ArcaMax

Anyone who has replaced kitchen cabinets will tell you it’s a big dollar home improvement. An alternative is refacing, not replacing the cabinets. The reason is that refacing doesn’t tear out the existing cabinets, it adds a new laminate surface to their base, fronts, sides and doors. It’s a good alternative to replacing them if the cabinets are in sound condition, provide the storage space you need, and are located to make the most of your kitchen layout. The job typically involves a laminate veneer being applied to the cabinet bases, doors and drawer fronts, and installing new hardware.

In a medium-sized kitchen with 15 feet of base and wall cabinets a refacing service or contractor will charge $8,150, including labor and material, to reface the cabinets. It does not include new countertops.

A handy homeowner with carpentry skills can do the job for $650, the cost of the material, and pocket a big 92% savings. The job begins by removing everything from the countertops and clearing out most of what’s inside the front section of the cabinets and everything within the drawers. Remove the cabinet doors, drawers and hardware. Then the detail work begins. It’s tedious precision work that includes preparing all the surfaces and using specialized veneering rollers, blades and irons to apply the veneer. Despite large DIY savings we think refacing cabinets is a job best left to a pro.

Pro Cost: $8,150 — DIY Cost: $650 — Pro time: 35.2
DIY Time: 39.0 — DIY Savings: $7,500 — Percent Saved: 92%

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To find more DIY project costs and to post comments and questions, visit www.diyornot.com and m.diyornot.com on smartphones.

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