Cabinet Refacing Cost Calculator
Refacing keeps your existing cabinet boxes and replaces the doors, drawer fronts and visible surfaces. Estimate it from your linear feet and refacing price per linear foot, then compare it to your own full-replacement figure.
Calculator
Formula
refacing = linear feet × refacing price per linear foot
saving = full replacement cost − refacing
The tool prices the refacing job, then subtracts it from the replacement figure you enter so you can see the gap between the two paths in dollars.
Worked example
You have 20 linear feet of solid boxes. A refacing quote is $175 per linear foot, and a contractor quoted $5,000 to tear out and install new cabinets on the same run.
refacing = 20 × $175 = $3,500.
saving = 5,000 − 3,500 = $1,500 kept by refacing.
If your boxes were failing, you would raise the replacement figure — or refacing would stop making sense at all.
When refacing beats replacing
Refacing means the cabinet boxes stay and everything you see gets renewed: new doors and drawer fronts, matching veneer or laminate on the exposed box faces, and usually new hinges and hardware. Because you skip demolition, disposal and re-installation, refacing is typically a fraction of the cost of new cabinets — and it is far faster and less disruptive.
The catch is that refacing only works when the boxes are sound. If the cases are particleboard that has swelled from a leak, if the layout is wrong for how you use the kitchen, or if you want to add or move cabinets, replacement is the better spend even though it costs more. This tool does not decide that for you: it prices refacing on your footage and your per-foot quote, and compares it to the replacement number you enter, so the trade-off is in plain dollars.
Enter your own figures for both sides. Refacing prices vary widely with door style and material — rigid thermofoil, wood veneer and solid-wood doors are three different price points — and replacement depends on cabinet grade and whether the layout changes. Keeping both as user-entered values means the comparison stays honest and never needs updating.
Frequently asked questions
Is cabinet refacing cheaper than replacing?
Usually, yes — because you keep the boxes and skip demolition and re-installation. In the example, refacing 20 LF at $175/LF is $3,500 versus a $5,000 replacement, saving $1,500. Enter your own numbers to see the gap for your kitchen.
When is replacing worth the extra cost?
When the boxes are damaged or low quality, when you want to change the layout, or when you need to add cabinets. Refacing renews surfaces but cannot fix a failing case or a bad layout.
What does refacing actually include?
New doors and drawer fronts, new veneer or laminate on the visible box faces, and typically new hinges and handles. The internal boxes and the layout stay the same.
Where do the prices come from?
From you. Both the refacing price per linear foot and the full-replacement figure are values you enter from your own quotes, so the comparison is specific to your project.