An Affordable Kitchen Upgrade

Whether you’re upgrading to sell your home or you’re just tired of your old, dated kitchen – a kitchen renovation can be a great investment. You can expect to recoup much of your renovation cost at resale and an updated kitchen will make your home more marketable to buyers. If you want to give your kitchen a facelift, but are working with a limited budget, consider cabinet refinishing.

What is cabinet refinishing?

Cabinet refinishing, or cabinet painting is when you keep your original cabinet boxes and refinish the parts that you see, like the panels, doors and drawer fronts. You can do-it-yourself or hire a painting company that offers cabinet painting. If your cabinet boxes are in good shape and you don’t mind the layout, this is a very cost-effective option for your kitchen renovation.

How will cabinet painting save money?

According to studies done by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, your cabinetry and hardware will make up about 30% of your total kitchen renovation cost. Purchasing and installing custom cabinetry can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Though stock kitchens are less expensive, cabinet painting can give you a new kitchen at a fraction of the cost. When you get the cost of the most expensive item on your list, the overall expense becomes a lot more manageable. Cabinet refinishing is a smart choice if you’re renovating on a budget.

What is the return on investment for a kitchen remodel?

Remodeling’s Cost vs. Value report shows that even a minor kitchen remodel can recover 81.1% of it’s cost at resale. Their numbers are based on a kitchen renovation costing over $20,000 where the cabinets were refaced instead of replaced or refinished. Cabinet refacing is when you completely replace your doors, drawer fronts and any exposed panels with new. It’s cheaper than a replacement but still more expensive than cabinet painting. With $20K spent, they estimated a return of $17,000. If you choose to refinish your cabinets instead, you can expect your home to go up in value without having to spend nearly that much to get it there.

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