How to Reface Kitchen Cabinets: Update Not Replace

Are your kitchen cabinets showing ugly signs of wear and tear? Replacing all of your kitchen cabinets may be both costly and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to update your kitchen without having to replace all of your cabinets. You can obtain that new kitchen look without breaking the bank by simply painting the cupboards or changing just the doors on your kitchen units.

Paint or Wrap Your Existing Cabinet Doors

repainting your kitchen cabinet doors
source: bhg.com

Painting the existing doors on your kitchen cabinets is a fantastic way to update their appearance without having to replace them. Wooden cabinets can fade and seem worn over time; painting them can give them a fresh start and completely transform the aesthetic of your kitchen. To eliminate splash stains on the doors, choose water and greaseproof paint when painting your cabinets.

Wrapping your cabinets is another popular way to change their appearance; the most common material used for this is vinyl. Vinyl is an excellent option for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it comes in a variety of finishes, including high gloss, wood appearance, matte, and textured or patterned. It also comes in a range of colours, allowing you to select something that complements your kitchen or something completely different for a striking contrast. The vinyl is manipulated to fit the contour of your cupboards using a combination of heat and specific tools, and it’s a quick method to make a dramatic change in your kitchen.

Replace the Cabinet Door Handles

kitchen with black cabinet door handles
source: nextluxury.com

What kind of new hardware should you put in your newly renovated kitchen? There are so many options available that it might be daunting. Pulls or knobs? Brass or nickel? Will you be able to see the old hardware’s holes? If you’re painting your kitchen, the excess holes can be filled, sanded, and smoothed out before painting, allowing you to start with a clean slate and choose any hardware for your makeover.

If you want strong contrasts, you can’t go wrong with vivid or white cabinets combined with sophisticated black cabinet door handles. If you like a clean look in your kitchen and want to continue with the classic white doors and black cabinet door handles combination, simply refinish your white cabinets with a high-gloss finish. A high-gloss surface not only repels dirty fingerprints better than a matte finish (and is easier to clean), but it also stimulates the look of metal or glass in a modern setting. To add depth and impart a glossy finish to your smooth cabinets, apply a high-gloss clear acrylic varnish over your final application.

Black kitchen handles are popular right now and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and finishes to enhance the appearance of cabinets in both conventional and modern settings. There are several finishes to choose from, including black nickel, black iron, simple, antique, smooth, beeswax, and matte black.

Install New Under-Cabinet Lights

kitchen with under cabinet lighting
source: certified-lighting.com

The addition of lighting under kitchen cabinets can completely transform the look and feel of your kitchen. LED light strips are a simple and cost-effective kitchen update that may enhance your existing cabinets by lighting them from underneath. Because of their adaptability, LED light strips are a popular choice. These lights, which are frequently controlled by a remote, have a variety of settings, including the capacity to change colours, flash, fade in and out, or be dimmed.

Just like with the colour of your cabinets or the shape of your new black cabinet handles the possibilities are unlimited, whether you use them as mood lighting when the main light is turned off or to add a pop of colour to your cupboards in addition to the main lights. In most kitchens, there is one thing that is missing: adequate lighting. Undercabinet task lighting fixtures, which are relatively easy to retrofit behind upper wall cabinets, bathe the countertop in brilliant white light, which is useful for everything from chopping vegetables, reading recipes to creating a romantic mood for dinner time.

Replacing Cabinet Doors

kitchen black cabinet door close up
source: houzz.com

If you’re ready to go a step further you might want to think about replacing cabinet doors is an excellent way to improve the overall appearance of the kitchen without affecting the cabinet structure. Replacing your cabinet doors is a less expensive alternative to replacing the entire cabinet system. They are typically standard size, but they are also available as bespoke, built to measure doors, allowing you to remodel even the most difficult of areas. Fitting the doors is simple and does not require the services of a kitchen fitter; simply attach hinges to the doors and screw them into position.

Install a Pull-Out Cabinet Shelf

pull out shelf
source: homeaccessgrant.com

Make the most of your kitchen’s existing storage space by installing a pull-out shelf in one—or all—of the base cabinets. The shelf resembles a shallow drawer that glides out for easy access to items stored in the back of the cabinet. If you’re new to DIY projects, thanks to the internet there is an ocean of ideas and instruction videos on how to do it. This is a great way to learn something new and to get creative while doing it. And speaking of creativity, you could store your dishes behind closed doors. Or, if they’re unique and colourful, you could make a display out of them, freeing up valuable storage space while adding a pop of colour to your kitchen.

There are many other ways to beautify your space, sometimes that means just reordering things around or painting your walls a brand new colour. Or it could mean updating your sink with a new kitchen mixer tap and decorating with gorgeous indoor plants, etc. Whatever your goal is, do a simple research of the style you’d like to incorporate and start from there. Happy renovating!