Consider a cabinet makeover from The Home Depot as a quick and easy way to refresh your kitchen in just a few days. Learn more.
Overview of Refacing Cabinets
Refacing cabinets is a quick and easy way to change the look of your kitchen without the mess and expense of a complete remodeling. You simply cover the cabinet face frame with self-sticking wood veneer and the end panels with 1/4-in. plywood. Then replace the old doors and drawer fronts with new ones. Refacing costs about one-third what new cabinets would cost, plus you can leave the countertop in place for even greater savings. And by doing the work yourself, you’ll also save at least $1,000 in labor for a small kitchen, and a lot more if your kitchen is large.
Refacing cabinets does require attention to detail and some experience working with tools, but you don’t have to be a master carpenter. If you can measure and cut accurately, you shouldn’t have any trouble.
Special Tools for Working with Veneer
We use a Virutex laminate slitter to cut strips of veneer. It’s the perfect tool for this project, but if you don’t want to spend the money, you can rent a laminate slitter. A table saw also works.
You’ll need a veneer tool to apply adequate pressure for a good bond.
For cutting veneer strips to length, we used a paper cutter modified slightly for more accurate cuts. We found that even an inexpensive paper cutter works great for cutting veneer.
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