So your kitchen is looking a little shabby; maybe your cabinets are old and suffering from years of wear and tear, or maybe your cupboards just weren’t designed to hold your pots, pans, and kitchen appliances. Maybe your cabinets aren’t that old at all, but they look cheap and detract from the appeal of your home and the overall look of your kitchen. Whatever the reason, you’re in the market for a cabinet upgrade, but you’re not sure what – you’ve heard of kitchen cabinet resurfacing, but you’re not sure what makes resurfacing kitchen cabinets different from replacing them. Below we lay out the pros, cons, and key differences between resurfacing cabinets and replacing cabinets, so you can figure out which is the best option for your kitchen remodel.

Resurfacing Kitchen Cabinets

If you want to refresh or upgrade the look of your cabinets without the mess and expense of completely gutting your kitchen, kitchen cabinet resurfacing is the way to go. When you resurface kitchen cabinets, you keep the frame of the cabinets intact, only replacing cabinet doors and visible front panels of wood. In certain instances, it’s also possible to add useful organizational tools to your cupboards when you resurface your kitchen cabinets as well, so that you can better store your kitchenware.

Pros of kitchen cabinet resurfacing

  • Less Expense
  • Less Mess
  • Faster Installation

Cons to resurfacing kitchen cabinets

  • Doesn’t fix cabinet structural problems
  • Cabinets must stay in the same place/same size
  • Customizable limitations set by original cabinet framing

Replacing Kitchen Cabinets

If your kitchen cabinets are in need of a serious makeover, replacing your kitchen cabinets might be the option you need. While resurfacing cabinets can solve most problems with kitchen cabinets, only replacing your cabinets will allow you to restructure your kitchen or take care of rotting or damaged wood and frames.

Pros of replacing kitchen cabinets

  • More expansive options for customizing size and structure
  • Total control over look, style, and space efficiency
  • Completely new structures, inside and out

Cons to kitchen cabinet replacement

  • More expensive
  • More Mess
  • Slower installation; more time without a usable kitchen

In most cases, resurfacing kitchen cabinets provides all the same benefits of replacing your kitchen cabinets, at a much more affordable and flexible installation rate. When that’s the case, be sure to check out Thiel’s DuraLam kitchen cabinet resurfacing products to find the perfect fit for your kitchen. And of course, if you decide that kitchen cabinet replacing is the way to go, Thiel’s product line and helpful professionals offer the services and solutions to fit your unique kitchen cabinet needs as well.