The $20,000 Calculation: Cabinet Refacing vs. Replacement 2026

You are standing in your kitchen, looking at dated oak cabinets, and you know it is time for a change. You call a local kitchen contractor, and they give you a quote for $35,000 for a full replacement. Then, you call a refacing company, and they quote you $15,000. That $20,000 gap is what we call "The Calculation." It is the price of keeping your existing cabinet "boxes" versus ripping them out and starting over. But that $20,000 difference is not just about the cabinets themselves. It represents a massive shift in the scope of work, the timeline of your life, and the hidden costs that most contractors do not mention until the drywall is already torn open.

Choosing between cabinet refacing and replacement is the most significant financial decision you will make in a kitchen remodel. If you choose wrong, you either overspend on a kitchen that didn't need a total gut job, or you spend five figures on a refacing project when your cabinet skeletons were actually rotting. At RefinishQuote, we believe in stripping away the sales fluff. We want to show you exactly where that $20,000 goes and help you decide which path actually makes sense for your home and your bank account.

The Hidden Math of Cabinet Replacement

When a salesperson shows you a catalog of beautiful new cabinets, they are selling you the "boxes." What they often fail to emphasize is that removing your old boxes is like pulling a loose thread on a sweater. The moment those cabinets come off the wall, the scope of your project explodes.

The "Ancillary Trades" Trap

In a full replacement, the cost of the cabinets is often only 40% to 50% of the total bill. When you pull out base cabinets, you almost always destroy the countertop and the backsplash. If your current flooring was installed around your cabinets rather than under them, you now have a "footprint" problem. You cannot simply drop new cabinets into the exact same spot and expect the floor to match. This leads to the "while we're at it" spiral: "While we have the cabinets out, we should probably update the electrical outlets, and the plumbing for the sink, and maybe move the gas line for the stove."

Currently, the labor for these ancillary trades (plumbing, electrical, and flooring) can add $5,000 to $10,000 to a project that started as a "simple" cabinet swap. When you compare cabinet refinishing costs or refacing costs to replacement, you must account for these secondary expenses.

The Structural Reality

Replacement is necessary when your current layout is dysfunctional. If you hate the "work triangle" of your kitchen, refacing won't help you. However, if you like where your stove and sink are, you are paying a massive premium to replace perfectly good plywood or solid wood boxes with new plywood or solid wood boxes.

Most high-end homes built in the last 30 years have "furniture grade" cabinet boxes. These are structurally sound and often higher quality than the "stock" cabinets you might buy at a big-box retailer today. Tearing them out is often a waste of both money and perfectly good materials.

What Cabinet Refacing Actually Is (and Isn't)

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between painting, refinishing, and refacing. To make a smart decision, you need to understand the technical anatomy of a refacing project.

The Three Components of Refacing

1. New Doors and Drawer Fronts: You discard your old doors and replace them with brand-new ones. This allows you to change the style completely, for example, moving from a dated raised-panel oak door to a modern Shaker style.
2. Veneering (The "Skin"): This is the most technical part. A technician applies a thin layer of real wood veneer or a synthetic laminate (often called "RTF" or Rigid Thermofoil) to the exterior "face frames" and end panels of your existing cabinet boxes.
3. Hardware and Moldings: You typically get new hinges (usually soft-close), new drawer pulls, and new crown molding to match the new door style.

The Adhesion Science

The biggest risk in refacing is "delamination," when the new skin peels off the old box. This is why we are so direct about the quality of materials. If a contractor uses cheap "peel-and-stick" PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) veneers without proper surface preparation, the skin will fail within three to five years.

A professional refacing job uses industrial-grade contact cements or mechanical fastening for end panels. We always recommend looking for contractors who use HDF (High-Density Fiberboard) for painted doors rather than solid wood. Why? Because HDF does not expand and contract with humidity, meaning your paint won't crack at the joints. This is the kind of technical detail that separates a "cheap" job from a long-term investment. You can learn more about these material choices in our guide on cabinet painting processes.

Side-by-Side Cost Comparison: Real Numbers

To understand the financial pragmatism of this choice, let's look at a typical 20-linear-foot kitchen. These are current market averages as of this year.

Feature	Cabinet Refacing	Full Cabinet Replacement
Cabinet Materials	$4,000 - $7,000	$12,000 - $25,000
Labor & Installation	$3,000 - $6,000	$6,000 - $12,000
Countertops	$0 (Optional)	$3,500 - $8,000
Demolition/Disposal	$500	$1,500 - $3,000
Plumbing/Electrical	$0	$2,000 - $5,000
Total Project Cost	$7,500 - $13,500	$25,000 - $53,000

As you can see, the "entry price" for replacement is often double or triple the cost of refacing. If you are working with a strict budget, refacing allows you to get a "new kitchen look" while keeping your existing countertops. If you want to see how these numbers apply to your specific kitchen, you can get a quote here.

The Durability Debate: Will It Last?

Homeowners often fear that refacing is just a "makeup job" that will look terrible in a few years. This fear is valid if you hire a franchise company that prioritizes speed over chemistry. However, when done correctly, a refaced kitchen can last 15 to 20 years.

The Vulnerability of the Boxes

The longevity of a refacing project depends entirely on the "bones" of your kitchen. If your sink cabinet has significant water damage or the particle board is crumbling (a common issue in builder-grade homes from the 1990s), refacing is a waste of money. You are essentially putting a Mercedes engine in a rusted-out frame.

We tell homeowners the truth: if your boxes are structurally compromised, you must replace them. But if your boxes are solid, the "finish" on a refaced cabinet is often superior to the finish on "stock" cabinets from a big-box store. Many stock cabinets use a thin, low-solids paint that chips easily. Professional refacing companies often use conversion varnishes or 2K polyurethanes that are chemically hardened to resist moisture and impact. We discuss the importance of these coatings in our article on The Science of Cabinet Durability.

The Maintenance Reality

Replacement cabinets are not inherently more durable than refaced ones. Both are susceptible to the same enemies: steam from dishwashers, oils from cooking, and physical impacts. The advantage of refacing is that if you damage one door five years from now, it is significantly easier (and cheaper) to replace a single door from a refacing supplier than it is to track down a discontinued cabinet line from a major manufacturer.

When Replacement is the Only Rational Choice

We are proponents of refacing and refinishing because they are financially pragmatic, but we aren't zealots. There are three specific scenarios where you should ignore the $20,000 savings and pay for a full replacement.

1. The Layout is "Broken"

If your kitchen feels cramped, if you lack a pantry, or if you want to add a large island where a peninsula currently sits, you cannot reface your way out of that problem. Refacing is a cosmetic and surface-level structural upgrade. It does not move walls or change the footprint.

2. Substandard Box Material

If your current cabinets are made of thin, 1/2-inch particle board that is bowing under the weight of your dishes, do not reface them. The added weight of new, heavy HDF or solid wood doors can actually cause the hinges to pull out of the soft particle board over time. In this case, spending $10,000 on refacing is "throwing good money after bad."

3. Total Kitchen Reconfiguration

If you are already planning to tear out floors, move windows, and update all appliances, the incremental cost of new cabinet boxes becomes a smaller percentage of the total budget. In a "gut renovation," the labor for the other trades is already baked into the price, so the "savings" of refacing are diminished.

If you're unsure which category your kitchen falls into, check out our guide on modernizing honey oak cabinets to see if your cabinets are even candidates for a refresh.

How Salespeople Trick You: Exposing Franchise Tactics

The cabinet industry is notorious for high-pressure sales tactics. If you have ever sat through a four-hour "in-home consultation" with a major national franchise, you know the drill. They start with an astronomical price and then offer "today only" discounts of 30% or 50%.

The "Free Labor" Scam

A common tactic is to offer "Free Installation" or "50% off Labor." In reality, the cost of labor is simply moved into the price of the materials. They might charge you $300 for a door that costs them $45. By inflating the material costs, they can "give away" the labor and still maintain a massive profit margin.

The "Exclusive Material" Myth

Some companies claim to have a proprietary "miracle" coating or a "space-age" laminate that no one else has. This is almost always a lie. Most refacing companies buy their doors from the same three or four massive national manufacturers (like Decore-ative Specialties or WalzCraft). The "exclusivity" is just branding.

At RefinishQuote, we believe in transparency. We don't use "today-only" pricing. We use technical data and real-world costs to provide honest estimates. We want you to understand the pros and cons of cabinet painting and refacing before you sign anything.

Making the Decision: A Pragmatic Checklist

To decide which side of "The $20,000 Calculation" you land on, ask yourself these four questions:

1. Do I like my current layout? (If No: Replace. If Yes: Reface/Refinish.)
2. Are my cabinet boxes made of plywood or solid wood? (If Yes: Reface. If No/Particle Board: Inspect closely before refacing.)
3. Am I planning to change my flooring or countertops? (If No: Refacing is the only safe option. If Yes: Both are on the table.)
4. How long do I plan to live in this home? (If <2 years: Refinish. If 5-10 years: Reface. If 20+ years: Consider Replacement.)

By focusing on the technical health of your cabinets and your actual lifestyle needs, you can avoid the trap of overspending. Whether you choose to save that $20,000 or invest it in a total kitchen transformation, do it with your eyes open to the real costs.