Whether you can reface the cabinets or not depends on their construction materials. If they are made of medium density particle board covered with a paper or plastic laminate, hang them on the wall of your garage. If they are a plywood box, with solid hardwood face frames, they can be refinished. Heat activated, self adhesive wood strips are available in most types of woods, that should match the doors you purchase. These will be used to cover the face frames and shelf edges. The ends of the cabinets (boxes) are more problematic. If the ends are darker than your new doors, it is almost impossible to refinish a stained wood to a matching lighter colour. To try to sand off the old finish, usually results in abrading the outer thin layer of the plywood, and penetrating into the different secondary woods. A good stain will usually almost penetrate the outer skin's thickness, and cannot be removed with strippers. Most light coloured transparent wood stains, will not lighten a darker stain. Larger matching veneer sheets are sold, that are also self adhering. These will require a final finish and some knowledge of veneer applications. Your only other recourse is to paint the cabinets. The actual time to change doors, reface the face frames and refinish each of the cabinets can be considerable. You need a heated, dust free environment and a practical knowledge of wood finishes and some basic hand tools. It might be easier to go to a big box store and buy new cabinets. Ready made cabinets are available in an assortment of woods at fairly reasonable prices. I make cabinets, and yet I have been to these stores on occasions, buying their products. With time and materials costs, sometimes it is not worth your time to build your own, unless it's a custom size. I would not categorize the refinishing of a cabinet as being easy. While not being physically demanding, each one will take some hours to complete. An adequate workspace is necessary, along with an assortment of tools and various refinishing materials. If you have the time and patience, the job can be rewarding to accomplish. Gard
Edited by gard 2008-04-11 10:27 PM
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