Cabinets: Do You Need New Ones?

Whether you’re moving into a new house or have been there for years, there comes a time when you might want to think about changing things up in the kitchen. Next to the bathrooms, the kitchen is where most home improvement enthusiasts concentrate their first efforts. Small changes can make dramatic impacts. If you’re wondering whether you can get away with just resurfacing your existing cabinets or if you need to go ahead and buy completely new ones, here are some things you can look at. Once you’ve completed your inspection, you’ll have a much better idea of how to move forward.

Sturdiness

Check the sturdiness of the cabinets you have. Sure, they may not give you many problems on a day-to-day basis, but that could change in a hurry if they are on their way out. Give them all a good shake and see how they hold up. Open them to their fullest and close them. Are there sticking points (not caused by items in the drawers themselves)? See if the doors seem as though they are ready to fall off at any time. Sturdiness, or the lack thereof, can be a good indication of whether or not you need to think about replacement.

Hinges

You can replace hinges without replacing the cabinets themselves, but they should also fall under your inspection. A couple of bad ones here and there should probably just be replaced on their own. If all of your hinges are looking worn and rusty, however, you might think about full replacement. After all, a hinge that has been working improperly for some time may have done some damage to the wood itself. There are repairs for everything, but at some point you need to decide if it’s really worth it.

Insides

Take everything out of your cabinets and give the insides a good investigation. You might be surprised at what you find. A spill here or some crumbs there can obviously be cleaned up. But if you find signs of water damage or cracks in the wood, you should seriously think about taking them out and putting new ones in. The same goes for mold. Remediation can be expensive and doesn’t always work in terms of keeping the growth from returning. The best scenario is usually purchasing new cabinets.

All a thorough inspection can do is show you where you’re at in terms of wear. It can’t make the decision for you. If you’re just looking for a cosmetic change, resurfacing can make a difference. But if you want to change the surfaces, change the doors, and change out the handles, it might make more sense to simply go ahead and redo everything at the same time. Contact a good retailer and a good contractor (or someone who specializes in both ends of the deal) and you might be surprised at all of your options.