Hi Everyone– I have a question for anyone who has re-finished or re-furbished cabinets.  Here we go:

The previous owner of our house did some quick fixes before selling.  One of them was slapping a bunch of latex paint over the kitchen cabinets– without bothering to do things like– say– remove Scotch tape stuck to the surface.  

They also painted over all of the hardware– and the hinges are a tarnished brass 3/8″ inset hinge.  

Let’s start with hinges.  If I want to replace the existing hinges– But I can’t find an EXACT hole/geometry match because the hinges are just a little different here and there– Should I:

1) Search old and reproduction places in hopes of finding an exact match so I don’t have to re-drill?

2) Give up on finding exact hinges and put new hinges all around– (What do I do with the older holes to fill?  Is there a filler which can be drilled?  We’re talking eighths of inches in differences here and there — Or should I move the hinge up or down 1/4″ (drilling new holes)? 

Next problem– How do you hang doors on existing cabinets and get everything to line up perfectly?  The cabinets are still mounted on the walls– What are your tricks for aligning doors if I’m using all new hinges?  

Seeking a professional result from a patient amatuer.