We use three different materials for kitchen cabinet refacing—plywood, veneer and laminate. Of course there are different ways to recover the old cabinets, but the basics are very similar—lamination.

Where do we start? We first prepare the surface. If the old cabinets are painted (and this is most often the case), we remove the old paint until we get a clear enough surface to begin the application of glue, a water based contact cement. You can use other types of glue. What is important when you use water based contact cement is that you should not use ammonia based cleaners once the kitchen is remodeled. The ammonia will react with the glue and the effect will not be pleasing.

During the preparation, you need to pay special attention to the areas around the oven and the range hood. Those areas must be cleaned with chemicals like lacquer thinner or some other degreaser which can dissolve the grease build up. This will prepare the surface for gluing and final application. It is not always necessary to remove the old paint. The manufacturers of some veneers and laminates instruct you to prime the surface before gluing the veneer, and what better primer than old, hard paint that has dried with the years.

When we apply the veneer or plywood and prepare the doors for the area immediately surrounding the sink, we need to pay special attention to the finish. The two rules of thumb are: apply strong, durable finish and apply enough material so it can withstand the excessive wear and tear typical for those areas. We usually prepare the plywood/veneer and the doors in our shop before we install them.

In general, there are two major types of kitchen cabinets—the classic American and the European style. In the American style you see openings on both sides between the cabinet doors. In the European style, the whole cabinet frame is hidden. The two styles require different hinges. Typically, the American style cabinets have open (visible from the outside hinges) and the Euro style has hidden (invisible) hinges. Nowadays we can apply both types of hinges to the American style. What you choose is up to your preference.

The drawer fronts are the last among the major applications in the kitchen. The final touches are the installation of door and drawer pulls and new molding. In many cases, the customers decide to keep the old molding and/or pulls to save money. This is not always possible, but if we can, we do it.