Cost of Kitchen Cabinets?

[LostinVA]

I've moved into a new house, whose original owner left the kitchen decorated with the cheapest, ugliest kitchen cabinets in existence. What do new ones cost? And where to get them??? I'm not talking top-of-the-line Kraftmaid, but something decent. I don't have a great deal of extra money right now. There are no discount cabinet places around here, just Lowe's and *eek* Home Depot. Ow would it be cheaper just to paint (if the cheap things take paint) and reface them, and put on some new hardware?

HGTV addicts, help!

[kikiek]

1. Look under the local yellow pages for cabinetry..use a local comapany

and keep em employed! Might cost a bit more, but I think the quality will be better. That is true where I live at least.

[girl gone mad]

2. I'm sure it would be cheaper to paint...

but you can get new ones at Lowes.

New hardware can make a big difference, and you can get that at Lowes, too.

I can't give you a good estimate, but I don't think you'd have a problem finding something nice in your budget.

[LostinVA]

5. Lowe's and IKEA has nice, cheap hardware

So, I was thinking of that, too, if we have to paint. Thanks!

[liberal N proud]

3. Watch for some independent cabinet maker to run a clearance

special.
We ran into a similar problem.
We had to connect to the sewer when the housing development across the street was developed. So we got quotes for the sewer and for a new kitchen, we quoted Kraft-maid. Then we got financing to do both jobs.
The city changed the specification on the sewer between the time we got the quote and financing which left us very short on funds for the kitchen.
We were lucky to find a cabinet maker who was clearing out old stock.
I took my floor plan with me when we visited his shop and although we did not get all the cabinets we wanted we were able to get inexpensive quality Oak faced cabinets.
Look in the news paper ads and coupon books for shops.

[LostinVA]

4. Good idea, thanks!

[youthere]

6. We just did a kitchen remodel...

and trust me...new cabinets are expensive...I mean really REALLY expensive. Check into refacing the cabinets and then purchasing new fronts for the existing cabinets..still expensive but not as much as all new cabinets.

You can also paint and add new hardware as other posters suggest. Just talk to someone at Home Depot's paint department (and bring in a door from your cabinets!) and they will help you find the right materials to prep them for painting.

If you have your heart set on brand new cabinets. you may want to check into RTA cabinetry (ready to assemble). Often they are nice cabinet out of quality material...you just have to put it together. (Available at Lowe's or Home Depot-or check onliine)

It sounds like painting might be your best option.
You might also think about (depending on the style of your kitchen) removing the doors entirely and replaing with country style curtains or some other pretty fabric. Good Luck

[Gormy Cuss]

7. Paint them and change out the hardware

Unless you have a massive kitchen it will cost under $200 even with some very nice hardware. I redid my '70s vintage cabinets and most visitors think they're new because of the updated hardware.

You will need to give the cabinets a thorough cleaning with a degreasing cleaner, lightly sand them and use a good quality primer before topcoating. Use a kitchen formula paint or any semi-gloss for durability. Expect to put on two coats of "one coat" paint. Two thinner coats of paint give a better finish than one thick one IMHO.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

9. We did that with a bathroom vanity...

We had to prime it with something (I forget what) before we painted. But it covered very well. Throw in some new hardware and you've got a new look for very little.

If you're wanting a natural wood or veneer, however, I'm afraid you're SOL.

[supernova]

8. If you have anything like a thrift store

or building materials recycling place, you can consider looking there too. They do have cabinets some times. We have a Habitat for Humanity surplus store here. It's really for donated items for HH houses, big ticket stuff like bathtubs, curtain rods, and cabinets.

Though the selection might be limited. It's a long shot, but hey.

[colinmom71]

10. If you're handy and willing to try to do most of the work yourself...

Look at the Mill's Pride line of cabinetry. This is a relatively easy to assemble semi-custom cabinet line. They keep the costs down by being self-assembled on site and using a limited range of woods and finishes. Sold mostly through Home Depot I do believe, you can take a look at these in person there. HD also keeps stacks of the manufacturer's supplied planning grids to plan your kitchen layout and estimate your costs... http://www.millspride.com/

We recently opened up a mud room and pantry in our house and wound up more than *doubling* our kitchen's square footage to about 240 sq. ft. of space that will recieve new cabinets. We're still trying to decide what cabinets and floor finishes we want, but replacing all our current cabinets with a reconfigured design (uppers and lowers) and adding about the same amount of cabinetry in the new space for storage (mostly lowers and a few uppers), a planning desk, new pantry, and coat/shoes storage will cost us just over $3200 for the maple Hartford. The Sherwood oak was about $400 less IIRC.

But as for your cheapest solution (if your cabinets aren't in rough condition), yeah painting/refacing and new hardware are going to be your cheapest option. If your cabinets are melamine/laminate, you'll need to buy a special paint that covers laminate or melamine surfaces but you can still customize the color just like any paint. Wood cabinets will need to be stripped (if painted) and sanded down, then primed before painting...

In all honesty, unless the kitchen isn't meeting your storage needs or the cabinets are in such rough shape that only replacing them will help, I see no reason to not go with just painting and new hardware. It's a bit of work, but you will save a good chunk of change and improve your kitchen's look... Adding a new laminate countertop could also be an extra expense that you can justify from the money you'd save by painting, should you decide the current countertops don't match the look you'd like to have...

Here a couple of links on refinishing a kitchen...

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/kitchen/article/0,16417,202424,00.html (a long article discussing the pros-cons to painting versus replacing)

http://doityourself.com/paint/paintkitchencabinets.htm (a simpler explaination with a list of materials you'll need...)

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hk_cabinets_counters/article/0,2037,DIY_13942_2276151,00.html (another shorter how-to article)

Best of luck, and I hope you enjoy your new kitchen when it's done!

[ProfessorGAC]

11. We Just Bought New Ones

But, because we lived with your situation for 16 years, we went big time when we replaced. But, there are two things that you could do as an alternative.

You can do a full sand, buff and paint, then sponge paint after it's dry. We did that. Painted everything a soft gray, then sponged ivory over it. We put some "fancy" but not expensive hardware on them. They looked 10x better, didn't show dirt or fingerprints, and were easy to maintain.

Since there wasn't enough cabinet space, we did full replacement, but we looked into option 2.

Sears, on a national basis (they have an 800 number) offers a venier refacing. They come in, measure everything, cut real wood in super thin sheets and then replace every visible area with the new wood. It only takes a day!

My friend did this about 3 years ago. It looked like a different kitchen, and they hadn't even painted and papered yet!

IIRC, they paid under $1000 for this. It's more expensive than painting, but a lot cheaper than new cabinets. (We know how expensive replacements are, now!)
The Professor