Rosie on the House: Redo your kitchen, keep same layout – Green Valley News

Homeowners dont always want to tear apart their kitchens when they remodel. Often its because they like the layout and the cabinets are very strong and solid.

So here are ideas on refurbishing and remodeling while leaving cabinets in the same general place. There will still be work and it will cost something, but work can be finished more quickly:

Have your cabinets refaced. Cabinet refacing is much more economical than complete replacement. Some expert companies say having it done costs slightly more than a third of what it would cost to replace cabinets. Some companies that specialize in this process, but many remodelers can do it.

Be sure the contractor will use refacing material and veneers that are really wood and that these new items will be well-fastened to your cabinets. Its best to have all-new drawers installed. Some refacing companies just put new fronts on old drawers. You should get new doors that have top quality new hinges installed as well.

Have your cabinets repainted or re-stained. The cost of repainting or re-staining can vary depending on the size of your kitchen, but generally its about a quarter of the cost that replacement would be, according to Ray Hernandez of Ray of Light in Tempe. Hernandez company strips and sands existing cabinet fronts down to bare wood before refinishing them. Drawers and doors are taken out to be stripped. He can color or stain cabinets and sometimes adds new molding to the cabinets as well.

Take out some cabinets out or rebuild some cabinets. Some companies doing painting or refacing will also change the shape of cabinets, rebuild them or remove some cabinets. For example, Ray of Light will rebuild a small island to make it larger. Some renovators will build a new island in the middle of a very large kitchen. Or some will take down a partial wall of cabinets that a homeowner wants removed to open up a living area and make it more spacious.

If you keep the cabinets, you can also install new countertops, sinks, faucets and appliances. If youre planning to do any of these jobs, take them on at the same time that the work is being done on cabinets. After all, changing countertops later could wreck the newly painted or refaced cabinets.

If any plumbing or electrical work needs to be done, use professional contractors. You may have to change gas and electric lines to complete the work. In cases like that, permits are also required from the city or county.

Repainting yourself? If so, first remove hardware and doors and drawers. Label each knob, hinge, door and drawer with info that will tell you where to put them back on later.

Youll need to use fine sandpaper to sand down the surface of the old cabinets to get the new paint to bond properly. You dont have to remove all the old paint. But you need to sand whether doors were painted or not.

After sanding, wipe off the surfaces carefully and spray on high quality latex paint. Temper the paint with water or latex extender. Youll probably want to rent a sprayer to make things go more quickly. If you work with a roller, you want it to be short-napped; a brush needs fine bristles.

Give the paint an hour to dry. Then put on a second coat. After that put on a couple of coats of clear coat to protect the painted surface and help the paint last longer.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 29 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8 to 11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and from 9 to 11 a.m. on KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.

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Rosie on the House: Redo your kitchen, keep same layout - Green Valley News