Expert: Jamie Yocono - 11/9/2007

Question
QUESTION: Help me make a decison.
1/  Pay $2800 for prep and painting existing knotty pine wood cabinets but need to keep Amerock 7128 exposed hinges.  Drawback is that exposed hinges are out dated and I have a contemporary/traditional decor in open area living, dining and kitchen.
2/  Pay $5600 for new doors and drawers with european hinges and rest of cabinets spray painted white along with new doors and drawers.  Don't know if it is a major drawback or not but it would be hardwood made of popular wood and mdf. Would this be okay for the cabinet doors/drawers?

ANSWER: Hi Sil,

As much as it pains me to spend that much (of your) money, I would go for the $5600 option and get new doors/drawers and hardware.

Using your old hardware is what made the difference for me- those old hinges aren't adjustable, and over time, doors sag. Plus, you said your decor is contemporary. And those doors/hinges definitely are NOT contemporary.

Poplar and MDF are suitable for painted cabinetry, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Here are my thoughts- the $2800 seems expensive for just repainting the all your old stuff.

But for $5600, you're getting everything new. That seems to be more reasonable a price for replacing everything. I know that I spend about $6.00 for each European hinge I use; I use the good ones. So depending on how many hinges/doors/drawers you have, the higher amount seems more reasonable. The lower amount seems like it's overpriced.

Did that help? Write back if you need more information, or just a little moral support for spending that much.  Ouch. Good luck,

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: If I have it painted white, I would get new amerock 7128 hinges in satin nickel and new knobs. There will be 2 hinges per door as opposed to 3 or 4 hinges.  Would this still look outdated in a contemporary home?

Also, I called the guy back about the new doors and drawers and everything else painted for $5600.  He said it would be poplar or alder but the middle part of it would be plywood.  Is this the same as MDF what it originally said?  Would the doors look cheap with the cheap wood or does it matter since they are being painted?
Is Dunn Edwards a good paint for the cabinets?  Is Frazee a good paint for the cabinets?

ANSWER: Hi Sil,

Yes, I think the Amerock 7128 hinge will still look a little outdated on your cupboards, even with a fresh coat of paint. It's just that most newer homes use European hardware, which is totally adjustable in 3 different planes. That Amerock 7128 isn't, and the look of it is dated, as well. It would be my preference in a contemporary kitchen to not use the Amerock hinge.

As far as your other questions - I would rather have plywood for door panels, rather than MDF. It's more durable, however MDF probably paints better. There is no grain to MDF, so it won't show a wood grain underneath the paint. I don't think the doors will look cheap, as long as they do a nice job painting them. that means no drips, runs, dust. Make sure you ask them for some leftover paint, so when (or if) you chip something, you can touch it up. Don't let them just give you a spoonful, ask for a pint. Also, ask for the color # of the paint, so if you want to paint down the line, you'll have it.

As far as the brands you mentioned, I've used Dunn Edwards and it's been fine for me. Don't know anything about Frazee, though.

Did that help? Write back if you need more info.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I heard wrong.  The voice message said the center would be fiberboard not plywood.  If there isn't any grain on the mdf, when the painter sand and put 2 coats of oil based prime and 2 coats of semi gloss, would the knotty pine wood cabinets show any grain through the paint?

Answer
Sil,

As far as painting your old cabinets, I always tend to lean away from that. First, the knotty pine can be problematic. Pine sap tends to bleed from knots, and even though most painters will seal it with a quick coat of shellac, the knots can still bleed. Plus- if the wood dries out significantly, the knot can become loose and eventually fall out. I've seen this happen. So if it were my kitchen, I would want to lose those pine doors.

And yes- specific to the question you asked, your knotty grain can possibly show through the paint.

As far as the panel being MDF or plywood, there really isn't that much of a difference, in terms of what the painting will look like. The MDF would be better, as it shows no grain, but the plywood (I think) is slightly more durable. But it's not like you're going to be running a forklift through your door panels, right?

OK, I hope these last few answers helped. Write again if you need more help.

Jamie in Las Vegas
www.wooditis.com