Are Old Cabinets Worth Refacing?

Fresh veneer can give old cabinet carcasses in good repair a welcomed facelift.

We have some kitchen cabinets that are 1970s vintage, and they are particle board-covered with some type of veneer that gives them a "walnut" type look. The cabinets are in very good shape, but we just don't like the look. Are they worth refacing? Is it a good idea to take this on or just replace the cabinets?

Tim Inman: Refacing kitchen cabinets can definitely be done, and most often that's accomplished by installing wood veneer and/or thin sheets of veneered plywood over the old cabinet carcasses to spruce up their appearance. Then new cabinet doors and drawer faces are added to match the carcass veneer. In fact, refacing is a major part of some cabinet shops' business.

There are a couple of common-sense precautions you should take. First, be sure the surfaces are clean, dry and grease-/oil-free before you attempt to bond anything to them. Second, remember Rule #1 in veneering: The grains must not run parallel between two adjoining layers, ever! In other words, you don't want to lay a long-grain veneer over a long-grain cabinet part. If you do, I'll guarantee a "glue" failure sooner or later. The solution is easy: add a "crossbanding" layer under your new face veneer to fix the problem. This is super easy to do if you just buy veneer that is already "two-ply" with the crossbanding factory-installed for you. Presto! No worries.