Should I Recover or Replace Cabinet Doors

Here’s something that most customers don’t know, cabinet makers don’t really recover the existing cabinet doors they basically replace them with new ones. This rings true for Formica, plastic laminate style cupboard doors. The reason that the existing doors are not reused is because it’s easier to just cut new doors rather than try to make the old ones work.

If a cabinet maker was going to recover the existing cupboard doors, he would have to trim all of the edges off of each door and drawer front. The reason that this step would need to be performed is because when the doors get re-laminated it adds an additional one sixteenth of an inch to the board’s size. Cabinetry parts are very methodically made and precisely figured in order for everything to work properly.

This presents a major problem if the boards are not trimmed down prior to recovering them with new plastic laminate. What could happen is that the Formica cabinet doors would not close properly because they would rub against each other.


Now, to replace Formica plastic laminate doors with real wood or Thermofoil cabinet doors, there is a significant price difference to be considered. Some manufacturing places will sell an upgraded door for an economical price because it’s easier to just order them from a door manufacturing company rather than investing in the materials and labor required to fabricate plastic laminate doors.

Your cabinet doors are going to be completely replaced in most situations when you decide to recover your kitchen or bathroom vanity cabinetry. Depending on the color of your cabinets, you may be able to just replace the doors without doing anything to the face of your cabinets.