We often get calls from potential customers who use the word ‘refinishing’ interchangeably with ‘refacing’.  When I get that call, my first objective is to find out what the caller really wants to achieve in their kitchen.

Many times customers have cabinetry that is constructed of solid hard woods such as cherry, maple, mahogany, oak, etc. that was custom made for their kitchen.  Before they call us, the customers have assumed that Pacific Kitchens will come out, remove the doors and drawers and take them away to be stripped and re-stained or re-painted.  This process is referred to as ‘refinishing’.

Cabinet refinishing is much like the process of refinishing furniture.  It’s messy, smelly and time consuming.  The doors and drawer fronts can be taken offsite to a refinishing shop to be done, but the frames (or boxes) have to be done in your home.  This process takes your kitchen away for quite a while, sometimes weeks.  And you have to live around the mess and the smell of paint and lacquer odors.

Refacing on the other hand is kinder and gentler. When we reface your kitchen we remove all the doors and drawer fronts and make brand new doors and drawer fronts out the material you choose (solid wood, Rigid Thermofoil (RTF) or high pressure laminate).  The outside surfaces of the cabinet frames are covered with matching material.  All the components necessary to reface your kitchen are ready to be installed before we arrive on site.

We don’t want to imply that there is ‘no mess’ involved in refacing, but it is greatly diminished compared to refinishing.  When refacing, brand new doors and drawer fronts are custom built, allowing you to completely change the look of your kitchen.  However, when you refinish, you still have your old and dated doors and drawer fronts that have endured a lot of wear and tear over the years. If you choose to refinish, keep in mind that it’s very difficult to go to a lighter color of stain because the wood grain will retain some of the previous color.

At the end of the day, the decision to reface or refinish is up to you and what you want to achieve.  We are here to raise awareness for the art of refacing and to help our customers to be completely satisfied with their decision.

For a free in-home estimate from Pacific Kitchens, give us a call at (858) 277-0701. Our friendly kitchen professionals will show you how to get a brand new look at a fraction of the cost, compared to a complete remodel. We look forward to making your kitchen remodeling dreams come true!