FAQ    (Frequently Asked Questions)

Frequently Asked Questions
For Kitchen Refinishing/Refacing Projects

 

F requently A sked Q uestions.

Q - What is so great about your finish?

A - We give your cabinets a "Furniture Grade" finish, while almost all others use a "Cabinet Grade" finish. When most cabinets are installed by the home builder, the cabinets usually get the "standard" finish, meaning regular lacquer, varnish, urethane,or some other similar "cabinet grade" product. We use a "Furniture Grade" finish called "pre-cat lacquer" which is made to not ever peal off because it chemically bonds with the wood instead of just "sitting" on top of it.

Q - What makes your company different from the other people who do refacing?

A - The short answer is...We also refinish/Refurbish/Resurface, while most all others can only reface and or replace. Big Difference!

The long answer is....While we do Refacing, Replacing and Repairing, you may only need your cabinets refinished/resurfaced, and refinishing costs the least amount to make your kitchen look new.

The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the house and as such it should be one of the nicest looking rooms. There are only a few things you can do to improve the looks of a kitchen, and one of the biggest ways to make a change is to update the cabinets. When it comes to refreshing your cabinets there are several options; get completely new cabinets, reface existing cabinets, clean them yourself or pay a company to clean them, or the most cost effective choice - refinish the cabinets.

If you go to one of the big box home improvement stores, visit their kitchen showroom area, and ask if they have contractors that do kitchen cabinet refinishing, you more than likely are told "no." They will tell you they either reface or replace the cabinets. Did you know that the average cost to replace all of your cabinets ranges from $20,000 all the way up to $100,000 or more, depending upon the size of your kitchen and whether you want to replace your counter tops, appliances and flooring? A big part of this cost is due to the fact that you?re not dealing directly with the contractors themselves, but paying a middleman as well.

Equally shocking is the cost of refacing kitchen cabinets. This is also very expensive because you are often told to replace you doors, drawers, and drawer fronts. The cost usually ranges between $12,000 and $25,000, and the real shame is that after spending all that money, the refacing part is done by applying what they call a "self adhesive covering," - which in reality is a cardboard thin piece of laminated wood with a sticky back, (so thin in fact, that it is cut with scissors.) Worst of all, the exposed edges of these "stickers" are susceptible to chipping, cracking, and pealing.

Cleaning cabinets, (the "No Sanding" water-based jobs), will be a perpetual drain on your budget as they will have to come back again and again to re-do them since they are just cleaning a worn out finish and applying an inferior finish on top of the old finish.

Cabinet refinishing can give you a totally new looking kitchen for a fraction of the cost of the other two recommended options. With this process the face frames are refinished instead of having "sticky wood sheets" put on them, and the doors and drawers are also refinished instead of being totally replaced. While a few of our extra small kitchen jobs have been in the $600 to $1,500 range, the average "Same Color" kitchen we do is in the $1,500 to $2,500 cost range and a "Change Color" kitchen in the $4,000 to $6,000 range, and you still have a new looking kitchen and for a price that is often half of the big department store cost. Our refaces usually start around $7,000.

Kitchens Made New is one of the few companies in this area that provides this cost-saving service. Best of all, Kitchens Made New uses a special finish that protects and enhances the beauty of your wood cabinets. Whichever wood tone or color is chosen, an incredible lacquer and color mixture is applied that maintains the new cabinets? luster while keeping them color safe from spills, and protected from chips, cracking and fading for many years to come.

Q - What about the companies that "renew" or "clean" cabinets?.

A - If you don't mind paying them to come back again and again, and charge you each time, then it is necessary to remove your old finish by sanding rather than just using steel wool or "cleaning" your worn out finish and wiping on an inferior finish on it that won't last. Any new finish placed on top of a bad finish will not bond with the wood and will continue to come up as the old finish continues to crack and peel. Would you paint your house without removing the old paint that is cracking and peeling? You could paint over the top of it, but it will continue to peel because it is not bonding with the wood. And to top it off, they put a "water based" finish on your previous "oil based" Finish. Does that make sense to you? There is a reason you don't use a water based paint, such as latex, in areas that you want to be able to clean often. In those areas you use an oil based paint because the water based latex comes off too easy.

Q - Do you apply your finish with a brush or wipe it on?

A - No. Neither. We don't think it is good to see brush strokes, nor is it good to just wipe it on. The "wipe on" products are normally "gummy" and not smooth. We spray your cabinets. Almost exactly like a car painter would, and with the same smooth as glass finish. We also apply three "Clear Coat" finishes which resists showing any scratches. This is due to no color pigment being removed if you do happen to scratch it, which is the same reason that your car is sprayed with clear coats.

Q - How long does your process usually take?

A - Usually 1 - 4 days for most of our jobs. Some of our competitors take 2 - 3 weeks for a normal sized kitchen, while our bigger jobs may take two weeks.

Q - Do you take our doors and drawers to your shop to refinish them?

A - No. Unlike most of our competitors, we have a Utility Trailer that we use to supply the tools and equipment that we need, so we do not need to take anything of yours to our shop. We do it all at your house so we don't have to charge you for the transportation costs. Also by law if someone is doing the job off site at a "shop" they are limited to half the quality finishes by O.S.H.A.

Q - Are your finishes all Glossy?

A - No. We have four types of finishes...Flat, Satin, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss.

Q - Do you do Samples?

A - Yes, we can take a drawer or door from your kitchen, (or bath if it is being redone also), and then bring it back in one to three weeks and you will be able to see the exact color and quality of what we can do for you.

Q - Do you have some samples already made up?

A - Yes, we usually have some at the office that are in various stages in process for prospective customers.

Q - What is your guarantee?

A - Our guarantee is similar to any fine furniture finish, such as on a baby grand piano. We guarantee our workmanship and finish for a minimum of 5 years under normal use. The finish should last much longer than that, but we cannot guarantee that our finish is indestructible. Lacquer finishes are very hard and very durable, but damage can happen if struck very hard with a sharp object, just as the finish on a BMW or other fine lacquer finish. You should not have any fading, chipping, or pealing under normal use.

Q - When you do a free estimate, how long will it be until I get a written estimate in the mail?

A - We normally can send a quote to you within 5 to 10 business days by way of FedEx Home delivery.

Q - When can I get on your schedule?

A - Once we receive your deposit check, we can put you on our schedule. We are usually scheduled out about 4 - 8 weeks. There are times when we can work you into our schedule on a fast track, as we occasionally have customers who request to be moved to a later date due to unforseen circumstances.

Q - Do I have to wait for the written estimate before I send you a deposit check so I can get on your schedule?

A - No. You can send a 10% deposit check based upon the rough estimate that you were given at the time of your visit by us. Call us for the Office address.

Q - Can I pay by Credit Card?

A - Yes. We prefer check, but do allow Credit Card payments.This service costs us almost 5% to make it available, so you can see why we prefer checks. We also pass this savings on to you in the form of a 5% cash discount that is not available if you pay by Credit Card.

Q - What areas of your business do you find the most challenging?

A - Scheduling. Very few people can predict exactly how long a job will take due to the multitude of things that can cause a delay. Often customers will add new items to their kitchen while we are there. This and other unforseen things can cause a schedule to become imperfect. We request our customers to be flexible on establishing or requesting "exact" dates and not to plan a vacation around any percieved "promise" dates. We usually can not predict an exact date for your job until the week of your approximate start date and even then we will usually ask for a two day window such as "Tuesday or Wednesday" for example. When we first put you on the schedule, this "targeted" date may vary from a few days to a week before your date finally arrives. As with all businesses we know of that must deal with events beyound their control, our "predicting" ability will become more and more precise as we get closer and closer to that "approximate" start date.

Q - Do you do counter tops or flooring?

A - No. However, we can recommend someone that can save you up to 60% off of granite, and other great savings on other counter tops. Also when we come to give you a free estimate, let us tell you why you can also save even more by asking for an "itemized quote" on your counter tops.

We request that if you are planning on having someone install new counter tops that you allow us to work with them so that we can plan the sequence of having us or them remove the old counter tops before we start, next have us do the cabinets, and then lastly, after we are finished, have the counter top people take the template and install the new counter tops. We also are able to do the cabinets after the counter tops are installed, but we prefer to do ours first, while the Counter top people also prefer to do theirs first. For us it is just nicer to have the entire cabinets exposed, while they always would prefer to not have to worry about being careful around your new cabinets.

Q - We are doing lots of other things to our kitchen, what is the correct order to do them?

A - Do it "Top-Down."

• This means do any "can lights" first.
• Then the removal of your counter tops.
• Next Install the sub-top if needed.
• Then do your cabinets.
• Then your counter tops.
• Next do any painting.
• And last do the floors.

This way, the fresh paint won't come off when the masking is being done and all of your contractors are walking on your old floor while everything else is being done.

So, if you're thinking about updating the look of your kitchen, consider refinishing your cabinets. You can keep the same color, change the color to lighter or darker, as well as add new cabinets, install custom pullouts, or select from a host of other upgrade options, all at a lower cost than you might expect. And that means you may even have money left over for other updates, so you can truly have a Kitchen Made New.