially true for cabinets. Kitchen trends change every decade, so if your home was built 20 years ago, it’s probably time for an update.

There’s more to it than personal style preferences. Updating your kitchen adds value to your home. Return on investment for remodeling your kitchen is 58% percent. So, if you decide to sell your home later, you’ll most likely get that money back and then some.

Besides potential profits, if updating your kitchen is something that will make your home feel nicer to you, then it’s worth it.

How to Refinish Kitchen Cabinets

Don’t skip any steps for refinishing your kitchen cabinets. Each step is essential for making them look good from far away and from up close. For results that you’ll be proud of, take your time, and use quality materials.

Repair Surface

Likely, your cabinets have nicks and imperfections. After your first round of sanding, you can repair those imperfections with wood filler. After you fill any nicks, allow the filler to dry and sand the area again.

To get perfect results, you’ll likely have to fill and sand a couple of times. Don’t forget the inside cabinet shelves and cabinet drawers.

Prime, Paint, and Seal

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for. Make sure there’s no dust from sanding left on the cabinets. Any texture will show through the paint, so be meticulous.

Use a primer coat to avoid any of the old grain showing through with your new paint color. This will also make it so you need fewer coats of paint overall.

Let the primer dry completely.

For the best results, use a paint sprayer, especially if your cabinets have any sort of design. Using a sprayer gives you a smoother finish and gets into any design features without awkward brush strokes.

For best results, you’ll need to apply at least two coats of paint. The better quality of paint you use, the fewer coats you’ll likely need.

Once you’ve got your cabinets, drawers, and doors painted, wait for them to dry completely. Then, you can begin reinstalling them in your kitchen and putting the hardware back on.

How Long Does the Process Take?

Cabinet renovation takes away all use of your kitchen, so you’ll either have to set up a makeshift kitchen somewhere else in your home or be content with outsourcing all your meals, which is another expense to consider.

When you’re refinishing kitchen cabinets on your own, you can expect the process in its entirety to take at least four weeks, depending on the size of your kitchen and how much time you’re able to devote to the project.

On the other hand, if you decide to hire a professional, you can have your kitchen back and brand new within a few days. Depending on your situation, that time frame may or may not be worth the extra price of hiring a pro.

Unexpected Costs

With any project, you’re going to run into some unexpected costs. The cost of paint and materials add up, and you may have to tackle the project more than once if it doesn’t look right the first time.

It’s not worth it to try and use cheaper materials because unfortunately, your result will show it. If you’re going to use a paint sprayer, expect to either pay for a rental or purchase one.

Not having access to your kitchen for an extended time will also add to your food costs because you’ll be forced to eat out. The sooner you can get back in your kitchen the better.

Hire a Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing Professional

If you’re a confident DIY-er, then you may decide to tackle the project yourself. However, most people realize there’s more value in having a professional refinish their cabinets.

Not only will it take substantially less time to complete the project, but you’ll have the confidence that your cabinets were painted right the first time.

Contact us today for kitchen cabinet refinishing that can change your entire home.