Refinishing and Resurfacing: What's the Difference?
Kitchen Transformation: Understanding the Tune-Up
Refinishing, Refacing, and Tune-Ups oh my! There are plenty of options when it comes to refreshing the look of your kitchen. But what’s the difference? We’ve got you covered with an explanation of the different services and help you understand which is right for your home.
At Kitchen Tune-Up, we developed a proprietary Tune-Up process nearly 40 years ago, but it's important to understand how this differs from other methods like refinishing and refacing, and why it’s often the preferred choice for homeowners who like their existing wood cabinets..
Refinishing and Resurfacing: What's the Difference?
Refinishing involves sanding down the existing finish on your cabinets and applying a new stain or paint. This process can dramatically change the color and appearance of your cabinets, giving your kitchen a new look without replacing any of the cabinet components. Although refinishing can achieve a dramatic change, it can be labor-intensive, messy, and time-consuming, often taking days or even several weeks to complete.
Kitchen Tune-Up specializes in five core services: Our Original Tune-Up, cabinet painting, refacing, redooring, and new cabinets. Over the years we found that our Tune-Up is a great no-sand alternative to refinishing, and we do not refinish cabinets or furniture. The Tune-Up is a no-sand alternative that restores and repairs cabinetry without striping, so you get amazing results in less time.
Refacing includes replacing your cabinet doors and drawer fronts in new color and style, and applying new veneer to the exterior of the cabinet boxes and face frames.. Refacing allows you to change the style and color of your cabinets entirely, offering a fresh new look. Consider cabinet refacing if you want a new door style and color. Refacing also allows you to keep the same layout and the backsplash, countertop, and flooring remain undisturbed.
What is a Kitchen Tune-Up?
At Kitchen Tune-Up, we offer a process known as our Original Tune-Up. This service is perfect if you like the current color and door style of your wood cabinets and they are structurally sound, but could use some TLC. Cabinetry and interior woodwork is prone to nicks and scratches over the years, and the wood can become dried out. Here’s how the Tune-Up process works:
- Deep Cleaning: We start by thoroughly cleaning the cabinets to remove any dirt, grease, wax, smoke, and dust that has built up over time. This step restores the wood's original finish.
- Touch-Up and Blend: Next, we touch up and blend areas where the color may have faded. This involves applying a special colorant to ensure a consistent and vibrant finish.
- Oil Treatment: Finally, we treat your cabinets with a special penetrating oil to restore dried-out wood fibers. Alternatively, we can apply a fresh coat of finish to further rejuvenate the wood.
The result? Your cabinets can look rejuvenated, typically in only one day!
The Benefits of a Tune-Up
A Tune-Up is an excellent choice for homeowners who want to freshen up their kitchen without the hassle and expense of a full renovation. Here are some of the benefits:
- Quick Process: Typically completed in only one day, a Tune-Up is a fast way to revive your kitchen.
- Cost-Effective: Since it utilizes your existing cabinets, a Tune-Up is much more affordable than resurfacing or replacing your cabinets.
- Minimal Disruption: Our Tune-Up Artist will ensure your kitchen is left clean and tidy, with no mess left behind.
- Modernize: New handles and pulls can be added. Although a small change, changing the “jewelry” on the cabinets can make quite a difference.
Improve functionality: Consider adding roll-out trays, spice racks, or other accessories or storage solutions in addition to the Tune-Up. We call this a Tune-Up Plus.
Tune-Up vs. Cabinet Refacing
While both a Tune-Up and cabinet refacing utilize your current cabinets, the main difference lies in the extent of the transformation:
- Tune-Up: Refreshes your existing cabinets by restoring their original color and finish. Ideal for maintaining the current style while rejuvenating the look.
- Cabinet Refacing: Involves replacing the cabinet doors and drawer fronts and applying new veneer to the cabinet boxes. This option allows for a complete change in style and color, giving your kitchen a drastically different look.
Why Choose Kitchen Tune-Up?
With over 35 years of experience, Kitchen Tune-Up has a proven track record of providing excellent quality service. Our team listens carefully to your needs and develops a detailed plan to meet your expectations. We prioritize customer communication, ensuring we return your calls within 24 hours.
Our expert installers will not only deliver perfect results but also respect your home, arriving on time and cleaning up after themselves. You'll be left with a beautifully refreshed kitchen with the least amount of disruption possible.
Ready to learn more about a Tune-Up, cabinet refacing, redooring, cabinet painting or new cabinetry? Contact our experts for a free in-home consultation today.