Regarding home improvement, there are some things you can replace or reface. For others, you need to choose one or the other. Read our guide to determine whether you should ditch it or cherish it.

Cabinets

You have so many possibilities with your cabinets. You can reface cabinets by sanding them down, painting or staining. However, you can resurface your cabinets as well. Resurfacing cabinets involves using panels that are placed on the exterior portions of your existing cabinets to instantly update their look. It ends up looking like you had brand new cabinets installed. All you have to do is install new hardware to complete the look. Cabinet doors provide a streamline effect, but if you want simple shelving in your kitchen, you can take off the doors completely and refinish, paint or stain the remaining portions of the cabinets.

Walls

Small details in the home can make a drastic difference. This is especially true with your walls. You can change the texture of your walls if you want a different look. However, to create a larger room or to change door and window location, you can knock out a wall or a portion of it to provide your home greater functionality. However, the only time you will need to replace your walls is if you have significant mold or water damage or the wall has been otherwise irreparably damaged. Crown molding provides an elegant and economical touch to each room.

Furniture

Some furniture is relatively easy to reface. Wood can be sanded down, and it can be restained. Some people prefer to paint their furniture. Staining or painting furniture is a current shabby-chic trend that forces differently styled furniture to become an ensemble. Using the same stain or paint helps to create a more uniform appearance. Furniture that is water or mold damaged will most likely need replacing. In general, avoid mold in the home at all costs. It'll spread like wildfire.

Old Carpet

Carpet is known to harbor allergens and dust mites. If the carpet is particularly old, it'll need to be removed. It can technically be replaced, but you can keep a cleaner home by opting for a hard type of flooring. For instance, you can have polished concrete, hardwood, vinyl, laminate, tile, stonework or anything else imaginable. If you have a hardwood floor underneath your carpet, search for "quality floor refinishing near me" to update your look. Some people opt for polyurethane or epoxy paint for their floors. These types of paint were normally reserved for garage floors because they are highly durable. However, people have been painting their kitchen floors, along with the rest of the homes, with these types of paint, and the results have been absolutely beautiful.

Roof

You need two professional inspections by a certified roofing contractor per year: before and after the cold weather sets in. According to your inspection, you may need to either replace your roof or get simple fixes done. Generally, asphalt shingles will last between 15 and 20 years, but this depends on whether the roof was properly maintained and catastrophic events didn't damage the roof prematurely. Do not put off replacing your roof because it will cost you a lot more money down the road.

Kitchen Counters

Unless your kitchen counters are extremely damaged, it would be wise to reface them. For the countertop portion of your counters, you have numerous possibilities. You can choose tile, marble, granite, cement, wood, bamboo and glass. Some homeowners have used actual pennies sealed in resin as a countertop. Think of your other options for resin: jelly beans, glitter or rocks if you're a geology buff. You can make a countertop out of just about anything. Just consider that you'll be using it to prepare food, so it must be durable.

It has been the trend that "anything goes". This is particularly liberating for those who don't like following the rules, but you should know a secret: Your house is no one's business anyway. Trend or no trend, it's okay to make your house however you want.