Be Careful What You Wish For
“There is a saying I’ve heard in sports where the commentator will note, referring to a team’s possible personnel move, that the best move was making no move at all,” says Nick Ringlesetter, President of N-Hance Wood Floor & Cabinet Renewal Systems. “In other words, sometimes avoiding a drastic change will get you closer to your ultimate goal than another, more involved course of action.”
The same is true for homeowners when they are looking to change the look of their kitchen or bathroom, or any room that has wood floors.
THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET ABOUT REMODELING
Remodeling often sets in motion not one change, but a series of changes, in which many of the changes were never intended. New cabinets can lead to new counter tops, to new walls or floors, to new fixtures or appliances, and so on. Nick has spoken with customers who have overwhelmed themselves with a flood of changes that broke their budget and certainly gave them a different look, although not necessarily a satisfying look.
Too regularly people look at making changes in a big way, because they are tired of what they have. What they fail to consider, sometimes because they get locked into an idea before considering all of the options, is that there are many ways to create a new look by making changes to wood cabinets and floors. If the footprint of your kitchen or bathroom is good and functional, it might be best to look at what you can do with your existing layout.
When people’s homes get to be 25 years old, wood can be worn looking and they might be considering replacement. It’s easy to get carried away with a larger project than you intend where a single change is made and it begins an entire series of changes resulting in a domino effect.
START SMALL — HAVE A BIG IMPACT
Before beginning changes such as painting, refacing or replacing, (possibly initiating a remodeling chain reaction), homeowners may want to consider re-finishing as a project that can have a big impact without the sanding dust, dirt, chemicals and their odor, demolition and general hassle of a large scale renovation. In fact, you’ll never have to vacate your home because of chemical odor or dirt.
There are now natural products, designed to refinish and restore, that are odorless, safe and create a glow from existing wood that hasn’t been seen in years. The great thing is that a refinishing is only about 1/10 the cost of refacing cabinetry, which itself is about 50% of the cost of replacement.
Since the cost is so little, most people could actually replace appliances, paint and do other decorating that will cost less than the other options and will deliver the homeowner a completely different look and feel. Of course, if you want to change the flow of the room, you will have to approach the project differently. But for freshening up the look, there isn’t a better option.
Nick’s Expenditure Ideas For After Refinishing Savings:
? New Appliances
? New Countertops
? Hardware
? Wall Treatments
? Window Treatments
? Tile Accents — Backsplashes
? New Dining Sets
Often, when refinished, cabinets reclaim their beauty at a fraction of the cost of refacing or replacement… saving homeowners a great deal of money and time. Left photos show cabinets before, right photos illustrate how beautiful cabinets are after refinishing.
