You wish. Finding kitchen cabinets that fulfill all these requirements and are relatively affordable—a 2017 study found that most people budget and spend between $25,001 and $50,000 on their kitchen renovations. It can be daunting, and doubly so when you consider how quickly kitchen design styles shift. So when it’s time to update your kitchen, whether for functional or aesthetic purposes, you have to decide: Will you refinish or replace your kitchen cabinets? Brigitte Ballard, a design trend expert at N-Hance Wood Refinishing, weighs in on what homeowners need to consider when making that high-stakes choice. High-quality wood cabinets are also solid candidates for refinishing. “Replacing your cabinets is a huge cost that is not completely necessary if the cabinets are less than ten years old and made from a high-quality wood like cherry, maple, ash, hickory, or oak,” Ballard says. Refinishing these hardy cabinets, instead of replacing them, can both conserve wood and money. Opting to refinish, rather than replace, kitchen cabinets is more cost-effective, too; Ballard says it can save you up to $5,000. Of course, if your cabinets aren’t wood, refinishing may not be an option. Lacquer cabinets are more contemporary and look a little more high-end, but they’re not candidates for refinishing or even repainting, often. And, of course, you should replace your kitchen cabinets if the layout of the space doesn’t work for you. If your biggest complaint with your kitchen is that the cabinets all seem to be in the wrong spots (or there aren’t enough of them), and not that they’re out-of-date or your least favorite color, the only solution is to replace them with a more thoughtful layout.
