What's the Difference Between Cabinet Refacing and Cabinet Replacement?

June 28, 2022

Getting rid of old cabinets to give your spaces a modern, new look doesn't have to be expensive. However, you could be paying more than you need to if you choose to replace cabinets that you might have been able to renovate with cabinet refacing.

At Cabinet Reface Direct, we treat our customers as we would like to be treated when having work done in our home or business. So, today, we will explain the difference between cabinet refacing and replacing to help you understand when you can choose the cheaper option and when you absolutely need to replace your cabinets.

What Is Cabinet Replacing?

When you choose to replace your cabinets, your contractor will remove the whole cabinet and install new ones. This process is generally more expensive because you'll need more materials and will take a lot longer than cabinet refacing. Also, there's a good chance you won't be able to use your kitchen, bathroom, or facilities while replacing your cabinets.

Furthermore, if your contractor needs to get the cabinets or the materials from a manufacturer, this process can take a lot longer than a month and a half!

These are some reasons why nowadays people are choosing to reface instead of replacing their cabinets. So, let's jump to the next section for you to learn everything about cabinet refacing.

What Is Cabinet Refacing?

Cabinet refacing is the process of removing doors and drawer fronts and applying a new veneer over the existing hard structure of your cabinets. We can reuse parts like the hinges, handles, and drawer pulls during this process if they are in good condition. Also, cabinet refacing is considerably less expensive than a full-on replacement.

The whole process and materials for a cabinet refacing job will cost you 30% to 50% less than a custom cabinet replacement, according to Angi (previously Angie's list). And that's for companies that are not manufacturer-direct businesses.

With Cabinet Reface Direct, you could save a lot more than that by cutting out the middleman because we are a manufacturer direct business. Plus, we offer a $500 mega discount for any full kitchen cabinet refacing job.


To sum up, there really is no doubt that cabinet refacing is a wonderful way to breathe new life into your cabinets. Still, you need to know that the cabinets that benefit best from this process are made of plywood or medium-density fiberboard (MDF) panels with solid box construction. Or those with face frames made of solid hardwood.

So, there are some cabinets that you cannot reface? Yes, there are some cabinets that you can reface and some that definitely need replacing.

When To Reface and When To Replace?

If your cabinets are in poor shape because of water damage, scratches, deformity caused by excess weight, or poor materials or construction, those cabinets need to be replaced.

Cabinet refacing works only on those cabinets whose hard structure is well maintained. Also, if you wish to change the cabinets' size, you will need to alter their hard structure. In that case, you will also need to replace them.

For all other instances, cabinet refacing is your best bet. Yet, we understand that maybe most of your cabinets might be good candidates for refacing, but only one or two need replacing… what then?

What if You Want To Reface Your Cabinets but Also Need To Replace Some?

In that case, you absolutely need to hire a company that's a manufacturer direct business, like Cabinet Reface Direct. That's because we're fully stocked and can manufacture new cabinets in as little as four weeks! And our cabinet refacing jobs take less than three days!

Cabinet Reface Direct is a nationally recognized cabinet refacing manufacturing company offering residential and commercial cabinet refacing services for homeowners and businesses in the Northeast.

We have highly trained Cabinet Reface Direct certified installers that provide cabinet refacing installation services in NYC metro, Buffalo, Rochester, Connecticut, New Jersey, and more. Our owners collectively have over 30 years' experience in the home services space and would love to help you realize their dream of having beautiful cabinets at an affordable price.

Call us at 877-673-3223 or fill out the form in the contact us section to find out just how affordable it is to breathe life back into your old cabinets with Cabinet Reface Direct!