Compare refacing with replacing your kitchen cabinets. Replacement cost comes from the same cabinet model as our kitchen calculator; refacing is a percentage you can adjust.
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Most refacing pages quote a wide national range and leave you to guess where your kitchen falls. This tool starts from something more concrete: what it would cost to replace your cabinets, calculated with the same model as our kitchen remodel cost calculator. Your kitchen size and remodel level set the baseline per square foot, cabinets take their 35% share of that baseline, and the tier you pick adjusts it.
| Replacement tier | Adjustment to the cabinet line |
|---|---|
| Stock | −25% |
| Semi-Custom | Baseline |
| Custom | +40% |
Refacing is then a percentage of that replacement figure. Two widely read cost guides, Bob Vila and HomeAdvisor, both describe refacing as roughly 30-50% less than replacing, which works out to about 50-70% of the replacement cost. We default to the 60% midpoint and show the full 50-70% band separately. Treat that as a commonly cited planning range that varies widely, not a quote: door style, kitchen layout, and your region can move it a long way.
Refacing is one of three ways to change tired cabinets, and each solves a different problem.
| Option | What changes | Best when | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painting | Finish only, on existing doors and boxes | Boxes and doors are sound and you only want a new color | Door style, hardware holes, and wear stay the same |
| Refacing | New doors and drawer fronts, new surface on visible boxes | Layout works and boxes are solid, but the look is dated | Same layout, same box sizes, same storage |
| Replacing | Everything, boxes included | Layout, storage, or box condition needs to change | Highest cost and the longest disruption |
A typical refacing job leaves the cabinet boxes where they are. New doors and drawer fronts are made in your chosen style, the visible faces of the boxes are covered with matching veneer or laminate, and new hinges and hardware go on. Because nothing is demolished, the kitchen stays usable for more of the project. Packages differ, so ask each company for a written list of what is covered, and see our kitchen remodel labor cost guide for how labor and materials are split.
Refacing cannot fix problems that live inside the boxes or in the plan of the room:
Take a 125 sq ft kitchen (the size of the Medium preset in our kitchen calculator) at the mid-range level, priced at the national baseline. Replacing the cabinets with semi-custom boxes comes to $6,600 – $9,800 in the model. Refacing at the 60% default comes to $3,900 – $5,900, a difference of $2,600 – $3,900. Choosing stock for the replacement lowers the comparison to $4,900 – $7,400, and custom raises it to $9,200 – $13,800, which is why the replacement tier matters as much as the refacing percentage. For a smaller room, see our 10x10 kitchen remodel cost guide.
Refacing percentage: planning band based on the cost comparisons published by Bob Vila and HomeAdvisor, as read in October 2026. It is an assumption, not a market quote, and real prices vary by region, product, and contractor.