Free Standing Shelving

Is it difficult to change the cabinets in a kitchen?

I am looking at buying a townhome and the only thing I dislike about it is the kitchen cabinets (not a major issue obviously). I was wondering how difficult this would be. I have seen companies that do this and all they do is change out the doors of the cabinets and paint the rest. Would it be difficult to sand down the cabinets and stain them to the wood color I want and just change out the nobs? How would I go about doing this? Any tips or suggestions?

Public Comments

1. It is actually harder than it seems remember the guys on tv are experts. I suggest you get someone to do it.
2. No. Its easy. As long as you measure and prepare beforehand you will be fine. I have done a lot of home improvement things before. Its pretty simple. You can also get tips from Lowes and Home Depot. They always help me out when I visit the store. Just make sure you have someone there to hold the cabinet up while you are screwing it in. I'd get atleast three people so you don't tire out.
3. No it is not difficult, paying someone to do this is crazy, you just need the right measurements. I would take one of my current doors off and go to home depot with it and ask them for new doors then go home and replace the cabinets doors one at a time. Do not remove all the doors first because you need to use them as a reference until you get the hang of it.
4. Kitchen cabinet replacement is a job for professionals. A little tough for DIY's. average cost for installation is at least $75 per cabinet unit depending on the size, not to mention the demolition and of course the need to replace the counter tops too. It is a finish carpentry work. The"changing of doors" you are talking about seems like "refacing option" in the cabinet works. I would not recommend this. I have ran into some kitchens who had this and the owner spent twice the cost of replacing. I don't know how can refacing companies convinced the owners that their option was more economical. Maybe my replacement costs is too reasonable? Anyway, most of them sucks, because the boxes were the same particle board cabinet boxes with all the yucky smell, stains and oil residue. If you plan to do it yourself, you can save a lot of money and this is the only justification i can say if you take this option. It is quite a job though just to remove the old finish, but if you have enough patience and time, go for it. get the right tools and materials, and follow instructions well. good luck!
5. 1st- The DIY approach, sanding and restaining. It depends on what your cabinets are made of. Many cabinets that look like wood are actually made of "engineered wood" (particle board) with a "picture" of wood applied to the sides and some doors are plywood with a thin skin (veneer) of wood. You can't sand these down or restain them. You can paint them but it is tough (not impossible) for a homeowner to get a durable finish. If you don't plan on living there for long this might be a good enough solution for a couple of years. If they are "wood" then it's just the labor involved in taking the cabinets off the wall sanding, restaining, sand again, clear coat, light sand, possible restaining or clear coat again, etc... It is pretty labor intensive and disruptive to your kitchen for a couple of weeks but cheaper then buying new cabinets. 2nd- Refacing Refacing is just as expensive as buying all new cabinets or more expensive. If you have good quality cabinets and love the kitchen layout the way it is then this might be an option for you because it usually only takes a couple of days for a crew to do and your kitchen is not completely out of commision while it is happening. As a side note, a company that refaces does not usually paint the box of the cabinet, they apply a veneer that matches the new doors to the sides that are visible and the face frames. 3rd- New Kitchen Can be cheaper than refacing, you can get the kitchen to function the way you want. It is time and labor intensive, you could be without a sink for a couple of days to a couple of weeks. It is not a quick fix. Most cabinets take 3-8 weeks to come in from the time they are ordered, rip out and install will take 2 days to a week at best, and you would also need a new countertop.
6. Your question poses several options: Any time you speak of changing the 'stain' color, this can be difficult, and labor intensive depending on the style of door, and the color of the existing stain. To change stain color, you must first sand the doors to the raw wood, any stain or finish not removed will cause a blotchy appearance. With that said, you must sand to the clear wood, then apply the stain of your choice. Next step is to finish with polyurethane clear in a typical 'satin' finish. This can be a lot of work, so be prepared. If you choose to paint, rather than stain, you need only to sand enough to dull the finish, and apply 2 coats of a quality paint. Good luck!
7. Duh, how about reinstalling the sink, stove, dishwasher, electrical?