1. Decide on the refacing kit you want. Look online and at a home-improvement store at all the styles available,there are hundreds. Decide whether you want to use plywood or a self-adhesive covering for the end panels and frames of your cabinets,you will have to glue the plywood on, while the covering is a thin sheet of wood or laminate that you can just stick on to the frame.
2. Measure and sketch your cabinets. Draw the layout and label things to ensure that you know where your measurements go. Measure the cabinet doors and the drawer fronts with a tape measure, recording them on the diagram you drew.
3. Remove the doors, drawer fronts and hardware with a screwdriver. Save the hinges and hardware with their screws in a safe place. Hand-sand all the surfaces of the cabinet box and end panels with nothing more than 150-grit sandpaper. Do not use a power sander,it will remove too much of the wood. You are simply scuffing the surface to allow the new plywood or self-adhesive covering to stick better. Then, take a tack cloth and clean the dust off the surface, following up with some warm, soapy water.
4. Beginning with the end panels, make a zig-zag pattern with wood glue and press the new surface into it. Press down on all the corners and then the center, wiping away any glue that comes out. Secure the panel with finishing nails at each corner and then every 8 inches down the sides.
5. Apply the new surface to the fronts of the cabinet boxes. Cut strips out of the material you choose that are a half-inch wider and two inches longer than the stiles and rails of your cabinets. Peel off the backing and line it up before pressing it down onto the cabinet. Once you have adhered all the pieces, cut the excess with a utility knife and a straight edge. Use your sandpaper to smooth out the edge of the trimmed veneer and use a scraper to apply pressure on the new surface from the top down. Do this to each cabinet, one at a time.
6. Then, replace the hardware. If you are using the same stuff you had before, just reattach it in the existing holes. If you want new hardware, take one of the old pieces to the store with you to compare sizes.
7. Reattach the door and drawer fronts by following the instructions that come with the materials. Never put new hinges back into the original hinge holes that are below the new veneer surface,instead, drill new holes two inches from the top and bottom of the doors.
8. Redo the doors and drawers however you choose. Here you can get creative, either using the same veneer that you did the rest of the cabinets with, or adding plastic, tile or glass to make your own design.
In just a weekend, you can completely change your kitchen's look by updating the cabinets. Doing it yourself is a cheap and easy alternative to what can quickly jack up the price of your kitchen remodel, so get started!
