Reface or Replace Cabinets? | This Old House

How much you pay for refacing depends on the size of your kitchen, the materials you choose and how many options you elect to include. "Our typical refacing job runs $4,000 to $5,000," says Gerald Baldner of Kitchen Solvers, which has 105 refacing franchises in 30 states. "And that includes countertop, trim, molding, valences, new toekick, shelf and drawer liner, as well as accessories and tax." According to Carl Hyman, owner of Alure Kitchen Refacing, which serves an upscale clientele and refaces about 150 kitchens a year, his company's average job runs about $8,500 (including countertops). The average refacing job by Sears, which operates its refacing business through its own employees in some states and through licensees in others, costs $4,000 to $6,000. As with any remodeling project, your best bet is to get a number of different quotes. The bottom line is that it comes down to personal taste. "You can take the same kitchen and do the plain-Jane refacing for $3,000 or, for $8,000 or $9,000, do it with wood, Corian countertops, a new sink and some bells and whistles," says Cabinetpak's Titus. Whatever you pay, it's bound to be significantly less than the cost of a new kitchen. Companies like Alure, Kitchen Tune-Up and Kitchen Solvers, which offer both refacing and full-remodeling services, maintain a complete remodel runs on average twice as much as a high-end refacing job. Kitchen Solvers' Baldner cautions customers who have been told at home centers and other retailers that they can have new cabinets installed for about the same price to calculate carefully. "There are a lot of costs added on that most people don't think about when considering kitchen remodeling," he says. "If you get a quote on new cabinets, make sure it includes handles, molding, installation, sales tax, delivery charges, refinishing your walls if the new cabinets don't line up with the old, any required plumbing or electrical work." And then there's the prolonged disruption and mess that come with a full-scale remodeling job. "We're selling convenience as much as we are cost savings," says Murray Gross, president and chief executive officer of Dallas-based U.S. Remodelers Inc., the refacing licensee for Century 21.

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Reface or Replace Cabinets? | This Old House