Since you guys gave me good advice on the bath, a kitchen question

[sbj405]

My house has the original cabinets. I've repainted and gotten new pulls, but some of them are warped. I'm contemplating new cabinet doors and drawers, a new counter and sink as a low cost kitchen refresh. New cabinets seem out of range due to cost and also the fact that they are much larger than my little ole 1940's space.

Anyone done this? Tips?

[Warpy]

1. Refacing is generally the best bang for the buck

although refacing old stick-built cabinets can be a little problematic since none of the door sizes will exactly match. Some doors will need to be cut down. Some may need to be customized.

I hope you mean the doors are warped. If the frames are warped, you'll need to replace the warped parts before you reface or the new doors won't close and they'll look like crap.

My folks refaced the 1963 cabinets in their kitchen with formica covered doors and ended up with a really sharp looking kitchen, one that still holds up fairly well if you ignore the almond coloured electric stove and fridge, another of those "what were they thinking?" decorating touches. The cabinets and countertops are white.

Even if you have to spring for custom sized doors on a few of your cabinets, it's still generally cheaper than getting new cabinets installed.

Even the old frames can be refaced with veneer before the new doors are put on.

[sbj405]

2. Yes, the doors are warped. Frames seem to be in good shape

I found some online places to order doors and drawer fronts. It's ~$10 sq/ft which is a few hundred dollars. I think it would make a difference in my kitchen.