Thinking of refacing cabinets!

bichon mom · ‎04-18-2011

We moved into this house last year. I really don't like the kitchen cabinets and am thinking of having them refaced. Replacing the cabinets is just too costly.
I would like to know if anyone else have opted for this and have they held up?
Also, if you don't mind sharing about how much it cost.
I have two companies scheduled to come give me estimates in March. Now I am not sure.
Any input would be appreciated. TIA

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

I had it done years ago in my old house. Pretty small kitchen and it cost $5000....no more than $6000. The cabinets doors where changed out. Same guy did our master bath but don't remember that cost. Fast forward some years, I had him to the house again for spare bathroom and laundry room cabinets (just 2 cabinets in laundry room) and he wanted over $3000. So prices went up. Didn't have that done. We moved too and the area I live in now has cabinet refacing advertised every where.

tessam · ‎04-30-2010

MANY years ago when we moved into our first home we refaced the kitchen cabinets. We have long since moved, but the day we left, after 10 years they still looked pristine and new. The BEST advice I can give you is select your company carefully. If the lowest estimate sounds too good, it probably is. Sometimes it is worth paying a little more to avoid headaches once the job is complete. Do check references!!!! I can't remember the cost of our project and it was so long ago the price would be meaningless at this point. It also depends where you live. We are in a high cost of living and paid more than if we were elsewhere. IMO refacing can leave you with a great look. Just manage the job and make no assumptions. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Janey2 · ‎06-07-2010

I refaced kitchen cabinets about 6 years ago because no one wanted to guarantee that my granite countertop would not crack if I replaced the cabinets. Anyway they look fantastic. You cannot tell that it was just the doors and molding that was replaced. I will tell you I paid as much as some pay for new cabinets. The guy did a great job. It took him and a helper about a week. It is not a small job. The cost depends on how many cabinets you have and what cabinets you choose.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

I looked into this when we first bought our house, about 20 years ago. We couldn't afford it at the time, but revisited it about five years later and the cost had doubled in that short amount of time, for the same type and quality of materials.

So while that quote would not be good now, even at the time, it was possible to completely replace the cabinets at the time for maybe only double what the refacing was running.

Interested in hearing anyone's more recent experiences too.

vermint · ‎04-05-2010

When we re-did our kitchen in 2013, the guy quoted us a HIGHER price to reface than to replace. This was a local cabinet maker. I don't remember the reason, but we got beautiful, brand-new cabinets for less than half the price Lowe's quoted us.

I live in South Carolina...we do have a lower cost of living here.

RespectLife · ‎02-27-2012

@bichon mom

We refaced about 5-6 years ago. We spent $8000 to do the entire kitchen.

That included changing out some doors for drawers, (custom built the drawers for us), adding electrical (6 more recessed lights) and custom staining and matching of window trim and microwave shelf. All framework was beautifully covered. Not one speck of the old showing through.

We went with a company that was using all wood doors and drawer fronts. Some companies we met with such as Sears were using MDF combos.

To replace with the exact same layout, $45,000 was the cheapest. To change the layout, $58K min. As as mentioned before, no guarantees they wouldn't crack my existing fairly new granite.

IMHO You would never know we refaced...looks fantastic to this day.

Here are some before and after pics:

BEFORE: 80's Oak

OLD KITCHEN #1.JPG