Main Line Kitchen Design doesn’t recommend cabinet refacing for many reasons.
Cabinet refacing is not any less expensive than the cost of new better
constructed cabinets. Refacing only saves the cost of a new countertop and
leaves homeowners with the same outdated drawers, drawer tracks, and
outdated kitchen layout.
Often, older kitchens include undesirable and very costly 24″ wide and 27″ wide double ovens and a cooktop.
Replacing these older appliances along with refacing cabinets actually costs MORE than switching to a range with a better designed kitchen that includes more usable new cabinetry and countertop.
See image below:
Refacing the kitchen above is just throwing money away. Companies that specialize
in refacing actually know this and still operate counter to their customers’ best
interests.
These companies tend to be predatory including pressuring customers to commit and sign contracts on the first home visit.
Similar to Renewal by Anderson windows and the aluminum siding companies in the ‘60s, the pressure often comes in the form of a discount that expires at the conclusion of the appointment. How legitimate does that feel?
Two great movies masterfully portray this type of high-pressure scam.
Glengarry Glen Ross (click if you can tolerate foul language but great acting
from Jack Lemon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, and Alan
Arkin)
Tin Men (Wikipedia page for the movie with Richard Dreyfus, Danny Devito,
and Barbara Hershey)
Refacing companies are good at what they do. So, because they do a
good job refacing cabinets, they get good reviews from their clients. BUT
these customers don’t realize they could have spent their renovation dollars
much more effectively. The good reviews end up legitimizing a misguided
investment.
NEVER sign a cabinet refacing contract on the first visit.
If you are considering refacing, the most important thing is to NEVER sign a
contract on the first visit. While our advice is to not even consider refacing
your cabinets, we can guarantee that any refacing company will call after the
first visit with even better discounts.
We also guarantee that those who take the time to get an estimate to do their
kitchen the right way will be surprised and pleased with the affordability and
value of this more effective approach.
The Main Line Kitchen Design team is always available to show you what your
kitchen can be – and within a budget that makes sense for you.
2 Replies to “Is cabinet refacing a good investment?”
Thom Abella
About 1 in every 10 of customers or clients ask for resurfacing to be done on their kitchen. Most of them are DIY real estate investors who are just starting out in the business and understandably are trying to save money on renovation for their rental properties. I try to explain to them that they are not really saving money in the long run but a majority are firm on the idea of resurfacing.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Thom,
Totally True! Real Estate flippers are the hardest to convince but also have the most to gain if a new layout improves the value of the home. We have had some shocking sucess stories redesigning layouts instead of refacing or redoing the same layout. We work with many flippers now that we were able to “bring into the light”. Here’s a blog on that topic:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/how-much-is-a-kitchen-renovation-worth-when-you-sell-your-home-2/