DIY Bathroom Cabinet Refacing Made Easy

Jan 9, 2012 by Frank Scherer

Bathroom cabinet refacing is becoming very popular in recent years and there’s a few good reasons for this new trend. The availability of information on the Internet is for sure one of them as more people are discovering this new option. That they don’t have to pay to have their cabinets replaced but rather that they can have them refaced instead for a huge savings.

Changing trends in housing sales are also for sure another contributing factor. That is that the days are long gone when a homeowner can rely on natural inflation to run up the value of a home when it comes time to sell. Instead more property investors now are coming to realize that if they want to see a profit when they sell, they’re going to have to roll up their sleeves and do some upgrades.

Rule #1 In Bathroom Cabinet Refacing

So rule number one for bathroom cabinet refacing, a rule that far too many people lose track of when they’re doing home improvements, is that it has to be economically sound. That is that in the end, when the cost is added up it to has to be worth it. It has to add to the value of your property at least as much as, and preferably more than what you put into the project.

Also don’t forget that you always have the option of buying new cabinets, and this is something that’s easy to lose track of if you contract the work out. So a simple suggestion here would be that you spend a fair amount of time looking at new cabinets before you start in on a bathroom cabinet refacing job. A new cabinet might be more expensive but it will be new, and it’s a heck of a lot cleaner and easier.

The Straight Scoop On Easy Stick Down Veneer

Now there are some do-it-yourself, easy stick down veneer products available now. Products that can look tempting. However, be aware that photographs are one thing but the reality of your final results is what truly matters. What I’m getting to here, is that you just can’t expect professional results that have true longevity from a thin veneer tape that you simply peel and stick.

Then another thing to keep in mind here, is that a new veneer finish also requires a hard clear coat, and you can’t get professional looking results by brushing on a clear coat finish. It has to be sprayed on, and this means that you will need a sprayer, and a compressor to power it. Then even when you do use a compressor and sprayer, it requires a certain level of expertise for a professional looking finish.

Go With Paint For The Best DIY Results

So this is why I advise the average do-it-yourselfer who’s intent on completing the project all by themselves to think in terms of paint when they’re considering bathroom cabinet refacing. A good quality paint job looks great, and it will stand up to the moist environment in a bathroom. Also you don’t need to be an expert to lay down a good quality paint job. All that’s required is that you familiarize yourself with the basic fundamentals.

For instance high quality brushes deliver high quality results. Cheaper brushes are made with lower grade fiber that leaves brush marks, and they also shed when you’re painting. The problem that most beginners face though, is that they’re tempted by the lower price of low quality brushes. A smaller economy brush that can cost as little a one tenth the amount of an equal sized quality brush. You also have to decide between latex or enamel paint and the folks at diynetwork.com can give you some input on that.

Go With Quality Brushes And Quality Paint

Use the best quality paint available when you shop as well, and don’t be fooled by any products that are advertised as being “one coat”. Yes you can get by with one coat paint on a textured sheet rock wall or on the exterior of your home but they just don’t produce optimal results on interior finish work. They’re thicker, and because of this more inclined to leave brushstrokes.

So step one, is to remove the cabinet doors, and drawers along with any hardware, and that also includes hinges, handles, and knobs. Now you can leave the doors on if you want to but it’s difficult to get through the job without getting paint on the hinges. Also with the doors off you’ll have free access to all areas of the cabinet face.

After this has been done you then have the option of having new doors and drawer faces made but this will of course drive the cost of your project up. Even so, it has become a more affordable prospect in recent years due to online venues that offer cut-rate deals on made to order cabinet doors, and new drawers with new faces.

If your short on ideas for color schemes visit where you can brows through loads of pics of creative cabinet refacing work done with creative painting techniques.

Mask Off Well For Drips And Splatters

“Wipe deglosser on all the cabinet surfaces with a lint-free cloth. Deglosser cleans the surface completely by eliminating all oily residue and waxy build-up. The deglosser raises the grain of the wood, so sand rough spots smooth with a 220-grit sandpaper”.

Then step two is to mask off anything that you don’t want to get paint drips, and splatters on in the area that you’ll be working. Make sure that the floor is covered well with a plastic tarp and there’s something that you want to keep in mind here.

That is that if you drip paint on your floor, and it will happen, and then you step in it you can end up tracking paint around your home.

So pick up a couple pairs of flip-flops that you can step in and out of as you leave bathroom during the job. Or you can check online or locally at a paint supply outlet for a few pairs disposable painter shoe coverings. But either way, no matter what you use, be aware of how just easy it is to end up with paint tracked around your home if you’re not careful.

New Knobs And Handles For A New Look

A beautiful kitchen can be the most attractive aspect of a home, but renovating it can prove to be costly. However, you can beautify your kitchen’s focal point, and as such, transform your kitchen into a thing of beauty without breaking the bank. How? By replacing your existing, worn-out, tired and aged cabinets.

Then another nice thing about painting that you probably haven’t considered, is that it completely frees you up to go with any new style of handles, and knobs you want. You see, if you have a bare wood finish that you’re refinishing you can’t fill in the old holes and go with a different sized handle because you’ll be confined to whatever fits the holes you have.

However, when you paint you’re free to the fill in, sand flush and then paint them, then buy a completely different size and style of door handle, and simply drill new holes to accommodate it. You won’t believe the huge difference a brand-new set of door handles, and door knobs can make in a bathroom cabinet refacing job.

The Time For A New Sink And Fixtures

Then while the prospect of installing a new sink with new fixtures, and maybe even a new counter-top on a bathroom cabinet refacing job may seem like a daunting prospect, in all actuality each of them is really one of the easiest tasks to be performed. It’s a simple matter of ordering up a counter-top to the right specifications and then setting it into place. Most of the time all that’s required is some type of adhesive or a few screws

Take a good look underneath at the bottom side of the sink that you currently have in your cabinet and you see that it’s just a few simple flanges, and screws securing it place. Then the final stage is hooking up water lines to the faucet or faucets, and connecting up the waste-water drainage line. You can find all the parts for this task at your local hardware store. It’s easy to do.

The Bottom Line

So the bottom line here, is that you can do your own bathroom cabinet refacing job, and achieve professional looking results just as long as you understand your limitations and work within them. Work with what you have, and understand that just because you go with a clear coated hardwood finish doesn’t mean that you’ll end up with fantastic looking cabinets when you’re done.