Honestly, I get the urge to toss the old stuff when it starts acting up, but is it just me or do repairs sometimes last longer than expected? I swear, my ancient cabinet doors have survived more “just one more fix” sessions than my car. Sure, it’s a headache when the hinges squeak or the door sags, but is a full redesign really worth the price tag if you’re pinching pennies? Sometimes I wonder if a little patience (and maybe some WD-40) does the trick... at least for another year or two.
If the cabinets are still holding up, I'd patch them and save the cash. In my experience, unless you're selling soon or the damage is major, a full remodel rarely pays off. A little elbow grease goes further than most people think.
A little elbow grease goes further than most people think.
I’d have to agree with that, especially with older homes. My cabinets are original to the house—over 90 years old—and while they’ve got their quirks, a bit of wood filler and fresh paint made a world of difference. Full remodels can strip out a lot of character, too. Unless there’s rot or structural issues, I’d patch and preserve what you can. Sometimes the charm is in the imperfections.
Couldn’t agree more about the quirks being part of the charm. I’ve worked on kitchens where folks wanted to rip out everything, but once we cleaned up the original cabinets and swapped out hardware, the whole space felt warmer—like it still belonged to the house. Sometimes a deep clean and a bit of sanding does more than a sledgehammer ever could. That said, I get the itch for shiny new stuff... but there’s something about old wood that just feels right, you know?
Honestly, I’m with you on the old wood—there’s just something about it that new cabinets can’t fake. That said, I’ve seen a few kitchens where “vintage charm” was more like “stuck-in-the-70s nightmare,” and no amount of sanding could save those avocado green doors. Still, most of the time, a little elbow grease and some new hardware go a long way. Sometimes I think people underestimate how much character you can keep with just a refresh instead of a full gut job.
