Free · No signup · No contractor calls
Cabinet Refacing Cost Calculator
Refacing costs $150–$450 per linear foot installed — $80–$125 for laminate or rigid thermofoil, $100–$250 for wood veneer, and $200–$500 for solid wood. Measure your cabinet runs, pick a material, and see the total against what replacing the boxes outright would cost.
Educational calculators — always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.
Measure each run wall-to-wall. Count uppers and lowers separately.
This is the single biggest driver — the spread runs roughly 6× end to end.
Roughly $100–$250 per linear foot. Real wood appearance at mid-range cost; the usual choice for an average kitchen.
Refacing only works over structurally sound boxes.
Frames are solid, doors hang square, no water damage. This is what a standard refacing quote assumes.
Total Refacing Cost
$2,500 – $6,250
Wood veneer — 25 linear ft
Replacing the cabinets outright runs $4,500–$15,000 — at this spec, get a replacement quote too before committing.
Where the money goes
Your Saved Scenarios
No saved scenarios yet
What refacing actually includes
Refacing replaces every door and drawer front, covers the exposed cabinet box sides and face frames with a matching veneer or laminate skin, and fits new hinges. The boxes, the layout, the countertops and the plumbing all stay where they are — which is why it takes days rather than weeks and why the kitchen stays usable throughout.
It is priced by the linear foot of cabinet run rather than per door, because the skin and the labour scale with the length of the run. Measure each wall end to end, and count a wall twice where it has both upper and lower cabinets.
Refacing vs refinishing vs replacing
| Option | What changes | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Refinishing | Same doors and boxes, new colour or coating | $1,500–$5,000 |
| Refacing | New doors and fronts, boxes re-skinned | $150–$450/linear ft |
| Replacing | Everything out, new boxes and layout possible | $4,500–$15,000+ |
If the boxes are sound and the layout works, refacing is usually the best value of the three. If you want to move the sink, change the footprint, or the boxes have water damage, refacing is the wrong tool — price a replacement. To keep the existing doors and only change the colour, see the cabinet refinishing calculator instead.
What moves the price
- Material. The spread from laminate to solid wood is roughly 6×, and it is the biggest single lever on the quote.
- Box condition. Refacing assumes sound boxes. Loose frames, sagging shelves or swelling under the sink have to be repaired first, and that is labour on top.
- Door count per linear foot. A run of many narrow doors costs more to reface than the same length in a few wide ones, because each door is a separate item.
- Add-ons. Crown molding, under-cabinet lighting and soft-close hinges are usually quoted separately — and are cheapest done now, while the fronts are off.
Methodology & sources
The cost figures on this page are generated from a single, sourced cost-data file (Professional refacing — new doors and drawer fronts, box veneer, and new hardware — priced per linear foot of cabinet run. Measure each wall end to end and double it where there are both upper and lower cabinets. National average estimate for 2026.). Laminate starts near $80/linear ft and solid wood reaches $500/linear ft, so the headline band sits inside a wider spread — pick the material variant for a realistic number. For an average 100–200 sq ft kitchen the all-in total runs $5,000–$13,000 (HomeGuide); Angi puts the typical project at $4,483–$10,586 with an average of $7,232. Refacing only makes sense when the boxes are structurally sound — replacing cabinets outright runs $4,500–$15,000+. Last verified August 2026.
- HomeGuide — How Much Does Cabinet Refacing Cost? (2026 Prices) — retrieved 2026-08-06
- Angi — How Much Does Resurfacing Kitchen Cabinets Cost? (2026 Data, updated 3 Aug 2026) — retrieved 2026-08-06
Frequently asked questions
How much does cabinet refacing cost?+
Cabinet refacing costs $150–$450 per linear foot installed. Material sets most of the spread: laminate or rigid thermofoil runs $80–$125 per linear foot, wood veneer $100–$250, and solid wood $200–$500. For an average 100–200 sq ft kitchen the all-in total is roughly $5,000–$13,000.
What is the difference between refacing, refinishing and replacing cabinets?+
Refinishing strips and re-coats the doors and boxes you already have, so the style stays the same. Refacing replaces the doors and drawer fronts and covers the boxes with a matching veneer or laminate, so the style changes but the boxes stay. Replacing removes everything including the boxes. Refinishing is cheapest, replacing costs $4,500–$15,000 or more, and refacing sits between them.
How do I measure linear feet for cabinet refacing?+
Measure along the front of each cabinet run from one end to the other and add the runs together. Where a wall has both upper and lower cabinets, count that wall twice — once for the uppers and once for the lowers. A typical kitchen is 20 to 30 linear feet; a small galley kitchen can be 12 to 15, and a large kitchen with an island can exceed 40.
Is cabinet refacing worth it?+
Refacing is worth it when the cabinet boxes are structurally sound and the layout already works — you get a new look for less than replacement and without demolition. It is not worth it if the boxes have water damage or frames out of square, if you want to change the layout, or if the kitchen is small enough that replacement quotes land close to the refacing price. Get both quotes before deciding.
How long does cabinet refacing take?+
A professional reface of an average kitchen usually takes two to four days on site, against one to three weeks for a full cabinet replacement. The kitchen stays usable for most of that time because the boxes, countertops and plumbing are not removed.
Cabinet Refacing Cost Calculator is built and maintained by the RealCostIQ editorial team. Cost ranges and rates are checked against published industry data and contractor quotes, and revised when the underlying figures move. Read our data methodology or more about who builds this. Every calculation runs in your browser — no account, and none of your inputs are stored.
Cost ranges and rates here are checked against contractor quotes and published industry data. If a number still looks off, email Support@RealCostIQ.com and we'll review and fix it.