Kitchen cabinets: refurbish or replace?

Kitchen cabinets endure more abuse than most any other item in your household, going from gleaming to grimy in no time. So WalletPop asked some experts how to tell when your cabinets need a facelift and which of the many options to choose.

Brian Kelsey, host of "HGTV Creative Edge with Brian," took among the most conservative approaches:

"As long as the cabinet structure is sound and in good shape, you really don't need to replace your cabinets," he tells WalletPop. "You could freshen them with a new coat of paint, and/or hardware -- easy and inexpensive DIY fixes."

But even the most optimistic know that sometimes you have to cry uncle.