This Old House Reveals the Benefits of Cabinet Refacing Over Replacing!

April 12, 2023

An article by This Old House, "Reface or Replace Cabinets?" asks the question of whether refacing cabinets is a viable option or not.


It begins with a Maryland homeowner, Mary Saunders, who couldn't stand the way her kitchen cabinets looked the moment she moved into her home with her husband.

She said, "They were metal, the color of bronze." But her husband's motto was, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." After his passing, Mary wanted to redo her entire kitchen.

However, instead of spending $25,000 or more to remodel the kitchen with new cabinets, she opted for the cheaper, simpler, and far less intrusive solution of refacing her cabinets.

It took two days at a cost of $9,100 to transform Mary's kitchen with new cabinets. She said, "I'm 100 percent satisfied."

And she's not alone!

Thousands of homeowners every year are making the decision to reface cabinets versus replace them.

Cabinets built 20 or 30 years ago made of solid wood are more durable than most modular, prebuilt cabinets today. The article states that sometimes it doesn't make sense to start from scratch when it's time to remodel a kitchen.

What goes into cabinet refacing?

It involves giving cabinets a fresh look by installing new doors, hardware, and drawer fronts while covering the visible surfaces with matching wood or laminate veneers.


Refacing typically takes two to four days, depending on the kitchen size and any additional upgrades, like replacing countertops or adding extra cabinets.

Once the job is done, the average person can't even tell the cabinets were refaced.

So how much does it cost? It depends on the size of the kitchen, the materials, how many options/accessories were chosen, etc. The average cabinet refacing job on the low end could range from $4,000 – $5,000 and $8,000 – $9,000 on the high end.

Either way, the article in This Old House mentions, "Whatever you pay, it's bound to be significantly less than the cost of a new kitchen."

On average, a complete luxury kitchen cabinet remodel costs approximately twice as much as a high-end refacing job.

Refacing is by far the most convenient option and offers major cost savings.

If you're interested in learning more, check out This Old House's article highlighting the benefits of cabinet refacing over replacing.