Kitchen Cabinet Refacing Cost and Process

Cabinet refacing involves replacing your existing doors and drawers, then putting a new skin on the frames of the cabinets. The cabinet hardware such as handles, and hinges are often replaced. Refacing cabinets is a more affordable option than replacing them all together. Painting costs less again. Which of the three fits your kitchen depends on the condition of your doors and the look you are after.

Let’s see how it’s done and then talk about price.

Note: Premier Cabinet Painting refaces cabinets, paints them, and refinishes them. We will look at your kitchen and tell you which of the three actually fits — including when that is not the service you called us about.

One thing worth knowing before you compare quotes: for a solid painted look, the industry norm is to laminate the cabinet frames. We paint them instead. It looks better, it lasts longer, and it costs less.

Refacing Cabinets Step One

As you can see the doors and drawers have been removed. The frames have been cleaned and sanded before applying the adhesive shown here. This adhesive is being applied for the new veneer to stick to.

The Following Steps

Next, the veneer being applied to the frames of the cabinets. Good quality veneer is important for a lasting cabinet refacing project.

Then the edges are routed for a sharp finish. All the cabinet openings for the drawers and doors will be routed and cleaned up.

And finally the new doors and drawers are being installed. This gives you the ability to pick any profile of door that you want. If you’d like shaker style doors this can happen.

You may also want to consider painting your cabinet frames and replacing your doors and drawers. This is common when you’re tired of the profile of your doors. Often times, our customers with cathedral shaped doors will want them changed as they tend to be dated. This becomes a hybrid between cabinet refacing and cabinet painting.

Now I know this was a lighting fast explanation of how cabinets are refaced but you should still have a good understanding of how it works.

Cabinet Refacing Cost

Refacing a kitchen typically runs $7,000 to $12,000. Painting the same kitchen runs $3,500 to $6,500, so refacing lands at roughly double. Replacing the cabinets outright starts around $12,000 and climbs well past $25,000 once you add tear-out, new countertops, and putting the room back together afterwards.

So, if your cabinets are in good shape and you’re just tired of the color then painting and refinishing may be a good option for you. Watch our cabinet painting process.