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[PurpleBunny]

I did it about ten years ago, and "thought" they held up welll but just last month I noticed the right side is pulling out of the ceiling. I guess the cabinets underneath have finally worn out and can't take the weight.  Esthetically, they look fine. We got a package deal that included new countertops, so I can't really recall the price. We did it through Home Depot. 

[homedecor1]

In our case - we have galley style kitchen - the original doors were MDF Formica overlay.  The reason I had to replace them is they were 20 years old and falling apart at the hinges and doors were a mess. The box part was made of the same materials it was better to replace the entire kitchen at this point. (Track housing development).

Most our neighbors had refacing done using "thermfoil" cabinets, feels like plastic coated.   

We priced out full refacing with "new door & drawer fronts" the estimates ranged from $6000-8000. 

I went to large cabinet warehouse where they do installation & granite too. I had complete new cabinets, pot drawers, handles and granite countertops for $9600.  I bought coastal cream color solid wood, self closing (quiet) they are warranted for 10 years against defects. 

PS: be very careful who you choose & make sure they are reputable and licensed. I tried to stay w/in budget -  love them but FYI all the other stuff plumbing, electrical I hired a private contractor because this company was not licensed to do these services.

[NicksmomESQ]

  I refaced my cabinets 9 years ago. They were originally done in a light oak.I refaced them in white.They came out beautifully!! I have a pretty large kitchen.In addition to the refacing I had the guy build me a pantry & add crown moulding around the top of the cabinets.I paid $9,000 for the entire job which also included custom hardware, a beautiful brushed stainless steel sink & a marble countertop!!

  At the time I was given a price of $27,000 to replace!! I'm glad I refaced instead.I still get compliments on my kitchen.It still looks new!!!

  We had gotten 4 estimates .They ranged from $7,500 to $15,000 We went with the second  cheapest one.The owner of the business came over personally to provide us with an estimate.We were impressed with him & gave him the job!! I have since referred him to 3 of my friends.

[Mom2Dogs]

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@Jewel22 wrote:

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.  

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@Janey2....when you say you only replaced the doors and molding does that mean you replaced with the same color/finish so that everything still matched?

I would love to have my cupboards resurfaced as well...they are wood, stained and the stain is wearing in some areas,  otherwise they look great after 35+years of use.

Thanks!

[libbyannE]

First, be sure the layout of the kitchen is to your liking and up to date. Sadly, I had an older aunt and uncle years ago who had all the surfaces in their kitchen updated--new counters, cabinet doors, appliances, flooring. But the dated layout was not addressed. It still looked like an old kitchen. When my aunt had an agent list the house later, she was surprised that her "new" kitchen was of no value and was, in fact, a detriment. Had she and my uncle asked me beforehand, I would have advised them to gut the room and start over. But if your layout is good, then evaluate the condition of the cabinets to see if they are worth the investment. If the cabinets are quality, refinishing them, facing the doors, or replacing door and drawer fronts can work well. But the process of deciding starts with whether or not the kitchen layout is good.

[151949]

I think it all comes down to what is underneath. You wouldn't want to pay to reface cabinets that are poor quality to start with. However, if they are good quality wood cabinets then, buy all means keep the "boxes" and reface then put new doors and drawer fronts.

[moejoe]

I bought Nuvo paint on Amazon I think, maybe a year ago, used a quart and a half, it is grey but kind of looks light blue...they have many colors, just google it and find best price, think it was about $40 a quart, and my kitchen turned out beautiful, so glad I did it.....very easy to use....this picture shows some as they were, oak, and how they were finished.

[Janey2]

Momtodogs....I changed the front of cabinets, drawers, molding, and the sides that the cabinets end. I went from white to white so the inside stayed the same.

[CAcableGirl2]

I decided that once I got granite installed, I hated the old "honey oak" cabinets.  They were in great shape and solid wood, but I was tired of the color and figured that I would give refinishing the cabinets a try since new cabinets would be $10,000+.  After looking at the before and after pictures on line at the home improvement websites, I gave Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations a try.  If you look it up, check out the customer before and after pictures.  It took me a couple of months to complete the entire kitchen, since I was doing it myself some evenings and some weekends.  They turned out so good, they look brand new and each kit is only about $79 so for only about $160 I completely changed the look of my kitchen.  It cost me 3x the cost of the paint kits to update the hardware.  My kitchen is huge, with 27 doors and 11 drawers and I used less than 2 kits!  Looks fabulous so if you have the time and are willing to do the work, you can save a lot of money.  There was no sanding involved, just a de-glosser, 3 coats of paint that was included (I used black and wanted it super dark, but you can customize it for any color), one coat of glaze, and one top coat.  It did take some time, but was well worth the efforts.  If I can find my old pics, I'll post some before and after tomorrow.

[ID2]

Wow I never knew refacing cabinets was so expensive!! For that price, I'd go to IKEA and replace. We did the studio apt in our carriage house (living quarters about the garage). The kitchenette we put in were IKEA and it is so very pretty! Easy too! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!