Kitchen Cabinet Refacing Cost Calculator

Refacing replaces all the visible exterior surfaces while keeping your existing cabinet box structure. What gets replaced: all cabinet doors, all drawer fronts, and a veneer or laminate skin applied to the exposed sides and face frames of the boxes. What stays: the interior box (sides, top, bottom, back), the toe kicks, and the existing shelving. Because 50–60% of the cabinet structure is reused, refacing is significantly cheaper than a full replacement — you get a brand-new look without the cost, mess, and downtime of tearing out and rebuilding cabinets.

Refacing is priced per linear foot (LF) of cabinet run, typically $100 to $225+ per LF installed depending on the material. A typical U- or L-shaped kitchen (22–28 LF) in RTF or wood veneer with shaker doors costs $3,500–$6,500 fully installed. Budget kitchens with laminate flat-slab doors can come in at $2,000–$3,500, while high-end projects with solid wood, raised or arched panels, premium hardware, and soft-close throughout can reach $7,000–$12,000+. Use the calculator above to price your kitchen by upper/lower footage, material, door style, condition, and hardware.

Refacing typically costs 40–60% less than full replacement and takes 2–4 days versus 1–3 weeks. It's worth it when your cabinet boxes are structurally sound and your layout already works. Refacing is NOT worth it if the boxes are water-damaged, warped, or made of swelling particle board; if you want to change the layout (add an island, remove a peninsula, move cabinets); or if the refacing quote lands within about 30% of full replacement pricing — at that point new cabinets give you more for a small premium. For sound boxes and a good layout, refacing is one of the best-value kitchen updates.

These are the four refacing materials, in rough cost order. Laminate (~$100/LF) is the most affordable — durable, easy to clean, and available in many colors; great for budgets and rentals. RTF/thermofoil (~$120/LF) is MDF with a vinyl film heat-pressed over routed profiles — seamless, moisture-resistant, and the popular mid-range pick, though the foil can peel near heat sources over time. Wood veneer (~$165/LF) uses real thin-sliced wood over MDF for a genuine grain that can be stained. Solid wood (~$225/LF) is the most durable and customizable, with the highest price and longest lifespan. Material is the single biggest cost driver.

Most standard kitchens (20–30 LF) take 2–4 business days start to finish. Day 1 is removing the old doors and drawer fronts, cleaning and lightly sanding the boxes, and applying the veneer or laminate skin to the exposed sides and face frames. Days 2–3 are installing the new doors, drawer fronts, and hardware, then adjusting everything. Kitchens with complex custom features, glass inserts, crown molding, or significant repair work may take 4–7 days. Throughout, your kitchen stays largely usable since the boxes and countertops stay in place — a big advantage over a full remodel.

Partial DIY is feasible — you can buy pre-made doors and RTF or peel-and-stick veneer sheets and install them yourself, budgeting roughly $800–$2,000 in materials versus $3,000–$7,000 for professional installation. But a professional result takes a heat gun, precise measurements, router skills for fitting, and patience for face-frame veneer application. Mistakes on veneer or hinge alignment are common and hard to fix without starting over, and many DIYers end up hiring a pro to correct errors. DIY suits confident, patient homeowners doing a simple flat-door kitchen; for a flawless finish, complex profiles, or repairs, professional installation is worth the cost.

The four common refacing styles are flat/slab (completely smooth, modern, and cheapest — the base), shaker (a five-piece frame with a recessed center panel, the most popular style, +10%), raised panel (a center panel raised above the frame for a traditional look, +20%), and cathedral/arch (a shaker or raised panel with an arched top rail, +30%). Each step up in complexity adds material and machining time, which is why the calculator scales the base rate by style. Shaker is the safe, on-trend default; flat is best for a modern look and budget; raised and arched suit traditional kitchens.

No — countertops are a separate project. A refacing contractor may disconnect and reinstall your existing countertop to access the cabinet boxes, which is seamless if the countertop is in good shape. If you want new countertops, coordinate the timing so the countertop fabricator follows right after refacing — the cabinet dimensions don't change (the boxes stay the same size), so a new top will fit the existing footprint. Refacing plus new countertops together is a common, cost-effective way to get a near-total kitchen transformation for far less than a full remodel.

Refacing is the ideal time to add them, because the cabinets are already open and accessible. European-style soft-close concealed hinges install on the new doors and the interior box sides, and soft-close undermount slides can replace the existing drawer slides — figure about $8 per linear foot for a full soft-close upgrade, roughly $300–$500 for a kitchen. You can also add all-new drawer boxes if the old ones are worn (an add-on here), plus pull-out shelves for lower cabinets. These accessibility and comfort upgrades are cheap to bundle into refacing and make the kitchen feel genuinely renovated.

Key questions: (1) Do new doors use a solid-wood or MDF core? (MDF is standard and fine; solid wood matters if you may repaint later.) (2) Is the box veneer peel-and-stick or heat-activated? (Heat-activated bonds are more durable.) (3) What's the door warranty, and who backs it — the manufacturer or the installer? (4) Can I see 2–3 completed projects like mine? (5) Is hardware installation included, and do I supply the hardware? Get at least three quotes, since refacing pricing varies widely by market and contractor — and confirm exactly which surfaces are veneered so you're comparing the same scope.