Kitchen cabinet refacing: what is worth keeping?

Inspect the parts the new fronts will hide

Empty each cabinet and record its condition individually. Look around the sink, along bottom edges and beside appliances. Note swollen panels, loose joints, damaged fixing points and doors that hang unevenly. Photograph defects before discussing finishes. If moisture is present, establish and resolve its cause before approving cosmetic work around it.

Open drawers with their normal contents inside and describe any rubbing or movement. Ask the installer to assess questionable cabinet fixings; do not stress test a loose unit yourself. Classify each box as retain, investigate or replace. This makes a mixed solution possible and prevents one damaged cabinet from disappearing inside a general description of “refacing”.

Source: IKEA · Kitchen support, fixing and fitting guidance

Define what a change of fronts includes

List doors, drawer fronts, exposed ends, filler pieces, plinths and any visible underside. Stand in the doorway and at the dining table to see which surfaces remain on show. A new finish may look coherent from the front but leave an old cabinet side visible beside the fridge.

Decide separately whether to keep the worktop, sink and appliances. Ask how any replaced cabinet can be removed without assuming the existing worktop will survive untouched. If plumbing or appliances need disconnection, identify that work in the proposal. Refacing has a clearer scope when “retain” means a named component in a known condition.

Source: IKEA · Kitchen support, fixing and fitting guidance

Compare three levels of intervention

Use the same list of faults and desired changes for every option. Otherwise one proposal can appear less expensive simply because it leaves a sticking drawer or exposed panel unresolved. Ask each supplier to show the exclusions as carefully as the included parts.

Changing the entire kitchen may be reasonable when its arrangement is the main problem. Equally, replacing sound boxes solely to obtain a new colour may add work you do not need. The appropriate scope follows the inspection and your use of the room; there is no useful universal percentage saving.

Confirm the whole door and hardware combination

Label each opening and record the existing front dimensions, thickness, hinge positions and handle holes. Ask the supplier to verify the hinge model and the way the door covers the cabinet edge. Similar looking hinges are not proof of interchangeability. Keep a labelled original front until the replacement has been approved.

Blum bases hinge quantity on door weight and height. Have the supplier verify the new combination rather than copying the old hinge count. Drawer fronts and integrated appliance panels need their own attachment checks. Confirm that the new front, allowing for its thickness, handle and opening movement, will not hit adjacent fronts, walls or the dishwasher plinth.

Source: Blum · Door weight and hinge selection · Blum · Hinge planning and front compatibility

Approve a sample at an awkward location

Choose a test position that exposes a real risk, such as a corner, a wall end or the dishwasher. Fit a representative front with the proposed hardware before approving the full batch. Open the adjacent parts in the combinations you use. Check alignment with the surrounding fronts and whether the adjustment range can accommodate the existing boxes.

View the finish upright in daytime and under your evening lighting. Compare its edge, rear face and handle area, not just the centre of a sample square. Ask for the specific cleaning instructions and try permitted cleaning on a sample. For refinishing, require a preparation and coating plan appropriate to the identified surface.

Order from an inventory, not a general description

In a hypothetical kitchen, eight doors, four drawer fronts and two exposed end panels mean fourteen visible pieces to specify. The plinth, filler pieces, handles and fittings remain additional items. This is a counting example, not a typical kitchen or a cost estimate. Number every piece on a simple elevation and connect it to the quotation.

Ask the proposal to identify measuring responsibility, removal, installation, adjustment, protection and disposal. Include the response if a hidden defect prevents reuse. Agree how long the kitchen will be unavailable and which parts can stay in use. At handover, check every numbered piece, opening and finish; retain product references for future replacements.