Is it Worth it to Restore Old Wood Cabinets?

You have several options for restoring wood cabinets. The best one for you depends on whether you want to:

• Remove minor scratches, blemishes, and fading. You can actually do this on your own with a product called Restor-A-Finish. The product uses a simple wipe-on, wipe-off process and comes in 9 colors to match any wood cabinet finish. For best results, make sure to clean your wood cabinets before using Restor-A-Finish.
  
  • Cost: $10–$15
  • Restoration lifespan: 2–4 years
• Refinish your cabinets with a new color. Whether you want a new wood finish color or want to revitalize your existing one, a cabinet refinishing will make your old wood cabinets look brand new. Refinishing involves stripping your existing cabinet boxes, doors, and drawer fronts of their finish and applying the new finish you choose.
  
  • Cost: $2,000 to $10,000
  • Restoration lifespan: 10+ years
• Change the cabinet style and finish color. If you’re looking to change the style of your door and drawer panels and go with something a bit more modern, a cabinet refacing allows you to do so. This process involves everything included in a refinishing, except you also get brand-new door and drawer panels.
  
  • Cost: $5,000 to $15,000
  • Restoration lifespan: 10–30 years

Learn more about the cost to refinish cabinets and the cost to reface cabinets in our blog.

Now, we’ll go over the benefits of restoring your old wood cabinets.

Compared to replacing your old wood cabinets, restoring them allows you to:

• Save a significant amount of money. New cabinets can cost upwards of $50,000, while restoring wood cabinets (as we outlined above) costs much less. Depending on which method of restoration you choose to go with, you’ll save yourself anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars.
• Have great-looking cabinets for decades. If your wood cabinets are only a few years old, they likely have decades of life left in them. By restoring them, you’ll keep them looking great for years more. That said, if you choose the minimal restoration option, you may need to clean and maintain your cabinets more frequently or even apply Restor-A-Finish again in a few years to keep them looking nice.
• Boost your home’s value. A cabinet refinishing and, even more so, a cabinet refacing will add value to your home. Kitchen and bathroom cabinets are usually one of the first things potential home buyers look at when shopping for houses. They’re more likely to choose a home with updated, nice-looking cabinets than they are a house they’re going to have to sink thousands of dollars into restoring cabinets. Plus, a cabinet refacing usually has a high return on investment, which means you’ll get back most of the money you spent when you go to sell your home.

Your wood cabinets have to be in solid shape to support either a refinishing or refacing—otherwise, you’re better off replacing them.

Since refinishing and refacing wood cabinets involves using your existing cabinet boxes, you’re usually better off replacing instead of restoring wood cabinets when they:

• Have structural damage. The finish on wood cabinets usually starts peeling, cracking, or bubbling because the wood base has begun to warp or deteriorate. When you refinish or reface wood cabinets with structural damage, you’re putting a temporary bandage on the root problem, which means you’ll start seeing the same finish problems very soon after the application.
• Have pungent odors. Wood cabinets can absorb the various odors from your kitchen or bathroom over the years. Restoring the wood cabinet won’t eliminate the smell, since you’re keeping the same cabinets with a refinishing and the same boxes with a refacing. The only way to eliminate the odor is to replace your wood cabinets altogether.
• Are more than 30 years old. Most solid wood cabinets last 30–40 years. They can last up to 50 when adequately cared for! So, if your cabinets are approaching the 30- to 40-year mark, you’ll likely need to replace them soon. That means the money to refinish or reface your wood cabinets may be better spent going towards new cabinets.