Our kitchen is old, ugly, and our-dated and need updated terribly.
Unfortunately, I have a kid that just started college and another that
will be starting next year, so money is going to be at a premium.

I am looking into possibly refacing the existing cabinets but I don't
know:
(a) if I can reface them since they have some sort of covering on
them that makes them look like (fake) oak.
(b) if they are even worth refacing.

The covering is some sort or plastic-like covering; almost like a huge
piece of tape that is extremely thick and durable. (I will say this:
the cabinet are 25+ years old and absolutely none of this crap has
peeled off or worn off.) This crap is very, well, slippery and I
don't know if contact cement would even hold, would it?

Also, the cabinets are made of junk particle board. They are
reasonably sturdy still although all of the shelves and such will need
replaced, too. Are these even worth refacing if I could?

If I do this, I plan on buying new drawer fronts and doors off the
Internet and veneering the exposed area to match them. Nothing fancy,
just to spruce it up a little bit. But I fear this will be almost as
much as installing new, cheap cabinets. The only thing I really save
is that I don't need to rip out the old ones and install the new
ones. I guess that is a little bit of a trade off but I don't know.

Finally, one big thing that is holding me back is that there is a HUGE
blind corner in there now. There is a single door into the blind
corner cabinet which extends at least 30-36 inches to the right of the
door opening and it is REALLY hard to get to the back of this darn
thing. There is a door on the cabinet immediately to the right of
this one--the doors are perpendicular to each other. The biggest
problem is that each door is only about 8 1/2" wide!!! the face
frames are fairly wide on both of these door openings.

Can I do something to help remedy this situation? I guess I could
hack the frames to widen them, especially on the blind cabinet door.
Or I can possibly get rid of the entire inside corner and install one
of those doors that encompasses two doors with a hinge in the middle
of the doors (but I don't think that would be that easy). Or I can
maybe hack the inside of the cabinet next to the blind corner so you
can reach thru there, too. Or a combination of any or all of these.
Or NONE of them!

Any suggestions are extremely welcome.

Thanks!

On 2/7/2012 11:05 AM, busbus wrote:

Any suggestions are extremely welcome.

Tough to offer advice without being able to see the situation in person.

You are correct in that changing/refacing the doors and drawer fronts
will give you a new look.

There are company's who specialize in doing just this who would be able
to give you better advice than coming from sight unseen ... and would
most likely give you a bid free of charge to do so.

My suggestion is to do that first. Once you have done do, then you can
consider other options from a firmer ground.

As far as the blind corner cabinet, the solutions are somewhat limited
to lazy susans and pullouts ... and it's pretty difficult to effect a
custom solution with an existing corner cabinet that is less expensive
and equally as effective as most store bought solutions.

That said, take a look at this:

http://www.kornerking.com/Default.asp

This guy is on G+ and there has been a bit of banter back and forth
about it being a good solution. AAMOF, I've been thinking about
incorporating it into the next kitchen we do just to give a try.


--
www.eWoodShop.com
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)
http://gplus.to/eWoodShop

On Feb 7, 12:34*pm, Swingman wrote:

As far as the blind corner cabinet, the solutions are somewhat limited
to lazy susans and pullouts ... and it's pretty difficult to effect a
custom solution with an existing corner cabinet that is less expensive
and equally as effective as most store bought solutions.

That said, take a look at this:

http://www.kornerking.com/Default.asp

This guy is on G+ and there has been a bit of banter back and forth
about it being a good solution. AAMOF, I've been thinking about
incorporating it into the next kitchen we do just to give a try.


Wow, those may be the best solutions I have seen yet. However, I
would need to do a lot of retrofitting to make this work if I kept my
cabinets. Who know? Maybe it would be nigh on impossible!

Swingman, I have read a ton of your posts and I value your opinion a
lot. I understand what you are saying about getting a company to come
in and take a look at the cabinets. What would stop any of them from
saying, "Yeah. I can do that. No problem." and yet have it not be
worth it?

I guess what I should do is also price out a set of cheap-o cabinets
that will last maybe 5-8 years or so butt hen I feel like I am buying
twice. Of course, if it is cheaper to get the cheap-o cabinets than
it will be to reface and replace the drawer/door fronts, I need to
consider it as a viable alternative.

On 2/7/2012 12:19 PM, busbus wrote:
On Feb 7, 12:34 pm, wrote:

As far as the blind corner cabinet, the solutions are somewhat limited
to lazy susans and pullouts ... and it's pretty difficult to effect a
custom solution with an existing corner cabinet that is less expensive
and equally as effective as most store bought solutions.

That said, take a look at this:

http://www.kornerking.com/Default.asp

This guy is on G+ and there has been a bit of banter back and forth
about it being a good solution. AAMOF, I've been thinking about
incorporating it into the next kitchen we do just to give a try.


Wow, those may be the best solutions I have seen yet. However, I
would need to do a lot of retrofitting to make this work if I kept my
cabinets. Who know? Maybe it would be nigh on impossible!

Swingman, I have read a ton of your posts and I value your opinion a
lot. I understand what you are saying about getting a company to come
in and take a look at the cabinets. What would stop any of them from
saying, "Yeah. I can do that. No problem." and yet have it not be
worth it?

Get references with the bid(s) (get more than one), and call ALL the
references ... that is a practice that works.

You got an AngiesList for your area? Great source for all kind of
contract work.


I guess what I should do is also price out a set of cheap-o cabinets
that will last maybe 5-8 years or so butt hen I feel like I am buying
twice. Of course, if it is cheaper to get the cheap-o cabinets than
it will be to reface and replace the drawer/door fronts, I need to
consider it as a viable alternative.

I'm serious about getting the refinish bids _first_. Just going through
that process will get you more hands on, professional advice about the
current state of your cabinets, and what can/should be done with them
cost effectively, than you can get anywhere, including here ... and is
almost always FREE!

Only after you have done that, and from the information gathered in that
process, will you have a realistic idea of other options to pursue, and
a bit more knowledge to know whether someone is attempting to pull the
wool over your eyes.

Any way, check out AngiesList ... highly recommended. Even as general
contractor, I often use it locally to both check out references, and to
find folks who are doing the best work. (AAMOG, I used AL this morning
to get another bid on window cleaning (and did a handshake deal with the
service based on their reviews and price bid before the guy left the
property); and used it last week to get our two pups groomed by a mobile
grooming service that I will most definitely use again.

--
www.eWoodShop.com
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)
http://gplus.to/eWoodShop

busbus wrote:
Our kitchen is old, ugly, and our-dated and need updated terribly.
Unfortunately, I have a kid that just started college and another that
will be starting next year, so money is going to be at a premium.

I am looking into possibly refacing the existing cabinets but I don't
know:
(a) if I can reface them since they have some sort of covering on
them that makes them look like (fake) oak.
(b) if they are even worth refacing.

The covering is some sort or plastic-like covering; almost like a huge
piece of tape that is extremely thick and durable. (I will say this:
the cabinet are 25+ years old and absolutely none of this crap has
peeled off or worn off.) This crap is very, well, slippery and I
don't know if contact cement would even hold, would it?

Also, the cabinets are made of junk particle board. They are
reasonably sturdy still although all of the shelves and such will need
replaced, too. Are these even worth refacing if I could?

If I do this, I plan on buying new drawer fronts and doors off the
Internet and veneering the exposed area to match them. Nothing fancy,
just to spruce it up a little bit. But I fear this will be almost as
much as installing new, cheap cabinets. The only thing I really save
is that I don't need to rip out the old ones and install the new
ones. I guess that is a little bit of a trade off but I don't know.

Regarding the veneer, you could do that but another option is paint. Still
another is wallpaper. Vinyl wallpaper, that is, preferably cloth backed.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On 2/7/2012 1:19 PM, busbus wrote:
On Feb 7, 12:34 pm, wrote:

As far as the blind corner cabinet, the solutions are somewhat limited
to lazy susans and pullouts ... and it's pretty difficult to effect a
custom solution with an existing corner cabinet that is less expensive
and equally as effective as most store bought solutions.

That said, take a look at this:

http://www.kornerking.com/Default.asp

This guy is on G+ and there has been a bit of banter back and forth
about it being a good solution. AAMOF, I've been thinking about
incorporating it into the next kitchen we do just to give a try.


Wow, those may be the best solutions I have seen yet. However, I
would need to do a lot of retrofitting to make this work if I kept my
cabinets. Who know? Maybe it would be nigh on impossible!

Swingman, I have read a ton of your posts and I value your opinion a
lot. I understand what you are saying about getting a company to come
in and take a look at the cabinets. What would stop any of them from
saying, "Yeah. I can do that. No problem." and yet have it not be
worth it?

I guess what I should do is also price out a set of cheap-o cabinets
that will last maybe 5-8 years or so butt hen I feel like I am buying
twice. Of course, if it is cheaper to get the cheap-o cabinets than
it will be to reface and replace the drawer/door fronts, I need to
consider it as a viable alternative.


If you do it your self, including the cabinet tops you may be surprised
what you can get for the money.

I believe you can get some quite nice ones for about $150/30 inch units,
with the price going up or down for the other units. Tops can be made
custom to your kitchen

We are in the process of putting cabinets in the utility room. We are
considering good look low grade cabinets. For two 30" and two 12"
uppers it is going to cost less than 300 dollars. (My labor)

I think Karl's idea is the best. A knowledgeable, reputable,
experienced resurfacer can tell you honestly if you can resurface.
Most of the type of cabinets you are describing (again, hard to tell
if you aren't there looking at them in person) are actually covered
with vinyl tape, or in many cases, thermafoil or thermofoil. It is a
heat shrink plastic that covers the underlying form which may be the
rails and stiles, and most of the time the doors.

If your doors have a thick, plastic coating with little or no seams
apparent, then it is almost assuredly thermofoil. Paint doesn't stick
well to plastic, and if it does it certainly won't stick well enough
for cleaning.

So resurfacing would be my first choice if they could find something
underneath the rails and stile that their materials will stick to; the
doors and drawer faces will usually be replaced in this process. I
would think twice about spending the money on that process if the
interiors of the cabinets were shot. Thin, warped shelving (unless
you buy new shelves, the interiors of the cabinets are not redone with
a resurface), cabinet boxes that are grainy and ugly inside, etc.,
will not be dealt with when resurfacing. Think of the contrast; nice
new looking faces, then someone opens a door and they see the old
stuff inside...

Depending on your finishing skills, there is an alternative. A few
years ago I picked up a job where the client had decided to redo his
kitchen himself with the help of a couple of like minded weekenders.
(Hurray for Norm! Hurray for This Old House! Hurray for DIY Network!)
They didn't do bad work, they just didn't have the experience to see
how much time it took to build out the kitchen from scratch without a
technical adviser and a full TV crew. And since they didn't do it for
a living, they were
s l o w .

I was called by the wife after the six month mark of not having a
kitchen in the house (and nothing but a toilet in the master bath)
was reached.

He had all the cabinets in the garage! These came from Home Depot,
and it was their unfinished line. I had used these cabinets a lot for
utility stuff like garages, laundry rooms, etc., but never thought
about them for a kitchen. They still sell this line of cabinets at
HD. No, they aren't Karl and Leon's quality by a long shot, but they
are significantly better than most tract home offerings. Plus, the
boxes (they are sold as components) I didn't like, he was able to take
them back for an exchange right away. Back in an hour with a new
cabinet!

Since they were raw, I took off the doors and hardware and sanded
them, added a line of glue and some extra brads here and there, even a
glue block or two. Me and my partner in crime sanded the snot out of
those things for two days. I found that the doors, stiles, rails, and
shelf fascias were all solid oak. No clue what kind, but solid wood.
The cabinets themselves were pretty sturdy, and with a little help,
they were very serviceable.

I shot a light mist of my mix of stain on the kitchen cabinets to even
out the color, then followed up with four coats of lacquer. With a
crown molding from another source finished to match and installed, the
cabinets looked like a million bucks. I was so surprised I can't even
describe it. Cabinets from Home Depot? Really? I had never clear
finished their product before since I was using them for utility
purposes. Paint only. What a surprise.

For the bath cabs, I did my usual. I can't remember the name of the
product, but Sherwin Williams makes a primer that you roll, and it is
specifically for wood with tubules, namely nut woods. It has silica
in it (it will ruin your spray guns... this was an expensive
lesson...) and rolls/brushes easily. the silica fills most of the
tubules, and with a light sand you have a smooth surface. I roll out
the cabs with a six inch roller, and brush the doors. Then spray as
normal. Their cabinets always look nice, but they have awful muted/
brushed brass hardware on it we always replace for bath use with
nickel.

He showed me the receipt for the kitchen and bath cabinets. It was a
*ton* of cabinets, and for both rooms it was about $3200. IIRC, I
charged him a bit more to prep, hang, trim and finish them. I
wouldn't knock this guy (he turns out quality work at a pretty good
price), but the favorite cabinet maker for us contractors here in town
had given him a bid for cabinets alone, delivered to the site, about
the same quality for just under $10K. Not hung, not trimmed, not
finished.

Just a thought. If your finishing skills need help, start in the
bathroom for practice. Read Leon's posts about using a foam brush for
finishing. I have seen his work with my own eyes... great! For good
finishing you don't need a ton of equipment, you need patience and an
understanding of what you are doing. If you had the room, you could
even prefinish the cabinets before you pulled the others out.

I know... ask what time it is and Robert tells you how to build a
clock. In my defense, I am home sick and have been for days. Goin'
nuts over here.

Robert

That retrofit clip is pretty cool.

This guy may be on to something.


On 2/7/2012 9:34 AM, Swingman wrote:

That said, take a look at this:

http://www.kornerking.com/Default.asp

This guy is on G+ and there has been a bit of banter back and forth
about it being a good solution. AAMOF, I've been thinking about
incorporating it into the next kitchen we do just to give a try.

There is a recent article in one of the regular woodworking
magazines on taking "basic" cabinets and making them pretty
with very little expense.

I can't remember which magazine..Wood, FWW or AWW but in
the last few issues.



On 2/7/2012 10:19 AM, busbus wrote:


I guess what I should do is also price out a set of cheap-o cabinets
that will last maybe 5-8 years or so butt hen I feel like I am buying
twice. Of course, if it is cheaper to get the cheap-o cabinets than
it will be to reface and replace the drawer/door fronts, I need to
consider it as a viable alternative.

On 2/7/2012 3:54 PM, wrote:


I know... ask what time it is and Robert tells you how to build a
clock. In my defense, I am home sick and have been for days. Goin'
nuts over here.

Robert3.

Over where Robert, I can't see you ! :~)

On 2/7/2012 3:54 PM, wrote:


Just a thought. If your finishing skills need help, start in the
bathroom for practice. Read Leon's posts about using a foam brush for
finishing. I have seen his work with my own eyes... great! For good
finishing you don't need a ton of equipment, you need patience and an
understanding of what you are doing. If you had the room, you could
even prefinish the cabinets before you pulled the others out.

I know... ask what time it is and Robert tells you how to build a
clock. In my defense, I am home sick and have been for days. Goin'
nuts over here.

Robert

OBTY I got a can of Old Masters gel varnish as you had mentioned. I
tried it out on the last corner cabinet that I built a few weeks ago and
was less than excited about dry time. On a "relatively" dry day no rain
and tolerable humidity I am used to putting on 3 coats of my old stand
by gel varnish. Old Masters was taking 24 hours per coat and it was
still iffy.

Oh what the heck I'll read the instructions.

Ohhhhhh. Wipe the finish down "Two Times" after applying. "That's
Different"

Now I am much more impressed LOL. While you tend to give extremely
detailed instructions, people like me some times need that kind of
direction. ;~)

Swingman wrote:


Get references with the bid(s) (get more than one), and call ALL the
references ... that is a practice that works.


Can't echo this statement loudly enough. My wife works at an agency where
they are constantly reviewing and signing on contractors for home renewal
work. She call every single reference that a contractor lists. It is
nothing short of amazing how many times those people explode into
explanations of horror stories, negative references, etc., about their
experience with the contractor.

--

-Mike-

On 2/7/2012 3:54 PM, wrote:

I know... ask what time it is and Robert tells you how to build a
clock. In my defense, I am home sick and have been for days. Goin'
nuts over here.

Been that way for about ten days myself. Even Leon and Kim's magic pills
from CVS haven't done the trick ... but it has started to ease up the
last couple of days.

Part of it may be that my sides are still aching from laughing during
your visit ... two times.

Get to feeling better, Bubba ... and don't blame that on Butch, now!


www.eWoodShop.com
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)
http://gplus.to/eWoodShop

On Feb 7, 4:29*pm, Keith Nuttle wrote:
If you do it your self, including the cabinet tops you may be surprised
what you can get for the money.


I am considering doing everything myself: either by hanging new
cabinets or by applying veneer to the existing structure, installing
new doors and drawer fronts, and finishing the whole thing. We have a
very small kitchen and I have four weeks of vacation and no money to
go anywhere this year, so I believe that I can take a week or so off
and get it all done. I know it will take me five times as long to do
this than somebody who does it for a living but I think I can handle
this no problem--especially if I wait until after the middle of August
when the only people in the house will be me and the wife since both
kids will be in college. I am sure she will get sick of my slowness
after a while but, well, she will have to put up with it!

I am wondering now if it would be worth it to cover the thermofoil
with some 1/8" luan or something? Sand the thermofoil a little, may
apply some sort of primer that sticks to everything(?), install the
luan with glue and an air nailer, rout out the openings, then apply
veneer over top of everything.

We only have one upper and one lower cabinet that has an exposed end--
and even those are covered by the fridge. Well, wrong. There are
two more exposed uppers next to the sink. Other than that, the only
things that need covered are all of the rails.

I don't want to have to use the luan if I don't have to but it seems
like a viable alternative to covering the thermofoil using both glue
as well as mechanical fasteners. Plus I know the veneer will stick to
the luan.

I don't think I would even need very much veneer. I bet I can get
away with only on 4x8 sheet and be done with it.

If I am way off the mark on this, please tell me as that is what I
need to hear. I don't want to start doing this and end up screwing
myself and paying to do it twice!!!

On 2/8/2012 8:56 AM, busbus wrote:


with some 1/8" luan or something? Sand the thermofoil a little, may
apply some sort of primer that sticks to everything(?), install the
luan with glue and an air nailer, rout out the openings, then apply
veneer over top of everything.

If I am way off the mark on this, please tell me as that is what I
need to hear. I don't want to start doing this and end up screwing
myself and paying to do it twice!!!

OK" _You are way off the mark!_

Call someone who does this for a living, get a bid on how they (with
their experience) will approach it ... you will then know what EXACTLY
you need to do should you decide to DIY.

There is NO other way, short of experience.

Once again, you are not going to get an answer that you can count on here.

It takes an _onsite_ evaluation of your kitchen to determine what is
possible and what is not.

--
www.eWoodShop.com
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)
http://gplus.to/eWoodShop

On Feb 8, 10:35*am, Swingman wrote:


OK" *_You are way off the mark!_ *

Call someone who does this for a living, get a bid on how they (with
their experience) will approach it ... you will then know what EXACTLY
you need to do should you decide to DIY.

There is NO other way, short of experience.

Once again, you are not going to get an answer that you can count on here..

It takes an _onsite_ evaluation of your kitchen to determine what is
possible and what is not.


) Okay. Message received. I will log onto Angie's List tonight,
search for "Kitchen Cabinet Refacing," and see who I can find.

Swingman wrote:


Been that way for about ten days myself. Even Leon and Kim's magic
pills from CVS haven't done the trick ... but it has started to ease
up the last couple of days.


Wait a minute here... magic pills? Really? Is there one for...

--

-Mike-

Mike Marlow wrote:
Swingman wrote:


Been that way for about ten days myself. Even Leon and Kim's magic
pills from CVS haven't done the trick ... but it has started to ease
up the last couple of days.


Wait a minute here... magic pills? Really? Is there one for...

....of course, I'm asking on behalf of a friend...

--

-Mike-

On 2/8/2012 8:39 AM, Swingman wrote:
On 2/7/2012 3:54 PM, wrote:

I know... ask what time it is and Robert tells you how to build a
clock. In my defense, I am home sick and have been for days. Goin'
nuts over here.

Been that way for about ten days myself. Even Leon and Kim's magic pills
from CVS haven't done the trick ... but it has started to ease up the
last couple of days.

Part of it may be that my sides are still aching from laughing during
your visit ... two times.

Get to feeling better, Bubba ... and don't blame that on Butch, now!



Ohhhhhhhhhh! I read that, "homesick". Going nuts where ever he is at. LOL

On 2/8/2012 9:51 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Mike Marlow wrote:
Swingman wrote:


Been that way for about ten days myself. Even Leon and Kim's magic
pills from CVS haven't done the trick ... but it has started to ease
up the last couple of days.


Wait a minute here... magic pills? Really? Is there one for...

...of course, I'm asking on behalf of a friend...


CVS drugstores version of Advil Cold & Sinus. I have constant sinus
problems and found the Advil brand which was called Co-Advil 30+ years
ago. If you nip the symptoms in the bud before things escalate these
pills tend to work very well. I, "knock on wood", have not been to a
Dr. for sinus problems or infections since Spring of 2008. In the
Spring I pop one before doing yard work as a preemptive strike.

On 2/8/2012 10:59 AM, Leon wrote:
On 2/8/2012 8:39 AM, Swingman wrote:
On 2/7/2012 3:54 PM, wrote:

I know... ask what time it is and Robert tells you how to build a
clock. In my defense, I am home sick and have been for days. Goin'
nuts over here.

Been that way for about ten days myself. Even Leon and Kim's magic pills
from CVS haven't done the trick ... but it has started to ease up the
last couple of days.

Part of it may be that my sides are still aching from laughing during
your visit ... two times.

Get to feeling better, Bubba ... and don't blame that on Butch, now!



Ohhhhhhhhhh! I read that, "homesick". Going nuts where ever he is at. LOL

Indeed, you might be right ... punctuation (and spelling) saves lives!:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...19479265001602

Usenet typos excepted ...

--
www.eWoodShop.com
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)
http://gplus.to/eWoodShop

On Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:34:18 -0600, Swingman wrote:

On 2/7/2012 11:05 AM, busbus wrote:

Any suggestions are extremely welcome.

Tough to offer advice without being able to see the situation in person.

You are correct in that changing/refacing the doors and drawer fronts
will give you a new look.

There are company's who specialize in doing just this who would be able
to give you better advice than coming from sight unseen ... and would
most likely give you a bid free of charge to do so.

My suggestion is to do that first. Once you have done do, then you can
consider other options from a firmer ground.

As far as the blind corner cabinet, the solutions are somewhat limited
to lazy susans and pullouts ... and it's pretty difficult to effect a
custom solution with an existing corner cabinet that is less expensive
and equally as effective as most store bought solutions.

That said, take a look at this:

http://www.kornerking.com/Default.asp

This guy is on G+ and there has been a bit of banter back and forth
about it being a good solution. AAMOF, I've been thinking about
incorporating it into the next kitchen we do just to give a try.

Those are outrageously cool ideas and implimentation.

How repairable are the mechanisms if something goes wrong, like an
irate hubby kicking/stupid teen stepping onto one of the drawers or
main lazy susan structure, or something falls out of one of the
drawers when an energetic child spins it at 80 RPM?

Oh, I watched the installation video and there wouldn't be any
problem, would there? Double Kudos to KornerKing. Klassy Schtuff.

--
Energy and persistence alter all things.
--Benjamin Franklin

On Tue, 7 Feb 2012 10:19:33 -0800 (PST), busbus
wrote:

On Feb 7, 12:34*pm, Swingman wrote:

As far as the blind corner cabinet, the solutions are somewhat limited
to lazy susans and pullouts ... and it's pretty difficult to effect a
custom solution with an existing corner cabinet that is less expensive
and equally as effective as most store bought solutions.

That said, take a look at this:

http://www.kornerking.com/Default.asp

This guy is on G+ and there has been a bit of banter back and forth
about it being a good solution. AAMOF, I've been thinking about
incorporating it into the next kitchen we do just to give a try.


Wow, those may be the best solutions I have seen yet. However, I
would need to do a lot of retrofitting to make this work if I kept my
cabinets. Who know? Maybe it would be nigh on impossible!

Swingman, I have read a ton of your posts and I value your opinion a
lot. I understand what you are saying about getting a company to come
in and take a look at the cabinets. What would stop any of them from
saying, "Yeah. I can do that. No problem." and yet have it not be
worth it?

Ethics. (Alas, in today's world, that can be risky.)


I guess what I should do is also price out a set of cheap-o cabinets
that will last maybe 5-8 years or so butt hen I feel like I am buying
twice. Of course, if it is cheaper to get the cheap-o cabinets than
it will be to reface and replace the drawer/door fronts, I need to
consider it as a viable alternative.

Here, buy this book and then build your own in minutes! g
http://tinyurl.com/7enrlyf
or maybe this one:
http://tinyurl.com/75azcg8

--
Energy and persistence alter all things.
--Benjamin Franklin