CABINET REFACING

A new kitchen without gutting the old one

When the boxes are sound and the layout works, refacing gets you most of the way to a new kitchen for a fraction of the disruption.

Schedule a Discovery CallSpeak with the owner, Jonathan Edwards

What refacing actually is

Refacing keeps the cabinet boxes that are already screwed to your walls and replaces everything you see and touch: new doors, new drawer fronts, new hardware, and a matching skin over the exposed cabinet ends and frames. When it is done properly you cannot tell it from new cabinetry.

The honest version of the pitch is this. Cabinet boxes are plywood or particle-board carcasses. If yours are solid, square and in the right places, replacing them buys you very little — you are paying to throw away structure that was doing its job. The doors, on the other hand, are what make a kitchen look dated, and those are entirely replaceable.

Where refacing stops being the right answer is when the layout is wrong. If the fridge is in a stupid place, if there is no working prep space, if the whole room fights you every time you cook in it — no amount of new doors fixes that. In that case we will tell you to do the kitchen properly rather than take your money for a solution that leaves the actual problem in place.

Refacing works when
  • The boxes are solid and square
  • The layout already works for you
  • You want less disruption
  • The doors and finish are what you hate

If any of those are not true, we will say so on the first call.

Refacing versus a full kitchen

Both are legitimate. They solve different problems.

Refacing

Keeps: boxes, layout, plumbing, electrical.

Replaces: doors, drawer fronts, hardware, exposed panels — and usually countertops and backsplash at the same time, because that is when it makes sense to do them.

Disruption: considerably less. Your kitchen is out of action for a fraction of the time a full renovation takes.

Best when: you like where everything is and hate how it looks.

Full renovation

Keeps: whatever is worth keeping, which is sometimes nothing.

Replaces: cabinetry, layout, appliance placement, lighting, and often the walls between the kitchen and whatever is next to it.

Disruption: real. Weeks, not days, and worth planning around.

Best when: the room does not work, not just that it looks tired.

How we approach it

We look at the boxes before we quote anything

This is the step that gets skipped. Cabinet boxes that have taken on water under a sink, or that were built from something that has since delaminated, are not worth refacing. We open things up and check before we tell you refacing is the right call.

Doors are chosen the same way as new cabinetry

Michelle takes you through door style, profile, finish and hardware exactly as she would on a full kitchen. This is where refacing jobs are won or lost — a cheap door on a good box still reads as a cheap kitchen.

Countertops and backsplash usually come with it

Most people do these at the same time. The cabinets are already exposed, the disruption is already happening, and a new door next to a countertop from 1998 does the new door no favours.

You get a fixed price before anything starts

Same as every project we run. Not an estimate that moves once the first door comes off.

What it costs

Refacing sits below a full kitchen renovation, but where exactly depends on the door you choose, how many of them there are, and whether countertops come with it.

Our kitchen cost guide breaks down the tiers properly and explains what drives the number.

Kitchen cost guide →

The honest caveat

Refacing is not automatically cheap. A large kitchen with a lot of doors, in a good-quality door with new countertops, can land close to what a modest full renovation would cost. We will show you both numbers and let you choose.

Refacing questions

Will it look like a refaced kitchen?
Not if it is done properly. The giveaway on a bad refacing job is mismatched finishes between the doors and the cabinet skins, or a skin that has been cut short and leaves the old finish visible at an edge. Those are workmanship problems, not refacing problems.
How long does it take?
Meaningfully less than a full kitchen. Because the boxes stay and there is no demolition, plumbing or electrical work in most cases, the on-site portion is short. Lead time on the doors is usually the longest part, and we order before we start.
Can I change the layout at all while you are in there?
Small changes, sometimes — a cabinet removed, a run of upper cabinets replaced with open shelving, a new pantry door. Anything that moves plumbing or appliances is a renovation rather than a refacing, and it should be priced as one.
Can you match new cabinetry to my existing boxes if I add an island?
Usually yes. The doors are new either way, so a new island built to match is a straightforward addition. That is a common way to get more from a refacing job.
What if my boxes turn out to be in poor shape?
We tell you before we start, not after. If the boxes will not hold new doors properly, refacing is the wrong solution and we will quote you the alternative instead.
Do you reface bathroom vanities too?
Yes, and it is often a sensible way to update a bathroom that does not need a full renovation.

Not sure whether to reface or renovate?

Send us photos of your kitchen. We will tell you honestly which one your room actually needs.

Or call us directly at 825-425-4119