Bring back the magic: Ten reasons why it’s time to reface your kitchen
Back in the day, a kitchen refacing consisted of a cabinetmaker coming in and gluing on countertop material to the front of your kitchen cabinets and replacing the hardware.
“Customers might remember the old kitchen refacing where they would glue on the not-very-nice countertop laminate to unfinished plywood doors,” explains Ken Nicholl, owner of Reface Magic. “That’s not what we do.”
There were few style choices and the material was always flat and heavy looking. Fast forward and now you can choose from over 1,500 colourstyle combinations, giving your kitchen a fresh look without breaking the bank.
Reface Magic has been in business since 2002. They began as a furniture repair and refurbishing business, refinishing customer’s favourite items. When they started to get calls for kitchen refacing, within 18 months they switched gears, shifting their business entirely.
“Customers didn’t just want to make their kitchens look better; they wanted to make changes,” says Nicholl. “But in refinishing an old kitchen, you couldn’t make a lot of changes because we were dealing with outdated fronts and colours that didn’t match. There was new wood and old wood – it was difficult to make it all work. That’s why we custom-make our products using Canadian products.”
But what is kitchen refacing?
Banish from your mind those clunky cabinets in your grandparent’s house. These days, refacing is the removal and disposal of your existing doors and drawer fronts. The current cabinet box is reskinned to match. This is all done in-home, which speeds up the process. Lastly, new doors and drawer fronts are installed, in the colour and style of choice, resulting in a fresh, new and modern look.
Now that you know what refacing is, here are the top reasons why you should reface and not replace.
1. THE UNCHANGEABLE KITCHEN
You either cannot or don’t want to change the layout of your kitchen. If there are no options for shifting things around, then why waste the cabinets? Just make them look new again with Refacing.
2. OUTDATED STYLE
Your kitchen is old-fashioned, and it shows. With refacing, you can completely update the look and style of your kitchen.
3. YOU’VE OUTGROWN YOUR FRIDGE
Even though you aren’t doing a full kitchen remodel, you still have the choice to make significant changes and alterations. These can include upgrading to a larger refrigerator space, installing an over-therange microwave, extending upper cabinets to the ceiling, as well as replacing or adding new drawer boxes.
4. SCRATCHED-UP AND CLUNKY CABINET DOORS
Everyone dreads the loud bang of a cabinet door. With refacing, you can add new cabinets. Doors are always custom-made, so add-on cabinets can be built to match. You can add a pantry on an empty wall. Even add a new island or expand your existing one.
5. THE DISORGANIZED KITCHEN
A disorganized kitchen creates chaos and wastes your time. Just picture your new super-organized kitchen, with sliding spice racks, drawer dividers, pot and pan drawers, trash and recycling slide-outs. You will be able to find anything the first time you look for it!
6. PLAIN JANE ISN’T YOUR STYLE
Accessorizing by co-ordinating crown and accent mouldings will take your kitchen to a whole new level of design and sophistication.
7. BUT I LIKE MY COUNTERTOPS…
With your cabinets staying right where they are, you don’t have to change your countertops. You can remodel your kitchen in budget-friendly stages. If you’ve recently had new countertops installed, refacing will not disrupt them.
8. NO NEED TO MOVE INTO A HOTEL FOR TWO WEEKS
Convenience is a big factor. On average, Reface Magic’s installs take just two to three days. New kitchen instillations take more time because countertop measurements are not finalized until new cabinets are in place. With refacing, cabinets stay in place and Reface Magic will coordinate to have refacing and countertops installed back to back.
9. EASY ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Reface Magic wants to have the least environmental impact possible. They only discard doors and drawer fronts, not the entire kitchen. This makes for a much smaller amount of waste. Also with Refacing, they are only manufacturing new doors and drawer-fronts. It creates a much smaller imprint than manufacturing an entirely new kitchen.
10. PINCH THOSE PENNIES
When comparing quality of product and amenities, refacing can cost up to 40 per cent less than a full kitchen renovation. You may be able to find a new kitchen for less, but it will be nowhere near the same quality as one that Reface Magic can create for you.
There are many great reasons to reface, rather than replace. Overall, you will end up with a customized kitchen designed to meet your specific needs – all for a low price, while being environmentally conscientious. To explore all of your options, visit