The Costs and Options for Refacing Your Kitchen Cabinets

If you're considering tackling another home improvement project, think about refacing your kitchen cabinets (which includes covering the exposed frames with a thin veneer of real wood or plastic laminate). You can replace doors and drawer fronts to match the new veneer, then add new hings, pulls and knobs. With some help from HouseLogic, let's look at the pros, the cons, and the options.

Kitchen cabinet refacing pros

If you reface your cabinets, it'll cost about half as much as completely replacing the cabinets. It's great for a number of reasons; you can still use your kitchen during the refacing process, and your kitchen will have a new look in a week or less.

Kitchen cabinet refacing cons

If you select expensive replacements for the  hardware and choose priceyveneers, you'll see a reduction in savings.

What are your refacing options?

Your imagination sets the limits for the finished look. You can select from veneers in a wide range of colors, patterns, and textures.

• Plastic laminates come in hundreds of colors and patterns, are durable and moisture-resistant, and are reasonably priced. You can pick matching or contrasting laminates for your doors and drawer fronts.

• Real wood veneers include many standard species, such as oak, cherry, and maple, and you also can choose from an array of stain colors. Wood veneers are the most expensive option. Wood must be carefully sealed to protect against moisture.

What does refacing cost?

A professional cabinet refacing for a typical 10-by-12-foot kitchen starts at around $1,000 to $3,000 for laminate. You'll pay $2,500 to $6,000 for real wood veneer. Costs can rise to $7,000 to $9,000 or more for a large project with high-quality wood veneer.

Finishing the project with new hardware (pulls, knobs, hinges) usually runs $2 to $4 per piece.