Two excellent cabinet re-facing products are wood veneer and edge banding. While you can hire someone to re-face your cabinets, the avid do it yourself homeowner should be able to achieve professional results with these materials.
The process is pretty straightforward, you’ll save a lot of money, and you’ll avoid the stress of remodeling, while still achieving the look and feel of brand new cabinets. It’s clear why wood veneer is a very popular choice when it comes to updating cabinetry.
Veneer is not just a covering with the look of wood. There is nothing “faux” about it. It is made from real, cabinet grade wood, which is then cut into very thin, light sheets (or thin strips for edge banding). It has a pressure sensitive adhesive backing, topped by a peel away paper backing for easy placement. It is available in several different types of wood as well as different colors and finishes. It can even be painted or refinished later if you down the road you decide you need another update.
Re-facing your cabinets with wood veneer will add a great deal of value to your home if you are planning to sell. Your cabinetry will have a crisp, new look and a custom feel. There are veneering tools you can purchase to help make the job go smoothly, including cutters, rollers, and irons (for heat activated edge banding).
Edge banding is simply a narrow strip of veneer that is placed along edges of cabinets so they’ll match the face of the cabinets. It helps achieve a finished, professional look. It is available in heat activated options that can be installed with a veneer iron, or even a regular home iron that is normally used for pressing clothes. Other options have pressure sensitive adhesive much like veneer.
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