How long should kitchen cabinets last

When To Replace Your Kitchen Cabinets

Your kitchen's appliances and equipment will eventually need to be replaced. After a while, their performance begins to deteriorate along with the lustre of the new equipment. Eventually, you'll have to spend money on replacements or repairs to keep things running well. This applies to kitchen cabinets too.

It's crucial to remember that even if you believe the functioning of your cabinets is intact, there may be underlying issues that could cause your cabinets not to last. Here's everything you need to know about the lifespan of kitchen cabinets.

How Long Do Kitchen Cabinets Last?

High-quality kitchen cabinets may last for up to 30 years if properly maintained. On the other hand, cheaper cabinets often only survive for a fraction of that period. When that happens, you'll definitely need new cabinets! Similarly, if your kitchen cabinets are in bad shape or you want to update the look of your kitchen to reflect the latest trends in interior design or kitchens designed to look modern, it's time to replace them.

Custom kitchen cabinets that are in excellent condition are expected to last for at least 25 years on average if they are of high quality. As a matter of fact, several kitchen cabinet manufacturers provide a 25-year guarantee that their cabinets will survive that long. However, termite or water damage might necessitate the need to replace them.

How Long Should A New Kitchen Last?

For the most part, kitchen remodels that involve everything from new worktops and cabinets to new tiles and flooring are expected to last at least 20-25 years before needing to be replaced. As long as your drawer and cabinet doors are in excellent condition due to adequate care, this is a fair assumption to make. If you don't take care of your new kitchen, it will degrade significantly faster.

Although a new kitchen set should last at least 20 years, you'll probably want to replace kitchen cabinets or update certain sections of the kitchen to keep it looking attractive and current. The most common way to freshen up kitchen cabinets without replacing them is by refacing or refinishing them.

What Is Cabinet Refacing?

When you reface your kitchen cabinets or the cabinet doors, you maintain the current foundation and shelves. Refinishing the external cabinet frames to match the new cabinet doors is an option if your cabinet refacing job calls for a completely different colour for the cabinet doors themselves.

Refacing your kitchen cabinets is a low-cost option to give the kitchen a fresh look. It's possible to make your kitchen cabinets brand new by merely changing the front-facing components if your shelves and cabinet frames are in excellent shape.

What Is Cabinet Refinishing?

Taking off the doors of your old cabinets and refurbishing them to make them look nicer or different is known as cabinet refinishing. If your current cabinets are in decent shape, you can do this. For example, you can sand down your cabinets to remove dirt and blemishes. Afterwards, you can paint them differently and seal them with a varnish to make them look new.

If you like, you can preserve the existing fitting or add new handles and hinges to give the design a more contemporary vibe. Refinishing kitchen cabinets is the cheapest approach to get a new look for your kitchen. With refinishing, a kitchen renovation can be pretty affordable if you are ready to put in the time and effort.

Refinish Or Replace Cabinets: Which Is Cheaper?

Generally speaking, refinishing cabinets rather than replacing them is a more cost-effective option. If you're replacing cabinets, you'll need to purchase new cabinet frames, shelves, fittings, and wall mounts. This is unless you're buying cheap, low-quality cabinetry built from particle board or MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard), which is a massive task that may rapidly become pricey.

Avoid these low-quality cabinets at all costs! Alternatively, you can just replace or refinish the doors of existing cabinets when refinishing or refacing them, giving the cabinets the appearance of being completely new even though they are only changed from the front.

For mouldy, decaying, outdated, or just plain unappealing kitchen cabinet fronts, you can simply reface them with new doors that give the whole room a new look without really doing much work. So, refacing or refinishing cabinets rather than replacing them is almost always less expensive, but you have to do what's best for you!

How Long Does Cabinet Refacing Last?

The average lifespan of a cabinet refacing job is 15-20 years if the cabinetry is built of solid wood and in excellent shape (i.e., the shelves and frames are still extremely sturdy). Solid wood cabinet frames are designed to endure, but it's impossible to tell for sure without inspecting your specific cabinet frames.

To extend your cabinets' life, ensure that the kitchen is well ventilated while you are cooking. Keeping the cabinets clean and applying a polyurethane layer or waterproof veneer if necessary is also essential. Your refaced cabinets will last longer if you spend more time caring for your cabinet frames.

When To Replace Your Kitchen Cabinets

To replace your kitchen cabinets, all you need to do is throw out the old ones and buy new ones! However, how can you tell whether it's time to get new kitchen cabinets? Here are a few tips to assist in replacing kitchen cabinets:

• Cheap materials, such as particleboard or MDF, can only survive for a limited period of time before succumbing to moisture and water damage. Knowing how to fix water-damaged cabinet doors is a good idea.
• As soon as your cabinet frames start decaying or becoming mouldy, you need to eliminate them. Replace everything and start again when the cabinet frames have been damaged.
• You'll need to acquire new cabinets all around if you want to completely redo your kitchen's layout during the redesign. You may be able to reuse your old cabinets, but it all depends on the arrangement and whether or not you still like them.
• Old cabinets may acquire a musty, unpleasant odour over time. In some cases, cleaning will be sufficient to eliminate the scent, but in others, getting rid of them and starting with new ones is the only option.
• Sometimes, you simply don't like your cabinets and want to get rid of them for no apparent reason!

How To Choose Your New Cabinets

The design of your new cabinets, if you're renovating, will be determined by your concept for the new kitchen itself. You may start with shaker-style cabinets if you aren't sure what the rest of your kitchen will look like, but you know you want new cabinets. Clean and straightforward, its design works well with a wide range of themes. There are copious traditional and contemporary designs to pick from if you don't want to completely rebuild the kitchen.

Signs Your Cabinet Is Due For Replacement

Replace your cabinets if you notice any of these indicators:

Water damage

If your cabinets seem bloated, do not close correctly, or have dark colour stains, there may be water damage. Wooden kitchen cabinets are particularly vulnerable to water damage. More moisture, steam, and other potentially harmful factors affect kitchen cabinets than in any other room of your house.

Water can readily destroy wood even if you don't have a leak. As a result, even if they were built simultaneously, kitchen cabinets often need replacement before other types of cabinets in your house. The following are indications that your cabinets have been damaged by water:

• Wilting and bowing of the wood.
• Bubbling inside or outside of the cabinets.
• The external lamination has started to peel away.
• The hue of the wood has begun to darken or alter.
• When you look closely, you can see mould.
• The doors of the cabinets don't open or shut correctly.

First and foremost, determining the source of water penetration into the wood is the most crucial part of dealing with any leakage. Once the leak has been found, it can be properly closed or redirected to prevent it from happening again. The next step is to dry the cabinet thoroughly. If necessary, repairs may be undertaken after the area has dried. Some pieces will need to be replaced, and stains will need to be bleached away; this will take time and money. Be sure that the repair is achievable before beginning this project.

Poor functionality

Another clue that indicates a need to replace rather than repair cabinets is if the overall functionality does not meet your expectations. It is possible that your cabinets need modification if you have to remove goods from the rear of the cabinet to access objects in the back or if the cabinets open up and smash into one another. Even if your cabinets have been refurbished to a high degree of visual appeal, if they do not operate properly, you may want to replace your kitchen cabinets entirely.

Soft structure

Before refacing your cabinets, ensure the wall attachment is in excellent working order. Look inside your cabinets before spending money on cabinet refinishing or door replacement. If there are any signs of mould, mildew, or soft walls, you should remove the cabinets, and the project should be re-started from the ground up. Excessive or continuous water damage may weaken cabinets to the point that they will eventually break apart; therefore, it's critical to check your cabinets regularly.

Replacing Your Kitchen Cabinets

The average lifespan of kitchen cabinets is 10 to 15 years; however, this may vary widely depending on the quality of the construction, the materials used, and your personal preferences. If you decide to replace all of your cabinet doors and drawers, the bill might go into thousands of dollars.

With or without cabinet refacing or a new paint job, the kitchen of your dreams should be appropriately planned to be achieved smoothly. Hiring home improvement companies to beautify and replace your kitchen cabinets is an excellent idea to ensure quality and durability.