Replacement cabinet doors are a popular option for kitchen remodeling projects. But for the average homeowner, replacement kitchen cabinet doors are a significant investment.

So before you go ahead and replace the cabinet doors in your kitchen, you’ll want to make sure that it’s the right choice. Below, we’ve compiled the key information that you should know about replacement cabinet doors. This should give you a strong idea of the benefits and drawbacks of replacement doors, and what you’ll need to keep in mind if you decide to upgrade your cabinets. After that, we recommend contacting your local N-Hance® for more detailed information and a free cabinet door replacement estimate.

Key Information About Replacement Cabinet Doors

As with almost any remodeling project, there are pros and cons to updating your kitchen cabinet doors.

PROS:

  • If your cabinets look outdated, replacement cabinet doors can give them a more modern and stylish appearance.
  • New doors can replace irreversibly damaged ones, such as cabinet doors with large cracks or water damage
  • Replacing your cabinet doors costs significantly less than cabinet replacement, which requires new cabinet boxes.

CONS:

  • Replacing hardwood doors with lower-quality materials may reduce the value and/or longevity of your cabinets.
  • While new doors cost less than completely new cabinets, they cost more than refinishing or recoloring your cabinets.

Refacing vs. Replacing Cabinet Doors

A lot of people think that replacing cabinet doors is the same thing as refacing your cabinets. However, there’s an important difference between replacing and refacing. This difference involves the cabinet boxes, which you’ll need to update to match your new cabinet doors.

When you reface cabinets, the cabinet boxes are covered with a wood or thermofoil veneer. While the results look attractive in the short term, veneers can lower the value of your cabinets. They’re also tricky to repair and difficult to resurface, so you might not be able to reface your cabinets in the future. (You can learn more about refacing with veneers here.)

If you want to replace cabinet doors without refacing, you can do so through your local N-Hance. Our cabinet door replacement service swaps out your old doors for new ones, just like a typical refacing service. But instead of refacing your boxes with veneers, we apply a matching color finish to your replacement cabinet doors and the cabinet box. This way, your new cabinet doors match your old cabinet boxes, but you don’t need to worry about problems related to veneers.

Door Materials

One of the biggest mistakes that homeowners make when replacing cabinet doors is downgrading high-end materials to lower-quality ones. Most often, this involves replacing solid hardwood doors with MDF doors coated in thermofoil veneer.

While replacement cabinet doors made of MDF and thermofoil are much cheaper than hardwood doors, they have much lower long-term value. To start, they degrade quickly and are prone to damage. Worse yet, minor damage can’t be easily restored or repaired.

If you plan to own your home for several more years, replacing your cabinet doors with lower quality materials could create an eyesore in your kitchen. And if you’re remodeling your kitchen with the intention of reselling, MDF and thermofoil cabinets could decrease the value of your home substantially.

Choosing a Style

Most homeowners opt for kitchen cabinet replacement doors when they want a new style of door. Often, this means replacing styles popular in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s with a fresher look.

If you’re thinking about replacement cabinet doors, you’ll want to spend some time looking at widely available styles. Right now, the most popular styles include Shaker-style and flat-front doors, as well as traditional doors with low-key, rectilinear profiles.

Choosing a Color

Replacement cabinet doors give homeowners the chance to update the color scheme of their kitchen cabinets. If you enjoy the look of natural wood, you can opt for a new stain. If you prefer the look of painted cabinets, you can choose a custom color finish for your new cabinet doors. At N-Hance, our custom color finishes include options for glazed, antique, and torched finishes.

Learn more about our replacement cabinet door services and request a FREE estimate by calling N-Hance today at (855) 642-6230.