Redoing Old Kitchen Cabinets: 5 Ways To Do It Without Replacing Them

Have you been thinking about updating your kitchen cabinets but don’t know where to start? Redoing old kitchen cabinets without having to replace them is something you might consider. Fully replacing your old cabinets can be costly and time-consuming.

Fortunately, there are ways to style your old kitchen cabinets to make them look good again. Refacing your old cabinets may not only save you money, but it will also give your kitchen cabinet makeover a brand-new look.

Let’s look at your options by opting for kitchen cabinet refacing and by adding other features and accessories that will impress you, your family, and any guests.

Redoing Old Kitchen Cabinets

Before you begin your kitchen cabinet makeover, consider how you want your kitchen to look and function now and going forward. If you are looking for some kitchen inspiration before you get started, you can check some of our past projects and use these as references.

Five Options for Redoing Old Kitchen Cabinets Without Replacing Them

There are several ways you can redo your old cabinets. Here are a few of the most common options. Let’s talk about each of these, then we will give you a preferred option that will not only look custom but will last much longer than the alternatives.

1. A New Paint Job

Painting kitchen cabinets is a tried-and-true method of giving cabinets a renewed look. However, painted cabinets look, well, painted. Painting them can make them look older than if you had just left them alone. Additionally, the paint will usually chip and peel in a rather short period of time, which only makes your cabinets look worse.

2. Undercabinet Lighting

What is under cabinet lighting? These are lights that are installed under your cabinets. They are used as task lighting and as accent lighting. Undercabinet lighting is a great option for your kitchen cabinet makeover.

Undercabinet lighting will make your kitchen look lighter and brighter. It will also add a very modern touch to your kitchen while providing you with more functionality. The most common types of undercabinet lighting are light bars or puck lights. You can learn more about our undercabinet lighting here in our guide or take a look at one of our recent projects.

3. Cabinet Crown Molding

Crown molding is a decorative trim piece that is installed along the top edge of upper kitchen cabinets. Cabinet crown molding is used as an adornment to give your cabinets a more finished decorative look and is another great way to dress up old cabinets.  

4. Cabinet Accessories

Cabinet accessories are features you can add that will enhance their functionality and looks. For example, you could add:

• Dish racks
• Spice holders
• Pull-out trash bins
• Lazy Susan
• Wine rack
• Appliance hutch
• Glass doors
• Corbels and brackets
• Fluted columns
• And more!

5. Kitchen Cabinet Refacing

Kitchen cabinet refacing is one of the greatest improvements you can choose when redoing old kitchen cabinets—but only if it’s done right. So how do you proceed with your kitchen cabinet makeover the right way?

Well, there are plenty of kitchen cabinet refacing companies, but most of them will try to sell you veneer or laminate cabinet refacing materials. This is because they are cheaper and, therefore, allow for the largest markup.

However, if you want your kitchen to truly look high quality, you’ll want to avoid veneer or laminate cabinet doors. Veneer and laminate cabinet doors not only look cheap and fake, but they also tend to chip, peel, and wear much more quickly whereas solid wood cabinet replacement doors won’t.

The only real way to go is to use solid wood handcrafted cabinet replacement doors. This is how to make your kitchen cabinet makeover an improvement of quality and durability as well as an instant upgrade in appearance and value while spending less than you would on a complete tear-out of your kitchen.

Let American Wood Reface Bring Your Ideas to Life!

American Wood Reface will take your kitchen cabinet makeover and bring it to life. At American Wood Reface, we do not use any veneer or laminate doors—ever! In fact, we have a proprietary enhancement system that we use to make every old kitchen cabinet refacing project look as if it were a custom replacement. Here’s a video on how we do it.

American Wood Reface specializes exclusively in 1/4″ inch solid wood refacing and every component is custom-crafted for each customer’s home. Our craftsmen have an average of 25 years of experience and are highly skilled in cabinet-refacing techniques. Additionally, we have been serving people from Northeast Ohio to the Southeast Coast since 1980 and have been a Super Service Winner on Angie’s List since 2009.

When you opt for redoing kitchen cabinets using our premium refacing system, your finished kitchen project will not only look like you had a custom cabinet replacement but be of much higher quality, improve functionality, and increase the value of your kitchen overall. 

Conclusion

If you want to remodel your kitchen but don’t want to pay those high remodeling prices, save time, and reduce the mess associated with a complete remodel, solid wood cabinet refacing is the next best thing. Solid wood cabinet refacing will look like you had custom cabinets installed.  Add to that some cabinet accessories like cabinet crown molding, under cabinet lighting, some corbels, and fluted columns, and you will have what looks like a newly remodeled kitchen.

Solid Wood refacing can save you up to 50% of the cost of a full replacement and can be started and finished within one to two weeks. Additionally, with a cabinet door replacement with locally sourced materials, we can reduce waste and keep it local. 

One thing to remember, though, is to avoid the temptation to go cheap by opting for veneer or laminate refacing. Doing so will only cost you in the long run because you will have to redo your cabinets and cabinet doors sooner rather than later!

What’s Next?

Are you ready to get started or would you like a little more information first? Either way, Contact us now for a Free Consultation. We’d love to show you just how easy and cost-effective a custom kitchen cabinet makeover can be.