When planning a kitchen renovation, cabinet refinishing should be your first consideration. The process of cabinet refinishing has changed significantly over the years, but not many people know about this. As a result, they often end up discarding cabinets when these cabinets could be restored instead.
Now, cabinet refinishing technology has developed by leaps and bounds, making significant improvements in terms of efficiency, speed, and effectiveness. The traditional cabinet refinishing process was a time and labor-intensive one that necessitated the removal, sanding, and reinstallation of a kitchen’s cabinets. All this work invariably resulted in tremendous messes. Unsurprisingly, homeowners did not find such a process very appealing. In contrast, current cabinet refinishing technology allows professionals who possess the right expertise to refinish cabinets in a swift, efficient, and tidy manner. 
The modern cabinet refinishing process occurs mostly in your home, and it does not involve the removal of your cabinets. It takes only a few days for completion, and it is far more affordable than any cabinet replacement or refacing service.
Let us go over what replacing, refacing, and refinishing your cabinets mean.
If you choose to undertake a cabinet replacement, your hired craftsmen will remove your old cabinets and then replace them with new ones, just as the process’s name suggests. This is a large scale renovation project that requires a huge budget for its successful completion.
Renovating your kitchen like this will also free up a lot of space but it will also force your hand to replace many components that may otherwise still be in good order… For example, once the cabinets are removed, this typically destroys the backsplash and countertops, forcing you to spend more on replacing these. Often the drywall will get damage or layout changes force you to pull everything out to the studs. Before you know it, you find out the electrical is not up to current code and your budget starts climbing.
Naturally, this process will give you the chance to install new cabinets with different functional qualities and alternate styles. A cabinet replacement can change the layout of a kitchen significantly, causing it to end up with a different number of cabinets and different amount of available counter space. As you can imagine, replacing your cabinets brings with it many exciting possibilities for your kitchen. However, it is also the most expensive kitchen renovation option.
In 2016, you can expect to pay approximately $50,000 for a standard full kitchen renovation. Various factors will affect the final price, of course. For example, larger kitchens will naturally cost more to renovate. The amount of necessary retrofitting will also be factored into the total cost, as will the different types and quantities of finishes used.
Cabinet replacements usually expand beyond their initial scopes and shoot past their budgets. Homeowners who don’t plan their kitchen renovation carefully can easily end up paying more than $100,000 for a large kitchen. On the other hand, careful and realistic planning can go a long way toward optimizing a budget. Anticipating foreseeable issues and setting aside the time and/or resources to resolve them will also make the kitchen renovation proceed more smoothly.
During a cabinet refacing, the finished surfaces of your kitchen cabinets are upgraded. If you want to change the shapes and/or designs of your cabinets without making any changes to your kitchen’s original layout, this might be a very viable kitchen renovation option. Cabinet refacing can be carried out in different ways.
Lower-end cabinet refacing processes usually involve using laminates to upgrade cabinet surfaces. Such processes yield results that tend to look very good in photographs. However, in reality, cabinets refaced with laminates look cheap and artificial. Laminates also create a texture and feel that are far inferior to the wooden doors and panels that they cover.
Cabinets built 20 to 30 years ago used superior methods and better materials. These older cabinets also had very sturdy boxes and featured the use of real hardwood far more frequently in the construction of their doors, boxes, and styles. Consequently, they were far more durable than cabinets built today.
Refacing your cabinets with laminates carries a lower upfront cost. However, your refacing won’t have very long lasting results. Laminates break down rapidly from general wear and tear. Also, damaged laminate surfaces are difficult and expensive to repair.
Laminate surfaces are very vulnerable to chipping and warping, and they swell when exposed to water. Delamination occurs more frequently than you’d like, as well. Delamination refers to the process in which the glue connecting the laminate to its applied surface loses its adhesiveness. This causes the laminate to peel or flake away.
Such kitchen refacing processes usually cost less than $5,000. They also use low quality products for cabinet doors, gable ends, boxes, styles, etc. Cabinets refaced with laminates are less durable and enjoy far less longevity.
Higher-end cabinet refacing services are different. They usually involve the removal of the cabinets’ doors, which are then replaced with new solid wood doors. Such processes also use wood veneer finishing. Most of the time, they yield results that are superior in quality and durability.
There are many different sizes, styles, and finishes for replacement doors available in the market. Replacing your cabinet doors will not cause any significant changes to the layout of your kitchen.
Cabinet refacings involving the use of new doors and wood veneer tend to yield high quality finishes. Nevertheless, the veneer used on gable ends, cabinet boxes, and styles can bring about some issues. Wood veneer is a substance that looks like solid wood. However, it is far less durable. It is applied to all exposed cabinet surfaces not covered by doors.
In most cabinet refacing processes, wood veneer is applied or glued to cabinet surfaces in a home environment without strict manufacturing/factory environmental controls. As a result, the wood veneer suffers a considerable decrease in quality, becoming very vulnerable to warping and chipping in the same way laminates are. Wood veneer also swells upon being exposed to water.
Most of the time, cabinets refaced with new doors and wood veneer end up with an inconsistent appearance. The same thing can often be seen in natural maple cabinets.
Natural maple fades into yellowness over time. This is an inevitable process due to the nature of maple wood. However, this fading also takes place at different rates for different pieces of wood. Maple cabinets are comprised of several different parts. Each of these parts turns yellow at its own individual rate. For instance, the doors of a cabinet might turn yellow more quickly than the cabinet’s raised panel segments. These segments turn yellow at a different pace from the cabinet’s boxes in turn. Eventually, this phenomenon causes maple cabinets to end up with a mismatched collage of varying yellow shades.
Cabinet refacings entail the use of different types of wood, finishes, and finish applications. Also, different manufacturers are also involved. It is thus very common for refaced cabinets to also end up with mismatching wood tones across their individual parts.
Eventually, refaced cabinets end up looking like faded maple cabinets. No matter how skilled your craftsmen or how high quality the materials used are, you cannot expect the results of a custom onsite finish for your cabinets from a cabinet refacing.
A cabinet refacing process that uses solid wooden doors and veneers costs somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000. Your final cost will also be affected by the size of your kitchen and your selected options.
Cabinet refinishing is a completely different process that is much more affordable than a cabinet replacement or refacing.
Cabinet refinishing entails the restoration or replacement of your cabinets’ existing finish, and it can be carried out in different ways. The general premise is the same for all modern refinishing methods. They all begin with a thorough cleansing and degreasing of your cabinets’ wooden surfaces, followed by repairs to any damaged areas. At this point, you have a choice to make: whether to restore the original finish of your cabinets or refinish them with a different color.
Decades ago, interior wood refinishing used to be an expensive, messy, and tedious ordeal. It required a great deal of labor and time, so many professionals and homeowners compared it to the process of sanding a hardwood floor or stripping the finish from a piece of furniture.
Currently, such comparisons apply only to traditional and DIY wood refinishing processes, which still necessitate the removal of your cabinets, which are then sanded down to bare wood.
All this preparatory work is necessary before any finish can be applied to your cabinets’ wooden surfaces, which is itself a difficult and time consuming process. All this time and manpower can easily make traditional cabinet refinishing as expensive as a cabinet replacement or refacing process.
Cabinet painting is not a very viable option too, even if you do hire professional painters. Your cabinets must still be removed and sanded before they can be painted. Thus, a cabinet painting would require almost as much time and labor as a traditional or DIY cabinet refinishing does. The final price can be quite daunting too. 
Without proper preparation, cabinets that have been painted will start to peel and flake within days. Even with the most scrupulous preparatory work, however, no cabinet painting job will be very long lasting. The vast majority of paint products cannot withstand the constant contact with hands and fingers and the repetitive motions of opening and closing cabinet doors. The moisture and grease of most kitchen environments are also very hostile to most paint products, causing them to fall apart within a short period of time. Even the best paint jobs cannot last as long as a factory finish or any of NHance’s cabinet refinishing projects.
NHance takes a very unique approach to the cabinet refinishing process. Every one of our products and techniques caters specifically to kitchen cabinets and the rigors of kitchen environments. Thanks to our extensive work in research and development, we have access to preparation methods that give our projects unparalleled effectiveness, efficiency, and durability.
We use a patented “sandless” technique to clean, degrease, and restore your cabinets’ existing finish. This technique ensures that no mess will be left behind by our work.
The cabinet refinishing process does not require the removal of your cabinets, so most of it takes place in your home. NHance’s Color & Custom Color Change services are exceptions. For them, our craftsmen will remove your cabinet doors and fronts for servicing.
Our cutting edge refinishing technology gives us the ability to combine advanced methods with High Performance, Low VOC polyurethane products. We can carry out durable, factory-style finishes or refinishings quickly and efficiently. As a result, our services cost far less than cabinet replacements or refinishings.
There are four different types of refinishing services available with NHance.
Basic Cabinet Renewal, Cabinet Color Shift, Color Change, Custom Color Options.
NHance’s Basic or Classic Cabinet Renewal is our most affordable refinishing service. The Basic Cabinet Renewal works to restore the original finish of your cabinets. It does not cause any change in your cabinets’ original color. Our craftsmen will begin their work by giving your cabinets a thorough cleansing and degreasing. After that, they will repair any faded or missing finish, reenergizing any dried out wood along the way and covering it with a durable top coat finish. By the time their work is done, your cabinets will look better than they ever did.
Click here learn more about the Basic Renewal Process.
NHance’s Cabinet Color Shift shares many similarities with the Basic Cabinet Renewal. The main difference is that this process also works to slightly darken the tone of your cabinets through the application of several coats of color to your cabinets’ wooden surfaces by hand.
Here are some examples. Since the color is applied by hand, NHance’s Cabinet Color Shift often gives cabinets a unique, customized appearance. This is ideal for homeowners who favor such a look for their furniture.
Our Color Shift page has more information about this process.
For NHance’s Color Change & Custom Color options, our craftsmen will spray a custom finish on the surfaces of your cabinets. If you’re looking for a lot of freedom and variety in customization options for the color and look of your cabinets, these might be the right services for you.
The Color Change service can also darken the tone of your cabinets. Such an effect works very well for natural maple cabinets or cabinets with a Honey Oak Finish. NHance offers many translucent color options for your cabinets. Each of these colors would accentuate the beauty of your cabinets’ natural wooden texture. NHance’s Color Change service can easily update a cabinet’s old-fashioned natural, honey, or golden tones into sleeker, darker, and trendier tones.
With NHance’s Custom Color option, you gain access to thousands of different custom opaque colors. This service entails the application of a solid color to your cabinets, which can give them a dramatic change in their appearance. In fact, many of our clients reported having trouble recognizing their cabinets after this service. Prior to getting a custom opaque color, their cabinets looked old-fashioned and outdated. By the time our work was done, these cabinets enjoyed an elegant and trendy new color.
NHance’s Custom Color Option allows you to customize your kitchen for a much more affordable price than a fully custom-built kitchen renovation would entail. Our opaque custom colors can easily give your kitchen a complete and breathtaking aesthetic overhaul. 
Here are a few photos of our Custom Color change options. Much more detailed information is available on our Custom Color and Color Change.
What types of cabinets are suitable for refinishing?
NHance’s refinishing process works well with almost every type of kitchen surface. Our products can adhere completely to all kinds of wood and veneer and have no issues with most types of laminate too.
We have experience in working on kitchens built more than 20 years ago. Most of the time, the cabinets in such kitchens feature very battered and worn out surfaces and doors. However, the superior materials and methods used in the construction of these cabinets mean that they are still very sturdy and durable. Hence, they are ideal candidates for NHance’s Basic Cabinet Renewal to refresh them to their original beauty. Or, if you wish to drastically update their appearance, you will need NHance’s Custom Color Change service to transform the look of the entire room.
Cabinets in need of repairs pose no problem to us too since we can provide or outsource any necessary or desired cabinet modifications for your cabinet restoration or update as well as various hardware, hinges, rollouts, crown molding, and other add-ons. NHance strives to help you optimize your budget, and we will do everything in our power to give you the kitchen of your dreams at a much lower cost than that involved in a cabinet replacement or refacing.
NHance’s services offer unrivaled efficiency, effectiveness, and economy.
Many of the inquiries in Cincinnati ask about Natural Maple or Honey and Golden Oak cabinets because they were the most popular choices for new home construction during the last 20 to 30 years.
We have also received inquiries regarding the effectiveness of our products on laminate surfaces, along with requests for cabinet pull replacements. For all these inquiries, requests, and more, NHance strives to provide a positive answer. Whenever necessary, we will collaborate with clients or other tradespersons. This allows us to carry out your kitchen renovations with optimal efficiency and effectiveness.
Our affordable prices and quick working pace save our clients a lot of money. In fact, most of them up spending much less than their planned budget. This allows them to allocate those funds toward the implementation of other kitchen renovation options. Some of them choose to update their countertop. Others buy new backsplashes or appliances.
Most kitchen renovations begin with a cabinet update because cabinets are often the dominant color element of a kitchen. All other kitchen renovation options are often designed in a contrasting or complementary fashion with regards to the color of a kitchen’s cabinets.
You must carefully consider your budget when planning your kitchen renovation.
Unrealistic or vague kitchen renovation plans are a recipe for disaster. Homeowners who don’t plan or consider their budgets carefully will end up installing, removing, and then reinstalling all kinds of ill-conceived kitchen renovation options. They will shoot past their initial budget in the blink of an eye.
Cabinet sales should not be given too much consideration in any kitchen renovation plans too. There is no doubt that heavily discounted cabinets can have very attractive prices. However, these prices don’t take into account any of the additional work or costs involved in a cabinet replacement. 
For instance, while replacing your cabinets, you might decide that your kitchen is in need of more paint. Perhaps a new backsplash is necessary to complete the overall aesthetic concept of the kitchen renovation. Changes in regional building codes might necessitate large-scale, expensive upgrades for your kitchen’s electrical wiring or plumbing. The cabinet replacement process might also expose a portion of the subfloor that was previously covered by an old cabinet. If this happens, expensive new flooring upgrades will become necessary.
Having a detailed and realistic plan will help you minimize expenses and cope with these troublesome yet foreseeable issues. Cabinet replacement processes cost a minimum of $20,000. However, most homeowners end up paying more than $50,000.
With a budget somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000, cabinet refacing remains a viable option. This is especially true if you don’t intend to change your kitchen’s original layout but you still want to update the style and appearance of your cabinet doors.
However, your budget might be below $10,000. Alternatively, you might have to renovate a large kitchen, but you also want to pay much less than you would for a cabinet replacement or refacing. If this is true, NHance’s cabinet refinishing services are exactly what you need.
Our services vary in prices. However, as a rule, they generally cost a third of the price of a high-end refacing project and less than a fifth of the price of a complete kitchen renovation and cabinet replacement. If you don’t intend to change your kitchen’s layout, NHance’s cabinet refinishing services are the best way to bring your kitchen renovation ideas to life!
Service Locations by Zip Code
Franklin (45005), Harveysburg (45032), Kings Mills (45034), Lebanon (45036), Mainveville (45039), Mason (45040), Oregonia (45054), South Lebanon (45065), Springboro (45066), Waynesville (45068), Morrow (45152), Pleasant Plain (45162), Warren County, Addyston (45001), Cleves (45002), Harrison (45030), Hooven (45033), Miamitown (45041), Mount Saint Joseph (45051), North Bend (45052), Camp Dennison (45111), Terrace Park (45174), Cincinnati (45201), (45202), (45203), (45204), (45205), (45206), (45207), (45208), (45209), (45211), (45212), (45213), (45214), (45215), (45216), (45217), (45218), (45219), (45220), (45221), (45222), (45223), (45224), (45224), (45226), (45227), (45229), (45230), (45231), (45232), (45233), (45234), (45235), (45236), (45237), (45238), (45239), (45240), (45241), (45242), (45243), (45244), (45246), (45247), (45248), (45249), (45250), (45251), (45252), (45253), (45254), (45255), (45258), (45262), (45263), (45264), (45267), (45268), (45269), (45270), (45273), (45274), (45275), (45277), (45280), (45296), (45298), (45299), (45999), Hamilton County, Ohio
