Cabinet refacing has one of the best marketing departments in renovation. The pitch is seductive: new doors, new drawer fronts, new veneer on the boxes, same kitchen, half the price, done in days. And sometimes it is exactly right. Other times it is lipstick on a structural problem, and you will know the difference every time you open a drawer for the next fifteen years.
When refacing wins
Refacing makes sense when the boxes are genuinely good: solid construction, level installation, a layout that works, and interiors you can live with. If the skeletons are sound and you simply hate the faces, refacing delivers a dramatic visual change for significantly less money and disruption. It is also the faster option, typically days rather than weeks, which matters if the kitchen needs to stay functional.
When replacement wins
Replacement is the answer when the problems are structural, not cosmetic. Boxes that are particleboard swelling at the edges. Layouts that waste space or fight your workflow. Interiors from an era before deep drawers and pull-outs existed. Water damage, delamination, or the accumulated sins of decades. No door style fixes a box that is failing, and no veneer fixes a layout that never worked.
The money question, honestly
Refacing typically costs 40 to 60 percent of full replacement, but that comparison misleads, because they are not the same product. Replacement gives you new boxes, new interiors, new hardware, new layout possibilities, and a full warranty on all of it. Refacing gives you new faces on old bones. If the bones have ten good years left, refacing is smart money. If they have three, it is expensive procrastination.
How we advise it
We look at your boxes honestly and tell you what we see: the construction, the condition, the level, the layout potential. If refacing serves you, we will say so, even though replacement is the bigger job. If replacement is the right call, we will show you why, with the boxes open so you can see it yourself. The decision should be made with evidence, not salesmanship.
Curious which camp your cabinets fall in? Send us a few photos or book a visit, and we will give you a straight assessment.