The kitchen is no doubt the heart of the home—but it’s so valuable you might want to start thinking of it as a bank vault. The cost to remodel a kitchen starts at about $12,000 and the average project is easily double that when you factor in materials and fixtures, and that’s before you’ve called the plumbers. Sure, countertops, flooring, and stainless-steel appliances all add up quickly, but the biggest piece of that budgetary pie goes to cabinets. A new kitchen’s worth of cabinets can cost more than $8,000—and that doesn’t include having them installed.
Here’s what you need to know about taking on the task of refacing kitchen cabinets.
Is it worth it to reface kitchen cabinets?
Refacing kitchen cabinets can deliver the new, fresh look you want, at a fraction of the cost of installing new ones. Unlike installing cabinetry, the refacing process is usually DIY-friendly. The process is a bit more hands-on than simply replacing the door and drawer pulls, or knobs, though that is part of the process, but it’s not so difficult an experienced homeowner can’t take on over a long weekend.
What are the kitchen cabinet refacing options?
A full kitchen cabinet refacing means upgrading nearly every visible part of the cabinet — both the box and its doors and drawers — while leaving the box mounted on the wall. There are a few ways to reface kitchen cabinets and your home might call for one or all three. Here are the most common ways to refinish kitchen cabinetry.
The Face Lift: A Fresh Coat of Paint
If your cabinets are in good structural shape, free of cracks and deep gouges, and you like the style of the doors and drawer fronts, you can paint or stain them and transform the look of your kitchen. This requires time and careful prep, but the cost of materials is a great bang for the buck.
A Resurfacing: Gluing on a Veneer Layer
If you want to change the wood species of the kitchen altogether, or the sides of the cabinets and the face frames are dented and damaged, gluing a thin wood veneer layer onto each surface will revive a tired kitchen. This option takes careful prep, and a steady hand to cut the veneer to match the stiles (vertical parts) and rails (horizontal parts) on the face frame, but the result is the option to paint or stain the cabinets and veneering presents the greatest range of different wood looks since the thin sheets come in a range of species.
The Nip and Tuck: Upgrading the Cabinet’s Doors and Drawer Fronts
The easiest and fastest way to upgrade your kitchen is to replace the existing cabinet doors and drawer fronts. With careful measuring of existing parts, and ordering replacements, you can finish this job in a weekend with little more than a drill/driver and some bits. Typically, homeowners will use this opportunity to also add new hardware: pulls, knobs, and maybe even soft-close door hinges and drawer slides.
How to reface kitchen cabinets with paint
What you'll need:
- Medium-grit sandpaper
- Tack rag
- Paint
- Roller or sprayer
If the cabinets are greasy and grimy, but otherwise structurally sound and you like the drawers and door fronts, painting is an inexpensive upgrade. You can also take this opportunity to update the style of the cabinet by purchasing new doors and drawer fronts, which are usually what dates a kitchen. Older kitchens also might not have what have become standard features in newer kitchen cabinets: soft close, six-way adjustable hinges, and full extension drawer slides. Adding new hardware can be tricky, but manageable if you order the right size replacement parts
When you paint, or stain, kitchen cabinets you’ll need to clean all the cabinet’s exterior surfaces, along with all the sides of the doors and drawers. Then sand them with medium grit sandpaper, vacuum the dust off, and clean the surfaces with a tack rag. Now you can move to staining or polyurethaning the cabinets, or prime and then paint them. A gloss paint offers the best protection and easy scrubbing, but it can also show imperfections. Typically, semi-gloss paint is used for cabinetry. Apply paint with a roller, or for a pro level finish rent an HVLP paint sprayer to tackle the doors and drawers. Spraying the boxes requires tediously taping off the interior of the cabinets. Homeowners usually don’t refinish the inside of the cabinet boxes, but you can sand and paint those as well.
How to reface kitchen cabinets with veneers
What you'll need:
- Veneer sheets
- Sandpaper
- Wood glue
- Utility knife
Covering the existing surfaces with veneers totally changes the look of the cabinet boxes, giving you the option to stain or polyurethane the new wood layer, or finish with primer and paint. The job is much easier if you opt to leave the existing doors and drawer fronts as is, or decide to buy new ones — resurfacing the six sides of a door or drawer front is tedious work.
Some veneer sheets, which you can find online, come with a peel-and-stick backing to make the job of adhering them to the cabinet easier. And the wood species options include everything from the typical cabinet hardwoods, like oak and maple, to more premium options like cherry and walnut. You’ll need to order enough veneers to cover the exposed stiles (vertical elements) and rails (horizontal elements) that make up the cabinet’s face frame. You could also cover the wide, exposed ends of a cabinet — like the one at the end of a row of upper and lower cabinets or those installed on an island — but you could also cover these with a veneered plywood which is ridged and less fussy to work with.
Once you clean the cabinet’s face frame and sides give everything a good sanding to scuff the wood and give the veneer’s peel and stick adhesive something to bite onto. Cover the exposed ends of the cabinet by using wood glue to bond the plywood to the box. Use a sharp utility knife and straight edge to trim strips of veneer about 1/2-inch wider and 1-inch longer than you need, paying attention to match the wood grain’s orientation to the part of the cabinet you’re covering. Working systematically position the veneer in place on the cabinet, then press on it with a block of wood to remove air bubbles and ensure a good bond. Now use a utility knife to cut the veneer’s overhang flush with the cabinet’s parts. It’s not necessary to cover the inside edges of the cabinet but you can for a total transformation.
How to reface cabinets with new doors and drawer fronts
What you'll need:
- Cabinet doors and drawer fronts
- Hinges
- Drill
The fastest way to revamp a kitchen is also the most expensive. While a new cabinet door can run $50 or more, once it arrives, installing it goes quickly. You’ll need to measure the existing doors and drawer fronts carefully. With doors you’ll need to note which are left and right swing, and if you plan to use your existing hinges or want to upgrade them (the manufacturer of the replacement doors will likely ask for this information). Expect to drill holes for the pulls or knobs, even if you plan to reuse what you have. There are jigs available that help make this easy and they can be worth it if you have an entire kitchen to work on. The beauty of new doors is they can update the look of a kitchen, by allowing you to change the style or add glass inserts.
Don’t Skimp on Hardware
A big pain point with older cabinets are doors that slam shut or fall out of alignment. Drawer slides might stick or prevent you from reaching the very back because they’re not full extension. While it’s not as glitzy as the pulls, knobs, and frosted glass, quality hardware can make or break your experience in a kitchen. Many modern kitchen cabinets offer six-way adjustable hinges for the doors, that allow you to dial in the alignment. These hinges are almost always soft close too, which can all but eliminate slamming. And they let you quickly remove the door from the cabinet for cleaning or maintenance. Upgrading to this style of hinge can ensure the smooth operation of the cabinets.
Full extension drawer slides are now also standard, and if your cabinets don’t feature them, consider upgrading. These can be a bit trickier to install, but there are aftermarket jigs designed to make the job easier. But you’ll have to read carefully to ensure any slides are compatible with your style, and size, of the drawer. Many full extension slides allow homeowners to quickly pull the drawer out of the cabinet for cleaning or maintenance.
Sal is a freelance contributor covering tech, gear, tools, and outdoor products since 2006 for This Old House, Men's Journal, Serious Eats, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, GQ, Men's Health, and others.
