Cabinet Refacing

[Amadeus]

There is such a collective group of talented people who read this site and I wanted to get your personal accessment on a business I am doing some consulting work for right now. I have been contracted to help the website ureface.com which sells Cabinet Refacing kits to those who are looking to reface their own Kitchen.

I did some research for this company and found that the average reface costs about $8,000. A lot of people do this because tearing out a new Kitchen can do a lot of damage to the flooring, wall, etc. My client’s position is that they charge $1250 for custom made doors, drawers and they offer a proprietary peel and stick product for the cabinet sides.

I’m curious to get feedback on the basic business concept. Do you think that there is a large amount of people out there who are interested in refacing their own Kitchen? Visit Do it yourself kitchen cabinet refacing, diy cabinet refacing, Compare to Sears Refacing, Cabinet Refacing Materials and give me your honest feedback.

[SuperManny]

I'm not real sure if you're asking for feedback for the website, their business model or the installer's viewpoint, but I can give you the latter.

The problem with having the homeowner install these, is that since they are not professional installers, you will inevitably end up with things like doors not opening or closing properly, doors misaligned (big eyesore) and of course the structural integrity of the cabinets comes into questions, because of shifting and settling of the house or simply the age of the cabinets themselves, and most importantly the inevitable rot and deterioration of the sink area and surrounding cabinets.

From a professional viewpoint, frankly I don't know any professionals that would recommend it in standard situations. The existing cabinets would need to be in very good shape, and of course if they were, you could just repaint them for a tenth of the cost.

Of course there are exceptions; one would be if the existing box frames were made of hardwood (and not the cheap particle board) in good condition and the owner was completely satisfied with the layout.

I have compared the cost to the Sears refacing and there was very little price difference; 10-15%.

You also mentioned damage to the floor and walls. Walls are easily repaired, you slap some sheetrock mud on it and sand it smooth. Floors are generally replaced in most kitchen remodels, so that's not a factor. I've never done a kitchen remodel without also replacing the floors.

[AndrewPavelski]

I don't honestly think there are a huge number of people looking to refacing their kitchens. Sure it'll be cheaper to d.i.y., but my guess is that most people want to make sure it's done professionally!

Best of luck,

Andrew

Originally Posted by Amadeus

There is such a collective group of talented people who read this site and I wanted to get your personal accessment on a business I am doing some consulting work for right now. I have been contracted to help the website ureface.com which sells Cabinet Refacing kits to those who are looking to reface their own Kitchen.

I did some research for this company and found that the average reface costs about $8,000. A lot of people do this because tearing out a new Kitchen can do a lot of damage to the flooring, wall, etc. My client’s position is that they charge $1250 for custom made doors, drawers and they offer a proprietary peel and stick product for the cabinet sides.

I’m curious to get feedback on the basic business concept. Do you think that there is a large amount of people out there who are interested in refacing their own Kitchen? Visit Do it yourself kitchen cabinet refacing, diy cabinet refacing, Compare to Sears Refacing, Cabinet Refacing Materials and give me your honest feedback.

[mustard76]

My father did his own cabinet refacing and then hired a professional a few years later to fix it. There were ugly gaps between the doors and some doors were misaligned. He didn't understand that the refacing kit he bought could not solve these problems.

With that said, there is probably a big d.i.y. market for cabinet refacing. It just that people don't understand what they are getting.

When someone pays good money to have his cabinets redone, he expects them to look prefect in the end. Customers always understand that you get what you pay for.

[Developer7]

Originally Posted by SuperManny

The problem with having the homeowner install these, is that since they are not professional installers, you will inevitably end up with things like doors not opening or closing properly, doors misaligned (big eyesore)....

I have compared the cost to the Sears refacing and there was very little price difference; 10-15%.
.

I am not an installer or handyman but I think I could install them myself. Professional Installers do add value and a service but I recently got a quote for $10,000 for new cabinets and Sears quoted me $9500 for refacing. If I could get the doors and matching peel & stick from this company for $1250 I think I could hang the doors myself and save thousands...

How hard could it be to adjust the doors?! Nowadays they have the two screws on the hinge and you simple tight or loosen those to adjust the door. Not rocket science... And not worth paying Sears an additional $8,250 to do it for me.

Amadeus, I know you are looking for advice on the business concept. So I'll give you some advice... I think the site is horrible. There are no videos, not enough pictures, etc. But the idea is great I think. The problem is to get this information out to the masses. As a consultant they are paying you to figure out how to market their business and get them out there.

Since this caught my eye and I think that I could do it I might contact them to get some color swatches and think about doing my home. I have a property I just want to sell and this would give it a fresh look for a low cost.

[Amadeus]

Thanks for the input Developer!!! We are working to change the format around on the website. We must be doing something right because it gets several hundred hits a week and they are processing about 5 orders a week for kitchens. I think with a slowing economy people are looking for ways to make their homes more enjoyable since they don't have a prayer of selling their homes anytime soon.

[Developer7]

I'd like to hear from people on how much they paid to have their Kitchen or Bath Remodeled. I am always amazed at how much people pay. Of course if you have a high end home it warrants it but for a typical home its usually too high.

Also its weird that there are two types of homeowners when it comes to remodeling. Those willing to spend $15K to $50K to remodel their Kitchen and then others who won't pay $1K. The refacing is a perfect example.

Amadeus have you found that there are some people who think $1250 is high to reface? I bet you have which is hillarious...