The kitchen is an essential component of your home … yes, it can even define your home. The cabinets in your kitchen take up a large amount of space. Make sure that your cabinets are beautiful and up to date to ensure it is impressive not only to you, but to your family, and visitors. Let’s dive in and figure out what’s best “to paint or replace kitchen cabinets.”
Kitchen cabinets often count among the major components of a kitchen and so, they should always stay fresh and appealing… always. Nevertheless, with time, cabinets often get outdated, some get old while others may even be broken. You may even desire to completely change the overall outlook of your kitchen because of several reasons such as when moving into a new house. So, how would you be able to quickly transform your kitchen cabinets to suit your new preferences?
It is common knowledge that plainly painting your cabinets, whether as a DIY project or even hiring a professional, is usually the fastest and possibly the cheapest way to transform your cabinets and give them a new look. However, making this decision should always take into consideration a number of factors, among them, the extent of damages to the cabinets and also your preferred new cabinet look. Since simply opting for painting instead of going for complete replacement may prove costly in the long run. For instance, the advantages of replacing usually outweigh mere painting. Let us consider each of the options in-depth to determine which is cheaper and in what contexts.
Painting Kitchen Cabinets
This is usually the most preferred method of upgrading the kitchen’s overall outlook by most individuals. However, before opting for the choice, you should thoroughly examine your kitchen and determine if this would be the best way to go. You may even employ the opinion of a professional to give you proper advice. So, take your time and examine the cabinets and see if the painting will work because there are some issues that even the best paint job will not fix.
For instance, if your kitchen cabinets boast some of the following characteristics, then you would be better off replacing them than painting them. If they are:
- Cheap, fragile, and frail structures
- Delaminated/peeled due to thin veneers
- Sagging/broken at the bottoms or shelve levels
- Unfastened at the hanging rail parts, among others.
Nevertheless, if painting is appropriate, then you may get to enjoy substantial benefits compared to an individual replacing their cabinets.
Pros of painting kitchen cabinets
- It saves a lot of money as it is cheaper; nearly half of replacing cost.
- It gives the kitchen a new look and feel without reshuffling and changing cabinet shapes and positions.
- Painting offers a wide variety of colors and thus several themes and styles to choose from.
- It also provides smooth, faultless cabinet surfaces adding to overall aesthetics.
Cons of painting kitchen cabinets
- It usually takes quite a long time to professionally paint the cabinets in a streak-free and solid manner.
- Cabinet paints also do not last as long as new quality cabinets.
- Painting deformed, chipped, or damaged cabinets may enhance the visibility of the defects.
- Painting may also not work on hard maple or stainless steel cabinets.
One of the significant benefits of painting is essentially the fact that it is cost-effective. You may decide to hire a professional to paint your kitchen cabinets, however, this may come at an extra cost. Still, this will roughly be half the price of a complete replacement.
Painting can also be done individually as a DIY project. All you would require is to get acquainted with some of the basic painting principles and requirements to ensure you achieve the best possible outcomes for your kitchen’s general aesthetics. Therefore, you should ensure you familiarize yourself with some of the following steps:
- First, you will need to wash away any grime, grease, or oils on the cabinets.
- Next, you should scrub down the cabinets and restore their look.
- Apply two thin coats of primer.
- The cabinets are ready to paint in any color you desire.
You should however make sure that there is enough ventilation while working to prevent inhalation of the paint fumes and also wear protective gear.
Replacing Kitchen Cabinets
Replacing kitchen cabinets entails a number of activities from dismantling the original cabinet structures to purchasing new sets of cabinets and employing a professional to install the new cabinets. This is not to say you cannot install them yourself, however, the process is usually a little bit more complex than painting. Seeking professional assistance may prove beneficial in the long run. You must therefore budget for all these. Let’s be frank. Replacing kitchen cabinets is potentially costly.
Subsequently, purchasing the most appropriate cabinet also requires that you put into consideration a number of several factors. These include:
- The quality of the cabinet material
- The area of installation
- Usage and overall functionality
- The interior design of your kitchen
- The kitchen location
- The type of cabinet whether modern, minimalist aesthetic, or distinguished classical look
These, among others, are quite essential as they will aid the contractor in ensuring that the purchased cabinet perfectly fits into the kitchen space, blends with the design, and guarantees no resources are wasted. You should also incorporate the other aspects of the cabinets such as handles and hardware, as these also greatly determine the overall beauty and aesthetics of the kitchen space.
Pros of replacing kitchen cabinets
- It caters for significantly damaged cabinets.
- It allows you to transform the entire kitchen area to your liking.
- Replacing also allows you to create more space or add additional storage areas if insufficient.
- It also allows you to remodel your kitchen with the new kitchen trends.
Cons of replacing kitchen cabinets
- It is the most expensive way of upgrading your kitchen cabinets
- Replacing may also render your entire kitchen area inoperable for a time, as old cabinets are removed and new ones installed.
- It also brings about an unfamiliar kitchen space which may take time getting used to.
Painting vs Replacing
Both of these options present you with several benefits and also a number of downsides to sticking with one over the other. Nevertheless, a thorough examination of the kitchen cabinets’ condition and your needs should determine which choice you opt for. For instance, if your cabinets are well built, strong, and apparently in good condition, then the painting would save you a lot of money. Unless you want to transform the entire kitchen cabinets to a different style then you can replace them despite being in good condition.
Subsequently, if the cabinets are in any way damaged from things like mold, water, or warping, then complete replacement could be the best and cheapest option in the long run. This is because covering up the flaws that affect the cabinet’s structural integrity and material quality will only be a temporary fix that will break down within a short period of time warranting frequent fixing which can be quite expensive in the long run. So if damages are present, then the cabinets should be repaired or replaced as the best course of action.
Conclusion
In this article, we provided a detailed look at what option is cheaper and in what context to help you be able to make an informed decision when planning to remodel your Temecula kitchen, especially the kitchen cabinets. For further information and clarifications, you can also contact us as we provide the best kitchen remodeling services in Temecula, California.