Refresh Your Kitchen Cabinets: Replacing Kitchen Cabinet Doors

 In Kitchen cabinets

If you’re feeling like your kitchen needs a refresh, you probably have your eye on new kitchen cabinets. After all, your cabinetry takes up a lot of visual real estate! If your cabinetry is worn-out, aged, or simply in the wrong style, it can change the look and feel of your entire kitchen – for the worse.

However, replacing kitchen cabinetry can be a daunting task, particularly if you have extensive or customized cabinets. It’s also very expensive.

Luckily, there’s another way available if you don’t have the resolve or budget to tackle ordering a full new set of kitchen cabinets. Replacing your kitchen cabinet doors can transform their appearance while costing only a fraction of a full new set. With new doors and hardware on your cabinets, they’ll look as good as new!

Kitchen Cabinet Door Styles And Materials

If you’ve decided on replacing your kitchen cabinet doors, what’s the best choice for your replacements?

While there are a wide variety of door styles, a few choices are very popular for modern kitchens and are a safe bet.

If you’re aiming for a sleek, modern look, opt for flat-panel doors and slab-style cabinetry. For something slightly more traditional, Shaker cabinet doors are a great pick. Wood is a fantastic choice for cabinet doors and never goes out style. It can also be easily customized with your choice of stain, finish, and even paint.

How To Replace Kitchen Cabinet Doors Only

Replacing only the cabinet doors is called kitchen cabinet refacing. It’s possible for motivated DIYers to complete a refacing by themselves, or the job can be left to the pros.

If you’re interested, we’ll give an overview of how to reface here:

  1. Measure: The first step is to measure all of the cabinet doors that you plan on refacing. You’ll use these measurements when purchasing replacements, so go slow and take your time.
  2. Pick Your New Cabinet Doors: This step is the most fun! Once you have your measurements down, pick out your new doors and hardware of your choice.
  3. Remove Old Kitchen Doors: Use a screwdriver to remove the hinges, and keep them off to one side.
  4. Prepare Your New Cabinet Doors: You’ll need to drill holes in your new cabinet doors. First, measure the location of the holes on your old doors. After marking the right locations, drill holes for your new ones. Of course, if your doors came pre-drilled, this step isn’t necessary. The new holes should be around 10mm deep, but check your old doors if you’re in doubt.
  5. Install New Hinges: Your new doors will have new hinges and new mounting plates. After you’ve drilled the holes in your doors, install the new hinges and mounting plates using the holes you’ve drilled and the old holes in the cabinet boxes as a guide.
  6. Hang And Adjust Your Doors: Once you’ve hung your doors, you might find you need to adjust them for a perfect fit. Simply use the provided adjustment screws and tweak until everything is perfect.

And voila! Your new kitchen cabinet doors will be in place.

Cost Of Replacing Kitchen Cabinet Doors

How much will replacing your kitchen cabinet doors cost? If you opt for standard cabinet doors, the cost should run somewhere from $50-$100 per door. This is usually around 10%-30% of the cost of replacing your cabinets outright!

Replacing vs. Refacing

Replacing your cabinets is a much more involved process than refacing. The entire cabinetry will need to be removed, including the cabinet boxes and trim.

The main advantage of replacing is that you can change the layout of your kitchen cabinets – letting you add storage space or make other changes to the room.

Of course, the disadvantage is that it can cost 10x as much! A new set of cabinets can run anywhere from $3000 to $20,000 or even more! Refacing your kitchen cabinets is a much more budget-friendly option.

Summary

If your kitchen needs a refresh but you aren’t prepared to bite the bullet on a full new set of cabinets, changing the doors can be a great compromise. You’ll freshen up the appearance of your space while avoiding the intense process of removing and installing a whole new set of kitchen cabinets. Best of all, replacement is a simple process and can be completed quickly and easily.

We hope this guide has been a great introduction to replacing kitchen cabinets, and good luck with your renovation!

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