Cost guide
How much does cabinet refacing cost?
Refacing keeps your cabinet boxes and replaces everything you see. Here's what it typically costs per linear foot and per kitchen, which materials hold up in a desert kitchen, and the sales tactics to walk away from.
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Quick answer
National cost guides put the typical range at about $1,500 to $12,500, with an average around $7,000 (Inch Calculator). The spread comes from the material: laminate or thermofoil sits at the low end, wood veneer in the middle and solid wood at the top. Your kitchen's linear feet, door count and extras decide where you land.
Who to call: Coachella Valley Remodeling connects you with our licensed partner contractor, who visits and gives you a written price. Free to you. Open the cost calculator or call (760) 766-2218.
Refacing keeps the part of your cabinets nobody sees, the boxes, and replaces the part everybody does: doors, drawer fronts, and a new veneer over the face frames and exposed sides. Done well, it changes the whole kitchen without a tear-out. Done badly, it peels in two summers.
This guide covers what it costs, what the price should include, and what to check before you sign.
The short answer
National cost guides put a whole-kitchen refacing job at roughly $1,500 to $12,500, with an average around $7,000 (Inch Calculator). Higher-grade wood veneers can push past that. The biggest drivers are:
- Material: laminate or thermofoil, wood veneer, or solid wood doors
- Size: linear feet of cabinets, and the number of doors and drawer fronts
- Extras: new drawer boxes, soft-close hinges, crown molding, added cabinets
- Condition: repairs to boxes before they can be veneered
No one publishes a Coachella Valley refacing series. Be skeptical of sites that claim to: in our research, one large lead site showed the identical $8,933 refacing “average” for Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta and Rancho Mirage (example). That's a national figure with a city name on it.
Cost by material
| Material | Per linear foot | Whole kitchen | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laminate or rigid thermofoil | $90 to $110 | $1,500 to $4,000 | Lowest cost; heat is its weakness |
| Wood veneer | $150 to $200 (veneer) | $9,000 to $12,000 | Real wood face; most common mid-tier choice |
| Solid wood doors | $200 to $500 installed | $7,000 to $20,000+ | Cherry, walnut, maple; overlaps new cabinet prices |
Source: Inch Calculator, national figures. Thumbtack's guide gives a similar spread by tier (Thumbtack):
| Tier | Per linear foot | 20 linear feet | 30 linear feet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-end | $50 to $100 | $1,000 to $2,000 | $1,500 to $3,000 |
| Mid-range | $100 to $300 | $2,000 to $6,000 | $3,000 to $9,000 |
| High-end | $300 to $500 | $6,000 to $10,000 | $9,000 to $15,000 |
How many linear feet do you have? Measure along the wall under the upper cabinets, then add the lower run and the island. Many kitchens land around 25 to 30 linear feet; Fixr's whole-kitchen cabinet averages imply about that range (Fixr).
Kitchen & cabinet cost estimator
Typical installed range Estimate
$5,600 – $8,400
Anchored to cabinet refacing costs from Inch Calculator, cabinet refacing cost guide (national). Size and finish adjustments are our rough rules of thumb, not a quote. Only a contractor's written, itemized bid after a site visit is a real price.
What a refacing price should include
Compare bids on the same list. A complete refacing scope names:
- Doors and drawer fronts: material, style, color and finish, and the exact count
- Veneer: on face frames and exposed end panels, with the material named
- Hinges: concealed or exposed, and whether they're soft-close
- Hardware: pulls and knobs, and who chooses and supplies them
- Removal and haul-away of the old doors
- Touch-up of interiors visible through open doors or glass, if any
- Warranty: what's covered, for how long, and whether labor is included
Common extras
These are where bids drift apart. Ask for each as its own line:
- new drawer boxes (refacing usually keeps your old ones)
- soft-close drawer slides
- crown molding, light rail and toe-kick covers
- a new cabinet or two, for example a pantry, wine rack or microwave cabinet
- glass-front doors and interior lighting
- roll-out shelves and trash pull-outs
Thumbtack lists hinges at about $4 to $20 each and knobs or pulls at about $2 to $4 each, before labor. A kitchen with 30 doors and drawers adds up quickly.
When refacing is the right call
Refacing pays off when the boxes are worth keeping:
- The boxes are solid. Check the floor of the sink base. Soft or swollen particleboard from an old leak is the most common reason refacing doesn't work.
- The layout works. Refacing can add a cabinet or two, but if you want to move the sink or add an island, you're shopping for new cabinets.
- The cabinets are roughly square. Out-of-level boxes show every flaw once new doors go on.
- You like the footprint and the storage. Refacing changes the look, not how the kitchen works.
If the boxes fail any of these, compare against new cabinets. If the doors themselves are solid wood in good shape, painting costs less still. Our refacing vs replacing guide walks through the decision.
Refacing in a desert kitchen
Heat is the reason refacing goes wrong here more often than in milder climates.
- Thermofoil and laminate can lift. Thermofoil is a vinyl film heat-pressed over MDF. Next to an oven or range, near a west-facing window or in a house that sits closed up all summer, edges can lift and fronts can bubble. Peeling laminate and thermofoil came up again and again in the warranty fights we reviewed.
- Adhesives have temperature limits. Ask what the veneer adhesive is rated for, and don't let the install happen in a kitchen that's 100 degrees inside.
- Sun fades dark finishes. Rich stains and dark colors near big windows fade unevenly. Ask for the UV performance of the finish, or pick a lighter one.
- Closed-up summer houses. If your house sits shut from June to October, say so up front and ask the installer what they'd recommend for that kitchen.
A good refacer will tell you when wood veneer or painted solid doors make more sense than thermofoil, even though it raises the price.
What goes wrong with refacing deals
The complaints we reviewed about refacing companies followed a pattern:
- In-home sales with a same-night price that expires if you don't sign, often paired with financing.
- Large payments up front, and in some cases a company that closed before the job was finished.
- “Three-day” jobs that took months, because doors were mis-measured or arrived damaged.
- Lifetime-sounding warranties that excluded peeling as “cosmetic” or blamed heat or water.
Protect yourself with a few rules:
- No same-day pricing. Any honest price is still good next week. Our partner agreement requires estimates to stay valid for at least seven days.
- Small deposit. California caps the down payment at 10 percent or $1,000, whichever is less.
- Your right to cancel. You have three business days to cancel a contract signed at home, five if you're 65 or older.
- Doors on site before old doors come off. Inspect them for color, size and damage first.
- Warranty in writing, including whether heat-related lifting and labor are covered.
- Check the license at cslb.ca.gov (how to check license and insurance). Cabinet work is commonly done under a C-6 (cabinet, millwork and finish carpentry) or B (general building) license.
Permits and HOAs
Refacing in the same footprint doesn't change walls, plumbing or wiring, so it usually needs no building permit. Riverside County's Work Exempt From Permits handout lists cabinets and similar finish work that doesn't change those systems. Cities in the valley run their own building departments, so your contractor should confirm with yours.
HOAs are a different story. Even when interior work needs no approval, many clubs and condo associations require contractors on the gate list, insurance certificates on file, and work within set hours. Sort that out before you schedule.
What we require
We read about 1,600 public complaints about kitchen, cabinet and small-job work before setting our standard. For cabinet work, our partner agreement requires:
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No sign-tonight pricing
“Thirty percent off, but only if we sign tonight.” · 12% of cabinet complaints
Our standard: Nobody we refer will pressure you to sign the same day. Estimates stay valid for at least seven days.
Our partner agreement rules out same-day-only pricing and requires honoring the 3-day right to cancel (5 days for 65+). We flag financing that pays the company before the work is done.
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Honest reface, paint or replace advice
“We paid replacement prices for refacing.” · Recurring in refacing complaints
Our standard: We'll tell you honestly whether painting, refacing or replacing fits your cabinets and budget.
Before any introduction, we ask about the cabinet boxes' condition and your goals, and our partner contractor can price painting, refacing and replacing, each in writing.
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Construction spelled out
“Sold as solid wood, delivered as particleboard.” · 21% of cabinet complaints (defects)
Our standard: Your contract names the box material, door construction and finish.
The itemized scope lists the cabinet line, box material, door style and construction, finish type, and hinges and slides. Our partner agreement requires deliveries to be photographed and inspected before installation.
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Drawings you approve
“The microwave didn't fit the cabinet built for it.” · 19% of cabinet complaints
Our standard: Cabinets aren't ordered until you've approved drawings based on on-site measurements and your appliance specs.
Our partner agreement requires field measurements, your appliance spec sheets, and a layout and elevations you sign before anything is ordered.
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Realistic lead times
“Cabinets quoted at five weeks took five months.” · 31% of cabinet complaints
Our standard: You'll get a realistic lead time in writing, and demo waits until the cabinets are here.
Our partner agreement requires manufacturer lead times in writing, cabinets inspected on delivery, and no tear-out until they've arrived. You get updates whenever a date changes.
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Warranty you can use
“The door peeled and the company was already closed.” · 24% of cabinet complaints
Our standard: You get the manufacturer's warranty and a written workmanship warranty, and we keep copies.
Our partner agreement requires at least a one-year written workmanship warranty and manufacturer warranties registered in your name. We keep your documents on file.
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Inspected before installed
“Every replacement door arrived damaged too.” · Recurring in retail and RTA complaints
Our standard: Every box is inspected on delivery, so damage is caught before installation, not after.
Our partner agreement requires deliveries to be opened, checked and photographed. Damaged pieces are reordered right away, and your schedule is updated in writing.
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One point person
“I was passed between five reps for one drawer.” · 42% of cabinet complaints (communication)
Our standard: One person handles your cabinet project from measure to final walkthrough.
Each job has one named contact at the contractor and one at our office. Our partner agreement requires messages returned within one business day.
From about 1,600 public complaints (BBB, Yelp, CSLB) about kitchen and cabinet work that we read in 2026. How we counted
Next step
Get a range for your own kitchen with the calculator above, then ask for written refacing and replacement prices side by side. We refer you to our licensed partner contractor. You decide, and you sign with and pay the contractor directly. See cabinet refacing in the Coachella Valley for local details, or start from your city, such as Palm Desert, La Quinta or Indio.
Common questions
How much does it cost to reface kitchen cabinets?
National cost guides put the typical range at about $1,500 to $12,500, with an average around $7,000 (Inch Calculator). The spread comes from the material: laminate or thermofoil sits at the low end, wood veneer in the middle and solid wood at the top. Your kitchen's linear feet, door count and extras decide where you land.
Is refacing cheaper than new cabinets?
Usually, because the boxes stay and there's no tear-out, plumbing disconnect or new countertop forced by the change. Fixr puts new installed cabinets at $4,000 to $14,000 for a typical kitchen, and custom runs $500 to $1,200 per linear foot. High-end solid-wood refacing can overlap with new semi-custom cabinets, so get both prices.
Does thermofoil hold up in the Coachella Valley?
It can lift or peel when it gets very hot, for example beside an oven or range, near a west window or in a house closed up all summer. Peeling laminate and thermofoil came up again and again in the warranty complaints we reviewed. If you choose it, ask what heat it's rated for and get the warranty terms in writing.
How long does cabinet refacing take?
The on-site work for a typical kitchen is often about a week or less once the doors arrive (Thumbtack). The wait for custom-sized doors is usually longer than the install, so ask for the lead time in writing and don't let anyone start removing doors until the new ones are on site.
Can I get my countertops replaced at the same time?
Yes, and it's often smart. Refacing doesn't require new counters, but if you're replacing them anyway, schedule the counters after the boxes are veneered and before the new doors go on. One contractor should own the whole sequence.
How much deposit should I pay for refacing?
In California, no more than 10 percent of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less. After that, payments can't get ahead of the work done and materials delivered. That rule applies to refacing companies too.
Last reviewed . Prices and rules change; confirm details with your contractor and your city or county building department.