New doors, no demolition
Cabinet refacing in Williamsport, PA
Refacing swaps your doors and drawer fronts for new ones and skins the frames to match, no demolition, no new boxes. Here is what it costs around here, how it compares with painting and replacement, and which one your kitchen actually needs.
What is cabinet refacing?
Cabinet refacing keeps your existing cabinet boxes and replaces everything you see: new doors and drawer fronts, a veneer or matching skin over the exposed face frames and end panels, and new hinges and hardware. The boxes stay bolted where they are, so counters, floors, and plumbing are untouched. You get a genuinely new door style and color in days rather than the weeks a full tear-out takes, at roughly half of replacement cost.
Pros of cabinet refacing
- Brand-new door style, not just a new color
- No demolition: counters, floors and plumbing stay put
- Days of disruption, not weeks
- New hinges and soft-close hardware come with the job
- Far less landfill than a full tear-out
Cons of cabinet refacing
- Costs two to three times what refinishing does
- Old boxes stay old: worn interiors and drawer boxes remain
- Custom door orders take weeks to arrive before work starts
- Cannot fix a bad layout or add an island
- Water-swollen or damaged boxes disqualify a kitchen entirely
How much does cabinet refacing cost?
| Scope | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Average kitchen, refaced (doors, fronts, veneered frames) | $7,000 – $15,000 |
| Upgrade to solid-wood doors from laminate-front | add 15–30% |
| New hardware + soft-close hinges (materials) | $300 – $800 |
| Compare: professional refinishing, same kitchen | $3,000 – $8,000 |
| Compare: stock cabinet replacement | $15,000 – $40,000+ |
The number that matters most is door count: a galley kitchen with twelve openings and an L-shape with thirty sit at opposite ends of the range. Get itemized quotes that separate doors, veneer work, and hardware so you can see where the money goes.
Refacing, painting, or replacing: which fits your kitchen?
| Compare | Refacing | Painting | Replacing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical kitchen cost | $7,000 – $15,000 | $3,000 – $8,000 | $15,000 – $40,000+ |
| Timeline on site | 3–5 days | 3–5 days | 2 – 6 weeks |
| Door style | All-new | Same doors, new color | All-new |
| Boxes | Kept, veneered | Kept, painted | All-new |
| Counters & plumbing | Untouched | Untouched | Usually replaced too |
| Best for | Sound boxes, dated door styles | Sound doors, wrong color | Bad layout or damaged boxes |
When does refacing beat painting?
Refacing wins when the door style itself is the problem. If your kitchen has arched 90s raised panels, cathedral doors, or heavy oak grain no color can rescue, paint just gives the dated shape a new tint. Refacing also wins when doors are warped or delaminating but the boxes are solid, and when you want to switch to a slab or shaker profile that reads current. And because every hinge is replaced, refacing is the cleaner path if the doors no longer close true.
When does painting beat refacing?
Painting wins when your kitchen cabinets are structurally sound and the issue is purely color, which describes most local kitchens, and the savings are dramatic: $3,000–$8,000 professionally sprayed versus $7,000–$15,000 for refacing. It also wins on schedule, materials are on the shelf rather than cut to order. The full process, primer choices, and offsite spraying live on the cabinet painting page. Bundling the walls and trim into the same contract with interior painting saves a mobilization charge either way.
Same footprint, new kitchen How the week goes
What a refacing project actually looks like
After measuring, the doors and drawer fronts are cut to order, which is the slow part, several weeks is normal before installation begins. Install week starts with removing old fronts and hardware and cleaning the frames. The veneer or matching skin goes on the exposed frames and end panels next, cut and aligned so seams disappear at corners.
New doors and fronts hang on new hinges in the final days, followed by hardware, alignment tweaks, and a walkthrough for gaps and reveal lines. The kitchen stays usable every evening, nothing is torn out, and the mess is carpentry dust rather than demolition debris.
Questions
Refacing FAQ
How much does cabinet refacing cost in Pennsylvania?
Refacing an average 10-by-12 kitchen typically runs $7,000–$15,000: new doors and drawer fronts, veneer or matching skin on the exposed frames, and new hardware. Solid-wood doors cost more than laminate-front equivalents, and islands, glass doors, and lazy-Susan corners add line items. The cost guide compares this against every other painting scope.
Is refacing cheaper than painting cabinets?
No. Professional refinishing runs $3,000–$8,000 for the same kitchen because it keeps and repaints your existing doors, while refacing buys and hangs all-new fronts. Refacing is the choice when the door style itself is the problem; painting is the choice when the style is fine and the color is not. Deciding that first is the biggest money-saver in the project.
Can a painting crew reface my cabinets?
Usually not. Ordering custom-cut doors, veneering frames, and rehanging everything on new hinges is what cabinet refacing companies and cabinet shops do. Painting crews handle the refinishing side. This page exists so you can figure out which side of the line your kitchen is on before contacting anyone, then request the right trade through the estimate form.
How long does it take to reface kitchen cabinets?
Most kitchens are done in 3–5 working days once materials arrive: day one removing fronts and prepping frames, the next days veneering and hanging, and a final day for hardware and adjustments. The slow part is the order itself: doors and veneer are cut to your measurements and can take several weeks to arrive, so schedule early.
Does refacing or painting add more resale value?
Both read as "updated kitchen" to buyers compared with dated oak or worn finishes, and neither recovers its cost like the pre-sale repaint does in a fresh neutral. Refacing shows better when the old door style was the giveaway. What hurts value either way is a bad job: chipping paint or misaligned doors look worse than honest 1990s oak.
Free estimate
Get the right trade on the line
- Tell us whether you are refacing, refinishing, or unsure
- We point you to the right kind of pro for that scope
- Itemized quotes: doors, veneer work, and hardware separated
- Free, no obligation
Request your free estimate
Submitting a request is free. Availability and any estimate come from the independent professional who responds.
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Ready to request a painting estimate?
Tell us about the project. If an independent painter serves your area and the job is a fit, they may contact you to discuss an estimate.