I don’t know where you live, but here in Southern California, cabinet remodeling is big business. Witness the number of cabinet companies promoting the process, including even megastores like Sears and Home Depot. The main reason? Huge profits. This huge profit margin attracts a certain type of seller. You know what kind I mean; the ones that won’t come out unless both owners are there, you get special treatment if you can decide today without thinking and who you can’t kick out of your house without getting nasty. The lure of quick and easy money often attracts the wrong kind of person. If you’re looking for someone who cares about your well-being, prepare to be disappointed if this is the route you choose. Of course, this is a generalization and there are always exceptions.

Let’s start by discussing what re-facing entails. The term re-facing covers more than one scope of work. Generally speaking, it involves replacing the doors and drawer fronts and covering the remaining exposed exterior with a thin veneer that is glued to the old cabinets. The most expensive remodeling projects involve new drawer boxes, new drawer slides, pullouts where possible, and a few other modifications that can be made without removing the cabinet frame.

Here is the problem. Unless the kitchen is relatively new (less than 8 years old) and the builder or designer has carefully designed the kitchen, most of what is wrong with the kitchen is structural/functional and not just cosmetic/aesthetic.

If you have a newer kitchen with drawers, a lazy susan, and adjustable shelves and you just want a new look, remodeling may make sense to you, as long as you can find someone to do it for a reasonable price and with at least 10 years of experience. warranty in case the coating starts to peel off like old wallpaper. However, you should think hard about the matter. I get at least three calls a month asking if a granite or quartz countertop can be removed without breaking it. I very rarely answer. When I ask them why, they tell me they refaced or refinished their cabinets a year or two ago and now they are very disappointed. Unfortunately, they spent a huge amount of money on their counter and can’t bear or justify throwing it away. As the man said, “I feel your pain.”

Often when I visit someone’s home to assess their kitchen and gather the necessary information to come up with design ideas, they start by telling me that they are happy with the design. I feel that they are reluctant to appear vulnerable to sales pressure and I take them at their word. As the conversation continues and they relax, I ask them about an inaccessible corner and a small bench of drawers and listen as they tell me how much they dislike them and various other things about the design they were happy with a few minutes earlier.

The truth is that most houses and certainly tract houses were built to provide living space in areas where people wanted to live. It was not necessary to design and install kitchens with anything more than a basic design. Very little attention was paid to functionality. Consequently, it is very easy to drastically modify and improve a typical kitchen without having to resort to major structural changes.

If a kitchen or bathroom remodel is in your future, do yourself a favor and interview several qualified kitchen and bath specialists before deciding to refinish your cabinets instead of replacing them. The cost is not always that much more and you almost always get a lot more for your money. If the extra cost is a burden, wait another year or so to get something you’ll cherish and enjoy for years to come. It is an important investment. Make it smart.