The Right Time to Refinish My Cabinets
How Do I Know When It’s Time To Re-finish My Cabinets?
How can you tell when it may be the right time to refinish your cabinets? In some cases, it will be visually obvious. Chipping, scratches, discolouring, and warping are all potential signs of aging cabinets that could use a refresh. But does that mean you need to buy all new cabinets? Probably not!
Having a professional spray paint job done to your cabinets is one of the simplest and most cost effective ways to instantly modernize and renew your home’s interior. Our process at Distinctively Paint for refinishing cabinets will ensure your home’s wood surfaces – regardless of age – will look as good as new.
Now, it may not always be easy to tell whether or not your cabinetry needs an update. In this blog, we will cover a few common questions and things to look for when assessing the state of your own cabinetry, and whether or not cabinet painting may be right for you.
Do I Need to Renovate and Buy All New Cabinets?
More often than not, buying new cabinetry is a novelty rather than a necessity. Especially for homes that were built using strong high quality natural woods like oak. These cabinets and wood features can easily last decades. Even a more basic stained MDF cabinet can easily last a couple of decades or more if taken care of. It tends to be the colour or finish that gets really dated, painting your cabinets is the fastest way to give your home the look of a brand new set of cabinets without the cost of renovating.
Of course, when deciding if it’s the right time to refinish cabinets the option to refinish or replace is entirely up to each client. But be aware of the old adage – they don’t build em like they used to! Quite often new cabinets are nearly as structurally sound as the ones you already have. So if the only thing that needs changing is the colour, painting could very well be a viable option.
Repairs Required for your Kitchen Cabinets
Part of the process of spraying cabinetry involves sanding, filling, caulking, air-nailing, or any other necessary repairs that help protect and refresh your kitchen cabinet surfaces. If your cabinets have a lot of dents, scratches, and chipping, the proper preparation to paint will take care of that. Melamine or edge tape that is peeling can be removed and filled. Crown moulding or trim pieces that need removal, replacement or repair can be taken care of. Water or heat damage and bubbling can usually be sanded out and filled with heavy duty fillers.
These are all the most common wear and tear issues one would find on the average set of kitchen or bathroom cabinets. All of which are easily taken care of during a professional painting job. We will also help guide our clients on necessary repairs or replacement for any hardware that we notice is defective during the painting process. More often than not we will be able to repair or replace it during the install.
How Often Does a Painted Kitchen Need to be Re-done?
Once your kitchen has been professionally painted once, it would not need another full paint job until the owner decides to change the colour again, or the kitchen is renovated. Small touchups in sprayed lacquer kitchens will occur, especially on edges and corners. Those are, luckily, much easier to touch up by hand than stained wood for example, and the colour will match the original paint job even years after. But a professional sprayed cabinet project should easily outlast the client’s residency in that home, or colour trends changing, whichever occurs first.
When is the Right Time to Refinish my Cabinets?
Truthfully, the best time to refinish your cabinets will be the time that works best for each individual client. For some, it may simply be the outdated colour or wanting to change from dark to light. For others, it may be needing new hinges and a clean, sand, and repair of the cabinetry surfaces and a general refresh of their aging home. If you’re planning on selling your home in the near future, having a brand new looking kitchen with a fresh and modern colour scheme is a major instant boost to the curb appeal. Even the oldest kitchens, with exposed hardware and natural wood finishing will look decades newer and feel refreshed with a professional sprayed finish.
Evaluate Your Cabinets Prior to Refinishing
This is the part where we try to convince you to come to Distinctively Paint for a no-risk quote on your home’s interior finishes and cabinetry. If you have a dark stained wood kitchen and banister, consider brightening up your home with a modern off-white or a light grey. If your doors seem misaligned and they have squeaky hinges, consider updating your cabinetry not only with a new colour but some soft-close hinges and new handles. There are so many options available to our clients – both through us and through some of the trusted contractors we partner with – to get the most out of the home they already have, without needing a full blown renovation. Contact us today if you would like to explore some of those possibilities.