What Not to Do When DIY-ing Your Kitchen Cabinet Refacing

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So, you’ve decided that, after some deliberation on what you should do with your kitchen cabinets, that you’re going to reface them, and that you’ve opted to make this as a DIY project, but have sought the advice of a professional before coming to this final decision (if you didn’t, you really ought to). You have the tools you think you need and are ready to start updating your kitchen cabinets yourself.

But as with every project, you have things you should do and things you should avoid at all costs if you want to succeed in the task and not waste time, effort, and resources into a result with poor quality. Not everyone has the extra budget or time to redo what they did or hire someone who can fix things pronto — however, leaving things at a state of disarray is impractical. Not to mention, it’ll spoil the look of your kitchen.

Before you start dismantling your kitchen cabinets, here are some things you should not do to your kitchen cabinets if you’re refacing them yourself:

1. Start the project without preparing all the details beforehand

Kitchen cabinet refacing is not something that should be done spontaneously — it must be thoroughly planned so you can get every detail right. This prevents you from getting mismatched aspects (unless you’re deliberately going for such a product…) and makes sure that your kitchen cabinets are not going to suffer because of poor planning.

Consider the most important aspects of your kitchen cabinets before you start the project, such as its current style, measurements, condition, and material. These details will tell you where to source your materials, what tools you need for the job, whether you can start immediately or wait for parts to come in, etc. A detailed and well-researched refacing project plan ensures that you’ll be meeting your expectations when the last component has been placed.

2. Not consider your budget for the project

Just like any home improvement project, kitchen cabinet refacing will still cost you even if you do it yourself — mainly because you’ll have to purchase the different materials and even buy new tools for the job. If you don’t account for how much you should allot for the project’s needs, you are in the risk of coming up short financially, which can delay the progress of your project especially if you’ve already started it.

Before you start dismantling your cabinets, take time to research how much materials, tools, and other necessities will cost you. Scour around hardware stores, ask cabinet refacing professionals on where you can get materials for lower prices, or even go ahead and make expected costs based on estimates from online stores. Also, remember to put aside some contingency funds for emergencies — you never know what can happen during a DIY home improvement project, so it pays to be financially secured.

3. Assuming how a cabinet refacing procedure goes

By this, we mean thinking that you can just plaster on new material atop your old one and trim off the excess. A kitchen cabinet refacing starts by strategically taking apart your cabinets, getting them to the cleanest slate that you can get them to so the materials stick better to their surface, and carefully applying the materials.

If this is your first time refacing your kitchen cabinets but want to do it yourself, you might want to keep in contact with a professional and take some lessons from them or ask them about the proper procedures. You can also read up guides on how to reface kitchen cabinets yourself if you’re confident that you can learn the techniques yourself. You might also want to consider practicing on surfaces or material like what you’ll be working with, so you know what to expect when you start.

Ready to start refacing your kitchen cabinets? Check out our kitchen cabinet refacing services today or call us at (800) 581-0694 to find out how we can help you achieve your new kitchen look for a fraction of your remodeling budget today!