Cabinet Refinishing vs. Replacing: A Lewes & Rehoboth Beach Kitchen Guide

When refinishing is the right call

Refinish when the bones are good and the look is dated.

• Solid wood or quality plywood boxes with square, working doors
• A layout that still functions for how you cook and entertain
• Dated color or a worn factory finish rather than structural damage
• Water swelling limited to one or two doors that can be replaced individually

When to replace instead

Delaminating thermofoil, particleboard boxes swollen from a long-term leak, or a layout you actively dislike are all replacement conversations. Paint does not fix a kitchen you want to move walls in.

How the sprayed process works

We label and remove doors and drawer fronts, clean and degrease every surface, sand to profile, prime with a bonding primer, then spray a urethane or waterborne alkyd enamel in controlled coats. Boxes are masked and sprayed in place with containment so the rest of the home stays clean.

Expect most kitchens to take three to five working days, with limited use of the kitchen for part of that.

Durability in a coastal kitchen

Humidity is the enemy of a soft finish. A properly cured urethane enamel resists the grease, water, and daily knuckle contact that a brushed wall paint would not survive for a month.

Give the finish its full cure window — usually a few weeks — before scrubbing, and use gentle cleaners rather than degreasers on the door faces.