The Pros and Cons of Refacing Kitchen Cabinets vs. Replacing Cabinetry

Remodeling your kitchen is a wonderful way to update your home and create a beautiful look. However, kitchen remodeling is disruptive, time-consuming, and even a simple remodel is incredibly expensive. That being said, if your kitchen is looking old and dated, with scratched up cabinetry, what alternatives do you have?

How to handle your kitchen cabinetry, whether you're simply updating or completely overhauling your kitchen, is one of the biggest decisions you'll need to make. Replacing your old cabinets can take up almost 50-percent of your total budget, and functional cabinets are often the difference between a kitchen that works and one that never will.

But what do you do if you can't afford to replace your cabinetry? In the not too distant past, the only alternative to replacing your cabinets was to paint them. It's an ok choice; however, if your kitchen cabinets are made of thermofoil, painting isn't an option.

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Today, you have a third choice! Many homeowners save money and time by choosing to “reface” their kitchen cabinetry rather than completely replacing their existing cabinets.

charcoal and white painted cabinets — painting kitchen cabinets can be an inexpensive way to reface them and create a totally new look for your kitchen at a modest price. if your doors, drawers, and boxes are in good condition, painting your cabinets is a great solution.

Refacing Kitchen Cabinets

There are three ways to reface cabinets; they are:

• Refinishing or painting the existing cabinet doors and drawer fronts

• Installing new wood or laminate veneer over the existing door and drawer fronts

• keeping just the boxes and installing completely new doors and drawer fronts

You can complete the update in all three cases by upgrading your hardware and replacing hinges and pulls in all three cases. The cabinet interiors may also be sanded, painted, or stained to complete your new look.

Homeowners who have had their cabinets refaced say that this makeover has given their kitchen a whole new, fresh look, faster and at a significantly lower cost than installing all-new cabinets.

Kitchen Cabinet Replacement

Replacing your kitchen cabinets is more complicated, time-consuming, expensive, and disruptive. The process begins with the removal of your existing cabinets. Your contractor will then order replacement cabinets, which can take weeks to construct and deliver to your home, depending on the level of customization.

Experienced installers that set and precisely level your base cabinets. This is a critical step to ensure that the counters remain level through years of use. Improperly leveled base cabinets can result in countertops cracking years down the road. The upper cabinets are then set, lifted into place, and secured. Finally, doors and hardware are installed.

The Pros and Cons of Kitchen Cabinet Refacing

this kitchen receive a new look and extended life thanks to new doors and painted cabinet boxes. by saving money on the cabinets, the owner was able to splurge on premium quartz countertops and backsplash tile.

Cabinet refacing has been around for a long time. Essentially, it's veneering on steroids. While homeowners have used it today, there is a new refacing “cottage industry” developed. Kitchen cabinet refacing is a close substitute for replacement. With one major difference, like replaced cabinets, refaced cabinets look new; however, because the cabinet boxes stay the same, the layout is not new and the cabinet boxes are still “used”.

Kitchen cabinet refacing offers homeowners several benefits and a few drawbacks. The two biggest benefits are cost and convenience. Complete kitchen cabinet refacing comes in at about half the cost of replacing your cabinets.

Kitchen cabinet refacing is a much faster and cleaner process than replacement. Because you're using your existing cabinetry, you avoid the hassle and mess that ripping out cabinets can cause. In fact, the entire process from start to finish can take a week or less, compared to the weeks needed for ordering and replacing cabinets.

Cabinet refacing also gives you a wide range of choices for your cabinets' finished look; in fact, it's virtually limitless! Veneers are available in a wide range of colors, patterns, textures, grains, and more, which you can mix and match to get a relatively low-cost kitchen makeover.

The best benefit is that unlike the disruption cabinet replacement can cause, you can continue to use your kitchen during the entire process with refacing. That means no take out food or microwave dinners needed! And, as an added benefit, if you're trying to lower your environmental impact and live more sustainable, cabinet refacing is a green kitchen remodeling solution because you're not creating waste and adding to the landfill!

While there are many benefits of cabinet refacing, there are also a couple of cons to be aware of...

white kitchen with blue island — most of the clients of degnan design-build-remodel have us replace their cabinets, because they want to solve functional problems in their home. while more expensive than refacing or painting cabinets, it provides the most value to our clients in terms of their daily lifestyle.

Refacing your kitchen cabinets can't help you if you have a bad kitchen design. While you can fix your kitchen's look because you're using your existing cabinet boxes, if your kitchen lacks functionality or is awkward before refacing, that won't change.

And, because of the wide variety of options available, you might be tempted to spend more on an exotic veneer and hardware, saving you less money in the process!

Replacement or Refacing, Some Considerations

Even though kitchen cabinet refacing can save you literally hundreds or even thousands of dollars over replacing your cabinets, it's not right for every remodel. Before you decide whether replacement or refacing makes sense, there are several factors to consider.

Start by examining the “bones” of your cabinetry. If they're not high-quality boxes to begin with, it may make more sense to replace them. The old adage of throwing good money after bad comes into play here. If your cabinets are lower quality and truly worm out, spending money to re-front them is probably not the smartest choice.

Older cabinetry built before the 1980s were generally better constructed than newer ones. Back then, 3/4-inch plywood actually was 3/4-inch, and particleboard use was kept to flooring underlayment. If you have older cabinetry still in good condition, you also have other options. Even if you don’t have plywood boxes, if you have newer cabinets with high quality MDF boxes and no water damage, refacing or painting your cabinets might still be an option.

Today, there is a trend toward open shelving in the kitchen. Sometimes, simply removing the doors and repainting the boxes can bring your kitchen up to date, giving it a current and modern look at little cost. For example, refinishing the interior by installing beadboard backs is inexpensive and can completely update the look.

That being said, even if your existing cabinetry is in perfect shape, if your current cabinet design or layout isn't functional, open shelving or refacing may not be the best option. If your current cabinetry isn't deep enough to hold your essential items like cookware, replacement might be a better option.

Your contractor or design-build professional can help you understand all of your options. For example, in some cases, it can make sense and save you money to mix and match old and new. Some existing cabinetry can be refaced, and other cabinetry can be replaced. This is a practical option many homeowners nigh overlook!

The bottom line, refacing your kitchen cabinetry is a cost-effective option in many instances. However, some situations may make more sense to replace old cabinetry, especially if your kitchen is lacking in functionality.

Kitchen cabinet refacing is an excellent way to give your home a fast and affordable update that can add value and beauty. If your cabinet boxes are in solid shape and you like your current layout, kitchen cabinet refacing is an excellent option that can save you time, money, and hassles.

If you're planning a kitchen remodeling project and you live in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area, why not give the design experts at Degnan DesignBuild-Remodel a call at (608) 846-5963. We're here and always happy to answer your home improvement and remodeling questions. Let us help you create your dream kitchen!

This article was updated by Abe Degnan on 9/12/2022.