There are four basic ways to update your kitchen cabinets - refinishing, painting, refacing, or replacing. The method that will work best for you depends on several factors, including the time and money you would like to invest in the process. Most importantly, though, it depends on what you have now and what you want to have when you're done:

Refinishing kitchen cabinets is much like refinishing any furniture - you take it apart, renew the stain and finish, and put it back together. This may be the method for you if:

• Your cabinets are not in need of significant repair, but are starting to look a little dull or dingy,
• They are made of wood and have a clear finish (that is, you can see the grain of the wood),
• You don't need to change or modify your cabinets to accommodate a new appliance,
• The layout and functionality of the cabinets suits you - your food, silverware, glassware and pots and pans all have enough space, and all are conveniently located,
• The design of the cabinets suits you, and
• You like the color the cabinets are now, or would like them to be a little darker.

Painting may be the method you want to use if all of the criteria above are true except:

• Your cabinets are made of metal, or pressboard, or any material other than wood, or
• They are made of wood, but you don't like the look of the wood grain, or
• Your wood cabinets have a finish that is significantly darker than you like, and making them lighter would make your kitchen feel noticeably brighter and more open, but you don't want, or need, to go to the trouble and expense of refacing them.

Refacing kitchen cabinets is a major undertaking, but the results can very impressive. When kitchen cabinets are refaced, the rails and stiles of any face frames are covered with new material. The doors may also be covered with new material, if they are smooth, but are often replaced. The drawers, or the fronts of the drawers, may be replaced, or they may also be recovered, if they are smooth. This means that you can turn 'Colonial' into 'Mediterranean' or 'Spanish,' or the other way around. You can turn dark wood into light, or even transform non-wood cabinets into wood cabinets, to all appearances. Refacing may be the way for you to go if:

• Your cabinets are not in need of significant repair, but are looking a little dull or dingy,
• You don't need to change or modify your cabinets to accommodate a new appliance,
• The layout and functionality of the cabinets suits you - your food, silverware, glassware and pots and pans all have enough space, and all are conveniently located, and
• You want to have wood cabinets in a lighter color than you have now, or
• You want to have wood cabinets instead of the non-wood, non-metal ones you have now, or
• You want to change the style of your cabinets without replacing them.

Replacing your existing cabinets is the most expensive and time consuming method of updating, but it may be the best choice for you if:

• Your existing cabinets need more repair than they're worth, or
• You want to change from metal to wood, or vice-versa, or
• You need to significantly re-configure the storage space in your cabinets, or
• You are rearranging the work flow in your kitchen by relocating major appliances or the sink, or
• You need to make space for one or more new appliances.