What is Cabinet Door Refacing?

Rather than replace all the cabinets, you can simply reface them. Refacing consists of installing all new kitchen cabinet doors and cabinet drawer fronts onto the existing cabinets and drawer boxes. All the old knobs, pulls and hinges may be replaced, as well. And the cabinet face frames and any exposed cabinet ends are veneered or painted to match the finish on the new doors and drawer fronts.

Refacing existing cabinets is much faster, neater and cheaper than ripping out all the old cabinets and installing new ones. A full kitchen remodel can take upwards of 6 weeks from beginning to finish, if you include production time. Refacing those same cabinets would take just three or four days once you receive your new doors. Plus, you can reface cabinets without disturbing the countertop, which isn’t possible when installing all new cabinets.

Don’t confuse cabinet refacing with cabinet refinishing. With cabinet refinishing, the old doors and drawer fronts are removed, refinished, and reinstalled. Refinishing is fine if you just want to freshen up the cabinets, but if you want to completely transform and update your kitchen, cabinet refacing is a much better option. And refacing is very DIY-friendly; no special tools or skills required. However, you must first determine if cabinet refacing is a viable option for your kitchen.