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A Smart Investment for a Dream Kitchen

When Dan and Leanne Mace decided to update their kitchen from a casual beach style to a sleek modern look, they wanted quality that fit within their budget. "We thought about just painting the cabinets, but we knew over time the paint would dull and chip," Leanne said. "And we wanted something that was longer lasting."

A personal referral compelled them to call John Marino, owner of Carolina Cabinet Refacing. "We liked the option of refacing because it has a beautiful look without the expense," Leanne says. To achieve the "classic contemporary style" they wanted, the white cabinets, fruity backsplash and white tile countertops were swapped for light maple cabinets and dark granite.

According to Marino, the average cost for a kitchen remodel in Charlotte is $43,000 and takes up to two months to complete. Though most cabinetmakers offer a one to five year warranty, Marino says he is able to stand behind his work because of his exclusive relationship with the Amish who supply his products.

"They are extremely conscientious about the workmanship in everything that they do." By using this Old World craftsmanship the company is able to offer an unmatched lifetime warranty.

The concept is simple. Carolina Cabinet Refacing removes the old doors and covers the facings with 1/4" hardwoods instead of the paper-like veneers used by most companies. Certified carpenters then attach solid wood doors with hidden soft-close hinges. When the coordinating trim work is completed, the result is a brand-new look at a fraction of the time of a traditional remodel.

Besides having the cabinets refaced, the Mace's replaced their island with a curved model that was suited for entertaining while cooking. Since Dan is an architect, the Mace's had some specialized design requests. "They were able to work with my husband's vision and helped him come up with the plan to get the updated look we wanted," Leanne says.

When it came to the finishing touches, Leanne says the company made it easy for her by providing referrals. Since Marino gets builder prices on granite and top-of-the-line appliances, he says his company is a "one stop shop."

Marino says his company's warranty, product and service is the reason they were voted the "Best Cabinet Refacing Company of the Carolina's." Leanne agrees. "The kitchen is always the focal point, and now what you see when you walk in is spectacular and beautiful."

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Anything BUT Builder Basic

After changing out countertops and still not satisfied with the look of their kitchen, David Gritt helped his wife, Yvonne, see what they really didn't like about their kitchen: It was their cabinets.

Although the light oak cabinets were an upgrade from the builder cabinets from four years prior, the cabinets weren't working for the Gritt family. "There were limited choices in builder cabinets at the time. These were your basic production-type cabinet without solid wood doors," says David Gritt.

Changing the cabinets completely was going to be expensive especially since they wanted to keep their countertops and the tile backsplash. "Everything else in the kitchen looked great- except the light-colored cabinets," says Gritt.

They researched their options and discovered cabinet refacing was a viable alternative. After meeting John Marino at Carolina Cabinet Refacing, the Gritts were sold on the product and were eager to make their decisions. "John came right to our house with door samples including styles and colors. That really made a difference when we could see the actual product against our countertops and backsplash. We signed the contract that night," says Gritt.

The Gritts chose the cherry hardwood with Tuscan stain with a simple raised panel door style. The finish is now a deep, rich cherry rather than the old, light honey oak color. After the selections, it took only about six weeks for their new doors to arrive and only about two days for installation.

"The actual process starts with refacing the boxes in hardwood to match the door and drawer fronts," said Marino. "The door and drawer fronts are the finest grade furniture select, Amish-crafted hardwoods used. These can be matched in virtually any wood, any stain, any style or custom glaze," says Marino.

Unlike new cabinets, disruption to the household is minimal. "They enclosed the work area in plastic to contain the dust and refaced the boxes on the first day. On the second day they installed the doors, drawers and hardware. That was it," says Gritt.

Carolina Cabinet Refacing also installed a light rail along the bottom of the upper cabinets and enclosed them so that the underside of their old cabinets did not show. "No particle wood, just nice cherry wood that showed through. It really gave the cabinets a nice beefy look," says Gritt.

In hindsight, Gritt admits he could have gotten his builder to provide a larger selection of cabinets when they were building his house, but he says he could not have gotten the quality and value he got from Carolina Cabinet Refacing. "We got custom cabinets without the custom price," says Gritt.

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A Kitchen Tested Design Recipe

When Pat and Virginia Mackin of Lake Norman deciding to remodel their kitchen, they knew they had a big task in front of them. Their kitchen was actually part of three large rooms-the kitchen, den and breakfast room-about 1,300-square feet all total. Their main objective was to update the three rooms including the large quantity of kitchen cabinets, without breaking the bank.

"We loved the cabinets and the cabinet layout except they were painted solid white against a pickled wood floor," says Mackin. "We wanted darker cabinets and a darker floor. Of course all of this had to blend in with the den and breakfast rooms."

The Mackins were especially concerned about the cabinets because there were so many of them. "I knew that could take up a substantial part of the budget if we didn't look carefully at all of our options."

Helping them through this huge task was Kelly Cruz of Kelly Cruz Interiors. She suggested three options, all with varying prices: Faux paint the cabinets, purchase all new cabinets or reface their cabinets.

"You can imagine the enormous cost to install all new cabinets in this space-the house wasn't that old so it seemed like a waste to trash the old ones. We didn't want to faux paint because we were interested in real wood finishes," says Mackin.

After much consideration, careful product review and the skillful interior design advice from Cruz, the Mackins chose to reface their cabinets. They selected Carolina Cabinet Refacing for the project. John Marino is their president and he and his craftsmen got right to work.

"The overall value for the money can't be beat," says Cruz, "And Marino has good integrity. He has a way of making you feel comfortable and confident in their abilities. They can completely change the look of your cabinets."

Teaming up with the Cruz design team was a natural fit for Marino. After working with the homeowners to select a maple door and drawer fronts, they were ready for the construction to begin.

"The actual process starts with refacing the boxes in hardwoods installed on the cabinet faces to match the door and drawer fronts," said Marino. "The door and drawer fronts are the finest grade Amish-select hardwoods used. These can be matched in virtually any wood, any stain, any style or custom glaze," says Marino.

One might wonder with such a drastic color change on the door and drawer fronts, when the cabinets are open, does the bright white inside still exist and flash the kitchen? Not to worry added Mackin. "They painted the inside of the cabinets to match the maple wood color so that we would not see any white when the doors and drawers were open. It all blends in very nicely."

And how was the construction? "The two gentlemen on the crew worked really hard and efficiently to get the job done. They cleaned up each day before leaving," says Mackin.

Even after months since their cabinet refacing, the Mackin's are still amazed with the finished product. "I still can't believe how great it looks."

And how did the refacing compare to other options? Mackin estimates that by refacing the cabinets instead of getting all new cabinets, it saved them at least 50 percent with far less disruption and inconvenience.

Now that's when you can really say, "I love my cabinets!"