There are many reasons why you might want to reface your kitchen cabinets. Either you want to change the style of your entire house or you feel that your kitchen is overused and that it needs a modern facelift. Most of the times, refacing the kitchen is a better decision than buying new kitchen set. In most of the cases, the whole kitchen is still in good condition only the panels of the cabinets need to be renewed. Before you start refacing your kitchen, you need a checklist to have an overview over all necessary steps. The checklist should contain all items that you need to buy, a time table and all other relevant information. In general, the better you plan your work before, the easier you can finish it.
Since the shopping list is going to be quiet long, it should be divided into several parts. Of course, you need to choose and buy a new color, a primer and a finish. You should take into consideration that the primer depends on the cabinet material and the previous color. For a lacquer color you might need a different primer than for an oil-based color. Your local do-it-yourself shop will help you to make the right choice. The second important part of your checklist should be used for the required tools. Do you have all tools for the removal and re-installation of your kitchen furniture? This includes different screw drivers, hammer, pliers and a drilling machine. Since you are going to paint, you need brushes in different sizes and solvent for cleaning them. Different grades of sand paper probably also will be needed. During the process of painting you should wear a mouthpiece for your own safety.
The last big part of your shopping lists should include the general needed items for the repair. You might need screws in different sizes, nails or glue. If you want to change your cabinet handles, you need to calculate how many of them you need, what size and style. For protecting your floors you might need extra paper or special covering sheets as well. You should also consider buying sandwiches and some drinks, especially if you invited some of your friends and neighbors to help you. Usually, a complete kitchen refacing requires at least two days. On the first day, you need to remove all residues from the doors and apply the primer, while the second day is for painting and finishing the cabinet doors. You should consider that each of these steps requires a certain drying time for the chemicals. Therefore it is better to plan a longer time for your repair.