I usually post on Breaktime. Hi!
I’ve been kicking around the idea of refacing kitchens, professionally. I’ve got a source for cabinet doors and a great finisher subcontractor for the doors. He’s awesome.
What sort of finish would you recommend for the face-frames, in the client’s house? I don’t think spraying catalyzed lacquer is an option for odour/explosive reasons. The doors, of course, could be done in a booth.
Thoughts?
Replies
Biff,
A wipe-on polyurethane might be a thought. It is easy to apply with a brush and cloth, odor isn't horrific, and over spray isn't a factor. Also it dries reasonably well and is easy to repair because there isn't much of a build-up because it is thinned down to be absorbed into the wood. Hope this helps.
Sean
Right on! I wasn't sure if polyurethane was a good option in terms of durability. . . I don't know jack about finishes.
Biff,
Like most things, the idea is simple but in practice it's a whole other story. If you want to do this professionally you're quickly going to encounter not just face frames but cabinet ends, the underside of upper cabinets, the ends of work islands and so on. These have to match the new doors perfectly, which means doing them in the same manner and materials as the doors, in the clients' house. Just to make matters worse, you're going to run into varying existing conditions that you will need to paint over. Some will need to be sanded or even removed, some will not necessarily accept the topcoat that you had in mind.
I'd say that there's probably a good market niche for this kind of kitchen redo, BUT, you're going to have to have a serious on-site set up to mask the walls etc, Festool sander with DC attachment, seal off the kitchen while spraying, exhaust the vapors to the outside, and so on. You also must learn how to recognize what the existing finish is and whether your system is feasible. In order not to lose your shirt there will be jobs that you will need to walk away from.
In short, it's a whole business, and you either jump in with both feet or don't bother.
BTW, my shop makes kitchen cabinets all day every day. We won't touch a redo 'cause we're not set up for it.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
BTW, my shop makes kitchen cabinets all day every day. We won't touch a redo 'cause we're not set up for it.
Ditto here. David is right - you could be breaking off a lot more than you could chew if you aren't prepared for the worst. Not to mention, with the labor involved you could build the cabinets from scratch 9 times out of 10 for close to what you should charge for a refacing.
Look at it like this: Your doors and drawer fronts will be the most expensive purchase. You will buy these whether you reface or replace.
You will need veneer to recover the face frames. I would venture to say with a decent pocket hole machine I could build the face frames quicker than you could reface when you factor in trimming the veneer, prepping the surface, etc.
On top of all of that, after you reface the cabinets the customer will still have the crusty, roach-turd stained cabinet interiors when they open your nice new doors and look in the cabinets. Not to mention, the drawer slides from 20-30 years ago were not so great, quality-wise. Will you replace them, or re-use the existing drawers and slides?
I guess I am biased because I build from scratch, but the whole refacing idea seems like a waste of time and money for a half decent job.
In any event, good luck if you decide to go for it.
Lee
It's a niche. There's a small market segment of people who simply will not live through a full kitchen remodel. I used to work for a kitchen remodeling company (out of business now), which is how I've come to form this impression. My former bosses hated the idea of refacing, because the client is not only stuck with old cabinets, but the existing layout, which could be improved. And 95% of clients would be better served by a full replacement, no question. If they're up for it.I think I'd like to stay away from spraying in the client's house, which means no cat lacquers or NGR stains. I dunno. Oh, and I know that this service won't be cheap.
Edited 6/15/2008 2:01 pm ET by Biff_Loman
Biff,
Sorry to be negative, but I completely agree with David and Lee.
Customers desiring refacing are usually looking for the least expensive way to make their tired, worn-out kitchens look like brand new work. They will drive you crazy with demands, and be unwilling to adequately pay for what will turn out to be a very labor-intensive job for you.
They will be critical of your work for reasons completely outside your ability to control..
There's a good expression that applies to this kind of thing, "You can't shine sh*t!
Rich
Somewhere, (maybe a Rockler catalog), I saw prefinished wood veneers, in 24X96 sizes, with pressure sensitive adhesive, that was made just for doing kitchen refacings. The same place had matching drawer fronts, and doors available.
A google search for "prefinished psa veneer" turns up quite a few results. One "Tape-Ease" has a broad selection of prefinished psa veneers, and prefinished thin plywoods, (1/4 and 1/8-inch), that would work well for reskniing cabinets. They also have a sample book available with samples of the finished veneers that you could show potential customers, so they would know what the wood would look like. You could also show the same samples to whoever you have do the faces and doors, so they could match the finish.
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