Replies

1. 
   ring | Apr 14, 2008 01:51pm | #1

   Gerald,

   I should say right off that my shop has learned never to accept such jobs.

   But even if I wanted to do it, there's some things that don't add up. First off, preserving the hinges is not even a factor in deciding how to go about the job. Unless they are valuable antique hinges, and even then they could be reused on new doors. Second, you didn't say what kind of doors they are, but anything more or less standard would definitely be quicker and cheaper to remake from scratch rather than to refinish. Again, unless the doors are very complex frame and arched panel, or some such.

   The on-site part of the job is the hardest. Without even seeing the kitchen I'd guess that you'd need 2 guys in the house for 4-5 days just to do that part of the job. The price would depend on what the market in your area will bear. I'm not even gonna guess.

   I can tell you that if I had to price it it would come to more than half of what an entirely new kitchen would cost. Toss the ball back into the client's court.

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

2. 
   YesMaam27577 | Apr 14, 2008 03:50pm | #2

   If the doors or drawer fronts are frame and panel construction, effective refinishing is difficult. In most cases, you'll need to disassemble the frames to remove the old finish from the edges of the panels.

   Which means to me that refinishing an old door would cost more than building and installing a new one.

   On another point.......

   In addition to the hours, materials and supplies, projects like this one carry risk. If you accept the job (refinishing the cabs and doors) and then one of the door frames gets broken, what happens and who pays. How will you find old-growth teak that matches the grain and patina?

   Your price should reflect your acceptance of the risk, as well as your acceptance of the tasks involved.

   Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.

3. 
   boschvaark | Apr 14, 2008 10:13pm | #3

   Hmmm...

   Having recently gone through something like this, I'd have to say don't bid it. Offer to do the job on a T&M basis, since you've never taken on a project like this. I agree with the other poster who said that the hinges have nothing to do with it. I agree.
   The job I did replaced all the hinges, but kept and refaced the doors because the cabinets had been poorly built, and then the doors built to match. Given the owner's hesitation about keeping the house at all, we deemed this cheaper and more sensible than replacing the cabinets (old plaster walls which would have turned to dust, getting the job done between renters, etc.).

   Are the cabinet faces to be redone in some way? Are they currently painted or varnished? I found the only way do the job (mine was painting) was to remove the doors. The "refinish" on the frames was a wet-sand & repaint.

   Tell us more, but I still say Don't Bid. If the client really wants you to do it, because they know you, they should be willing to share some risk by going T&M. Meet them halfway by charging your lowest per hour rate?

1. 
   Imperium | Apr 14, 2008 11:26pm | #4

   The doors right now are just flat plywood with teak veneer and edge banding. The hinges are the invisible type that screw to the top and bottom. 30 years old.

   The orginal handles are pocketed into the face and will need filling as they want to replace the hardware.

   I can really see now that this is a big job. I don't the clients so I won't feel bad by saying no.

   The faces of the cabinets and valances are varnished and are built in. In no way modular like today's cabinets.

   I think they want to keep this job cheap, but they will be in for a surprise. Cheap and good don't get combined to well.

   Thanks for the advice..Glad to hear more.

   Cheers

   Gerald

1. 
   Hal123 | Apr 15, 2008 02:42am | #5

   Let me relate a similar project, my kitchen. It has 26 doors and 18 drawers. All ash frame and panel with arched tops and bottoms circa 1979. They were finished in the typical Very dark brown which was vogue at that time. Later they had been painted with two coats of enamel.

   Well, I let the wife talk me into stripping all of it down to the original stain on the cabinets and taking all of the doors and drawers completely down to bare ash. This is where the nightmare began.

   Nearly year later the project was completed working nights and weekends. Keep in mind a kitchen can not shut down, even a clients kitchen.

   I changed the color of the base cabinets with a gel stain with Minwax Polyshades over it to get a cheery/mahogany color and the doors and drawers are natural. Thanks HGTV.

   Anyway, everyday stripper works well but you will need to do at least a two coat strip. I could not get stain out of the door panels so I simply routed them all out and replaced them with 1/4" birch. Worked great.

   In your case it seems building new doors offsite with veneer would be the most expedient using the old hinges.

   If you do plan to take this on triple your worst nightmare price and you may break even.

   Also be sure to finish anything in the kitchen as you go. It is amazing how much film gets in the air even if you don't fry in the house.