Kitchen remodel or reface?

[DarkManX]

I am debating replacing my kitchen - after specking out some kitchen cabinets at Lowes and Ikea I have realized that new cabinets will give me very little added utility to my kitchen. My condo was built in 1985, I would like it to have a more modern look but I was also looking for added utility and more counter space. It looks like I cant have both. That made me wonder how much would a reface cost me?

Lowes Cabinets were quoted at 4500~
Ikea cabinets are around 2000~

These prices don't include labor or counter tops.

I am going to allocate 2000$ for the counters with install
I am pretty sure that I could get the cabinets installed for 2000$ or less, there is high number of emigrant labor here for cheap.

so all together I am looking at 6-8k for the whole project.

Now does anyone have any estimates or tips on refacing?
I would be happy to do the reface work myself - I am a bit scared about the measuring though. But maybe I can find some help there.

My kitchen is relatively small so that makes me wonder how much the materials to reface would cost? Anyone have any suggestions on where to look? the websites I say from DIY reface companies don't look so great. Also anyone can share the costs involved?

This is what my proposed kitchen would look like with Ikea cabinets - It should give you all an idea of the size we are talking about. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6215158/ikea kitchen.PNG The only differences from this potential new kitchen and what I have now
- I would get 40 inch wall cabinets vs my existing 30 inch ones
- the base corner cabinet would be a corner cabinet vs my current slide out drawers
- I would get an over the range microwave with Ikea cabinets

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You should ask to have this moved to home and garden. You have a small kitchen that isn't going to be greatly improved by replacing the cabinets. New doors/hardware is a smarter move. Counter tops and labor to replace them depends entirely on the chosen materials. I recommend a center island on wheels/casters so that it can be moved out of the way when not needed. That would allow for additional counter space and storage.

 

[EliteRetard]

You want cheap modern, get some angled aluminum and (frosted or colored) plastic sheets. Build your own cabinet doors. I'm having a hard time getting good examples but these can probably give you ideas:

This aint a cabinet, and red may be to striking...but gives you an idea what kind of color/design you could stick inside an aluminum frame.

This is actually an Ikea image, might give you an idea how some aluminum might mix with wood in a smaller space. Notice how simple the modern style is, just flat plain wood squares and the use of flat style handles. This would be cheap and easy to do yourself.

Oh here's a kitchen image with some splashes of color:

I have seen other colors like blues and oranges etc. look really nice. There are some free programs out there, like SketchUp, that you can use to make a simple 3d design/layout of your kitchen and play with colors/styles. Instead of spending thousands on a remodel, you could spend hundreds on a face lift and either save the rest of the money or use it to spend on a few premium upgrades like appliances, sink/faucet, or counter-tops.

 

[EliteRetard]

Like one other poster mentioned, you can use a floating island to give you more counter space when needed. Other ideas like under cabinet lighting can make the space brighter and feel larger while making it easier to work in. I don't know what or if you have a backsplash, but they can be an important design element as well.

 

[EliteRetard]

Ha, apparently sketchup wont work with my PC anymore...I was going to do a quick setup of your Ikea picture...but can't find a version that works with vista.

 

[DrPizza]

Ha, apparently sketchup wont work with my PC anymore...I was going to do a quick setup of your Ikea picture...but can't find a version that works with vista.

I'll have to remember not to upgrade my version of sketch-up; I most commonly use it on my Vista computer. Anyway, OP, before you determine for certain that you want to pay someone to reface your cabinets, watch a few videos of people installing cabinets. It's very, very easy if your walls are plumb and square. I just installed a kitchen cabinet last night to finish off the kitchen in my garage; took 2 minutes to remove it from the packaging, 5 minutes to locate some strong panhead screws, (really? Why aren't these included?) 1 minute to mark a line level with the other cabinets and a line for where to position the left edge of the cabinet. 3 minutes to line the cabinet up because I left the door attached and relied on my wife to adjust the left/right movement, and 1 1/2 minutes to fire in the pilot holes and put the screws in. (Incidentally, an impact drill works far better than a regular drill; avoids stripping phillips heads and has the power to penetrate easily into the framing behind the wall - and I knew where the framing was; I built the wall and had horizontal 2x6's between the studs to attach the cabinets to. Otherwise, you're figuring out where your studs are.

Anyway, the idea is that maybe you'll see how easy it is to install cabinets and figure that would allow you to upgrade what you do by $2k.

 

[DarkManX]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I am also not very creative especially with this type of stuff.

I am certain I can handle the cabinet install - but if I go the new cabinet route I would also want to do a back splash and probably wire up some nice under cabinet lighting. But before making a decision on which route Im gonna go in I really want to get a rough idea to see how much refacing will cost me. if refacing vs new cabinets is only a difference of 500$~ I will probably just go for the new cabinets.

 

[skyking]

11 doors and 6 drawer faces, new face frames.
Just for fun I went to barkerdoor.com, and put (6) 5x16 drawer faces and an estimate of your door sizes, 11 total. I chose unfinished in maple.
total was 622.15 but that is the easy part. new face frames take some skill to measure and build.
I think you could get a local craftsman to do the whole reface for maybe 2500 installed complete. That is a total Wild Ass Guess (WAG).

 

[Greenman]

Most places that reface don't replace the face frames, they skin them with 1/16" veneer. I did a bath vanity with it once and used a pre-finished iron on material. I thought it was going to be a cheap looking piece of junk, but it actually looked really good, and stuck like shit to a blanket.

 

[skyking]

I use iron on edging tape. was it similar? The tape is unfinished.

 

[DarkManX]

in terms of refacing I think the veneer would be perfectly fine.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I like the concept of refacing if it's not too much of a chore....as long as your cabinets are quality. Mine are Kraftmaid with dove-tailed drawers, etc...good wood, etc. I'd be foolish to replace them at 10-15 years old (they were relatively new when we purchased the house)

You can order replacement doors and if you're lucky enough to be working with wood simply strip/stain what's there. It is best to remove the cabinets before working with them, but some people do it in-place.

Newer cabinets are often lower quality....if you buy new, know what you're getting. Inspect the carpentry of what you have and what you're interested in buying before making a final decision. See what you're getting for the money.

 

[skyking]

I found red oak in several widths at amazon. None of it was finished, but that lets you finish it the same as the doors.
http://www.amazon.com/BAND-IT-12421-.../dp/B0009VUHIU

 

[DarkManX]

here are some real pics of my kitchen:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B5wECRlGJnMvWU9TVmdzWVdRVkE&usp=sharing

 

[Greenman]

I use iron on edging tape. was it similar? The tape is unfinished.

It was pretty much the same stuff, just a lot wider. I was surprised at how well it adhered. It's far more forgiving than contact cement because you can get the piece lined up exactly as you want it then apply heat.

I've only used it the one time because most of my projects are major remodels and the cabinets aren't saved. I also don't want to be in the cabinet refacing business.

 

[Greenman]

here are some real pics of my kitchen:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B5wECRlGJnMvWU9TVmdzWVdRVkE&usp=sharing

The face frames look fine to me. If the color works you could have new doors made and hang them in an afternoon. There isn't much room to rearrange things by the look of it.

Edit: The red formica really needs to go. Granite with a really nice back splash all the way up to the cabinets would be a hit.

 

[DarkManX]

The face frames look fine to me. If the color works you could have new doors made and hang them in an afternoon. There isn't much room to rearrange things by the look of it.

Edit: The red formica really needs to go. Granite with a really nice back splash all the way up to the cabinets would be a hit.

there is nothing wrong with the kitchen - the only thing that's not in great shape is the counter - which would be replaced regardless.

The face frame is fine, however not the most appealing color I would not mind covering it up with some nice veneer.

 

[skyking]

If those frames are real wood I would just get doors as Greenman has suggested.
Counter and backsplash too.

 

[DarkManX]

any suggestions for a place to price out some finished/stained doors?

 

[skyking]

Is the face frame real oak wood or one of those prints?
how thick is the face frame? be more precise than 3/4". many times it is 11/16 or 13/16.
barkerdoor will sell you finished doors but the price is too high IMO.

 

[EliteRetard]

I still think changing out the hinges and using oversize doors/faces to reduce the gaps will make it look more modern. Use a simple design for modern look and lower cost.

Swap out that nasty light fixture for sure, get a nice white light in there. Also getting rid of that nasty vinyl floor wouldn't cost much, tile can be completed for ~3$ sq/ft even with nice epoxy grout.

Here's a photo of a small modern kitchen (just picture walls where the island is), notice the flat simple doors and slim gaps. You can see how getting nicer a counter and backsplash can really finish the look. Though you don't need fancy stone, there are other options (and tile backsplash can be very nice).

I do wonder if it would be possible to recess that ceiling or put in a light box, that might help it feel less cramped. Maybe something like this:

Use some really nice bright white light to illuminate the whole kitchen (skip the can light), combined with some under cabinet lights.

For $6-8K I think you could completely revamp that kitchen...just need to spend smart.
Oh yeah that brings me back to the counter options, they have some very nice large pattern laminates nowadays, like this:

If you can't tell, that's really not stone...its cheap MDF with a nice laminate glued on. This aint your grandmas formica, and it's still way cheaper than stone.

 

[skyking]

OP, I just came from my local cabinet shop. they quoted me $31 for a shaker door in maple, 16" by 26". Their paint shop would put the best finish on it for another $12.
Barkerdoor in that link I posted earlier wanted a similar price for the door but 32 bucks to finish. Total ripoff.
See about a local cabinet shop for making new doors. I think you will be surprised and pleased.

 

[herm0016]

I use the iron on edge tape for building cabinet doors out of good plywood. the tape covers the edges. the Iron on for the face frames sounds like a good plan. you could also paint the face frames and stain the doors. with the right colors it really makes the doors pop.

this was built using pre-drilled white melamine shelving for the cabinet frames and maple plywood doors with iron on edging. Planning on doing the same in the kitchen eventually. The doors look great, true frame-less style cabinets though. It was getting too cold out, so im waiting till spring to finish the upper shelves, these are all built the same way as the doors, maple ply with edge banding.

 

[slag]

I still think changing out the hinges and using oversize doors/faces to reduce the gaps will make it look more modern. Use a simple design for modern look and lower cost.

Swap out that nasty light fixture for sure, get a nice white light in there. Also getting rid of that nasty vinyl floor wouldn't cost much, tile can be completed for ~3$ sq/ft even with nice epoxy grout.

Here's a photo of a small modern kitchen (just picture walls where the island is), notice the flat simple doors and slim gaps. You can see how getting nicer a counter and backsplash can really finish the look. Though you don't need fancy stone, there are other options (and tile backsplash can be very nice).

I do wonder if it would be possible to recess that ceiling or put in a light box, that might help it feel less cramped. Maybe something like this:

Use some really nice bright white light to illuminate the whole kitchen (skip the can light), combined with some under cabinet lights.

For $6-8K I think you could completely revamp that kitchen...just need to spend smart.
Oh yeah that brings me back to the counter options, they have some very nice large pattern laminates nowadays, like this:

If you can't tell, that's really not stone...its cheap MDF with a nice laminate glued on. This aint your grandmas formica, and it's still way cheaper than stone.

I recently put new countertops in my kitchen. Got them at home depot, and it took about a day and a half to put them in. My wife installed the backsplash. We think it looks nice and is a lot better than what was there. Cost us about 350 for the countertops and backsplash. I also have LED lights I need to install under the cabinets.

 

[cabri]

Curious as to the purpose of the LED lighting under the cabinets.

Does the normal lighting for the kitchen not provide enough illumination?