Us Brits spend around 400 hours in the kitchen every year, so, unsurprisingly, this important room can quickly start to look tired.
Having a new kitchen fitted is on the wish list for many homeowners, but with the current cost of living crisis, this is out of reach for many. Because of this, many people are choosing instead to have their kitchen cabinets and surfaces refaced, and in this article, we’ll look at what this entails and whether it’s a good investment for UK homeowners.
What is kitchen refacing?
Kitchen refacing for cabinets and surfaces is a process in which the fronts or surfaces in your kitchen are replaced, including doors, drawers, panels and more. Unlike a full kitchen refit, only the fascias are replaced, leaving the original cupboard units and drawer boxes or counter as it is. Refacing your kitchen can also include replacing fittings such as handles, worktops, glass panels and more.
What are the benefits of kitchen refacing?
There are a few excellent reasons for choosing to reface rather than a whole new kitchen, and some of these are:
- Less mess – Having a brand new kitchen fitted involves ripping out your existing units and starting again. As you would imagine, this can cause a considerable amount of mess and dust, which can be unpleasant. Refacing, however, results in a lot less mess.
- Less Time – Opting for refacing means that your kitchen project can be completed much more quickly – in fact, at Kitchen Makeovers, we can often complete your project within just a few days – giving you more time to enjoy your updated space.
- Less Disruption – As great as a new kitchen is, the process of fitting it can mean considerable disruption for you and your family, including the fact that water and power may need to be turned off, your cookers and/or sink being removed and unusable meaning that your kitchen cannot be used for periods of time. Refacing helps to reduce disruption as there is no need for dismantling or reworking plumbing and electrics.
- Less Cost – One of the major benefits of choosing to reface is, of course, cost. Refacing is incredibly cost-effective in comparison to having an entirely new kitchen fitted.
The pros and cons of kitchen refacing
When it comes to home improvement and decor, there are rarely any ‘one size fits all’ options, so in this section, we’re going to take a look at some of the pros and cons of choosing to reface for your kitchen:
The pros
Layout
One of the reasons that refacing is so popular is that it allows you to retain the existing layout of your kitchen. This is extremely useful if you like your room’s layout but just want an update or a new look.
Style options
One of the great things about choosing to reface is that many different style options are available, including colour, style and finish. At Kitchen Makeovers, we’re able to offer many different finishes. Because of the wide range of options available, refacing makes it really easy to make your kitchen unique.
Cost-effective
In many cases, refacing your kitchen cabinets and surfaces will cost less than half the price of fitting a completely new kitchen – leaving you more cash to spend on equipment and accessories.
Environmentally friendly
Refacing your kitchen cabinets and fittings is much kinder to the environment than installing a whole new kitchen – something which many homeowners are paying close attention to in 2022. When you reface rather than ripping out your old kitchen, this results in less wood, plastic and metal ending up in UK landfill sites.
In this day and age, keeping one eye on the environment when updating our homes is incredibly important. In fact, many buyers in 2022 are actively looking for homes that have been refurbished and decorated in an eco-friendly way. Adding eco features to your home, such as water-saving and energy-saving devices, is an excellent way of effortlessly adding value to your home when the time comes to sell.
The cons
Layout
The one main downside to refacing your kitchen instead of opting for a remodel is that it is not always possible to change the layout of your room. With this method, you are essentially just changing the fascias to update and refresh the look of your kitchen. With that being said, it is still possible to move or add new units as and where you need them.
While going for a new layout can be useful, this can also be extremely expensive, and it’s worth bearing in mind that a new shape or layout for your kitchen may not necessarily add value to your home. In fact, sometimes, it can do the very opposite.
Space
When you reface your kitchen, you do not generally have the option to add extra space and storage as you would with a complete kitchen refit. Having said that, you can get around this by investing in some clever storage solutions to go with your newly refaced kitchen. At Kitchen Makeovers, our knowledgeable staff are on hand to advise on great solutions to go with your new-look kitchen.
Is refacing kitchen cabinets worth the money?
In this article, we’ve laid out some of the pros and cons of refacing your kitchen cabinets, as well as some really compelling reasons for doing so. With the current cost of living crisis, we’re all tightening our belts and putting more thought into our purchases. While kitchen refacing can be a fantastic solution, it may not be for everybody, and we’ll explore this in this section:
When you should reface your kitchen
- If your old cabinets and surfaces are looking tired or dirty
- If your old cabinet facings are damaged
- If you want a colour or decor update for your kitchen
- If you’re selling your house and want to give your kitchen a refresh
- If you want a new look for less cost
When you shouldn’t reface your kitchen
- If you want to majorly change the shape or layout of your kitchen
- If you want to add more space or storage to your kitchen
- If you want to spend more money
Conclusion
While refacing is unlikely to be the right fit for you if you want to change the shape or layout of your kitchen, it is, in most other cases, very much worth the money. Refacing is a fast and cost-effective way of updating a tired or damaged kitchen without the hassle and mess of a total remodel – and it can also add value to your home. When viewing potential purchase properties, people take a number of factors into account, in particular, the kitchen and bathroom.
When it comes to buying a home, most people view properties in terms of how much money they may need to spend to turn it into somewhere they want to live. People pay close attention to kitchens and bathrooms as these take a considerable investment to ‘do up’ or put right. For this reason, refacing your kitchen to make it look more appealing to a potential buyer can add a significant amount of money to your asking price and make your kitchen a more pleasant place to hang out.
