What to look for when hiring a cabinet refinisher.
While having your kitchen cabinets refinished is a very cost effective way to give your space a new look, it’s still an investment and one you shouldn’t take lightly. Here we’re going to look at some of the things you should look for when hiring a refinisher.
2. What products are they going to use? Is it solvent based, or water based? If solvent, be sure they explain the risks of those products (flammability, explosion). Is it paint, lacquer, or polyurethane? What benefits does one have over the other? Ask about durability, and resistance to chemicals, hand oils, kitchen grease, etc. Do they use an off the shelf product from one of the home centers? It’s almost guaranteed the finish will fail in about a year's time and you’ll be doing it all over again.We can all be tempted by low prices, but in that case the old adage is true. You get what you pay for. 3. Ask for a sample. Every refinisher should be able to provide you with a sample that you can see and feel, and this is what you should expect as a final product. 4.Ask about the process. Are the doors going to be sprayed on site, or in a dedicated shop? How long will they be in your house? Here, we only use the highest quality 2 component finishes specifically formulated for cabinets. We spray your doors and drawer fronts off site in a dedicated spray booth and while in your house we do our best to be minimally intrusive. Any remodeling project will have some level of disruption, but we do everything we can to make it a great experience for you.
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You’ve been thinking about painting your cabinets. So like many people do, you start the google search to see what it takes. Maybe you can save some money and do it yourself. There are hundreds if not thousands of DIY blogs out there that can teach you how to paint your cabinets for just a couple hundred bucks! That’s great, right! Easy as pie and a new kitchen over a weekend. There is only one problem.
Those blogs are all wrong. Now, before we get too deep, let me explain something. I’m not against anyone doing their own work around the house, aside from highly skilled trades like plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. Always hire a pro for those. Painting is a very popular DIY project and a skill most people can pick up (generally speaking). It’s not that I think these blogs are wrong for encouraging you to pick up a paint brush, it’s the why, what and the how behind it. Let’s start with the why. There are usually two parts to this. The first, of course, is saving money. After all, who wouldn’t rather spend a couple hundred dollars rather than a couple thousand? I mean, those pros are so expensive. The second part is the sense of accomplishment one gets when finishing a medium to large scale home project.You can sit back, look at what you’ve done and be proud. Who doesn’t like that feeling? I know I do, which is why I do what I do. Now, let’s get into why these blogs are misleading you. It’s really simple. Let’s start with the what. Materials. There’s really nothing wrong with off the shelf primer and a gallon of good paint from your local home center or paint store, unless you use that paint on cabinets. I’ve seen these posts sing the praises of everything from latex paint, to milk paint to even chalk paint, and all of those are terrible choices for an environment like kitchens and baths. For instance, chalk paint needs to be waxed, and do you want a wax coating over everything in a steamy, moist environment like a kitchen? I know I don’t. These coatings will wear, flake and chip and before you know it, your cabinets look worse than before they were painted. (maybe we can call it rustic?) And lastly, the how. I know not everyone has access to spray equipment so a brush and roller may be the only option. But only the correct brush and roller combined with the right coating will give you a smooth, glass-like finish. That’s not an easy thing to do and is most likely going to leave you disappointed. And remember that money you saved? It may not be a savings at all when it comes time to refinish again. And if you decide to hire a pro, it will most likely cost more due to the increased time needed to prep those cabinets for a stellar coating. When we refinish cabinets, we remove the doors and drawer fronts from your home and spray them off site using high quality water based industrial grade coatings that meet or exceed the standards of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association. Unlike some other companies, we also spray your cabinet boxes. This is usually a two to three day process and while that may seem like a disruption to your daily life, we do our best to leave your most used items accessible during this time. This process allows us to give you the best quality finish possible. If you’re interested in renewing the look of your kitchen contact us for an estimate. I want to refinish my cabinets. What is the process? This is an often asked question when considering a kitchen cabinet refinishing. The kitchen is arguably the most highly trafficked room in your home, and being without one even for a short time is an inconvenience. When we refinish your cabinets, we'll remove the doors and take them off site to refinish them in our paint booth. This process, depending on the size of your kitchen, usually takes 2-3 days. During this time you can continue to use your kitchen as you normally would. When it comes time to put the new coating on your cabinets, we will come in, cover your floors with liquid impermeable paper, mask off your walls, counter tops and appliances with plastic, seal off the kitchen to prevent overspray throughout your home, and begin spraying. We will spray two coats of primer and one top coat. There is a minimum drying time of four hours between coats, so depending on the number of cabinets you have, this will be a two to three day process. The next day we will bring in the doors and reinstall them. And if you provide new cabinet hardware, we'll install it for free! We use only the highest quality 2 component water based polyurethane coatings for your home. They are low VOC, so you won't have to deal with any nasty chemical off gassing. If you want to give your kitchen a fresh new look, contact us today for a free quote. |
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