Cabinet Refinishing Cost Calculator

Refinish or reface? Compare sanding and recoating your existing doors against fitting new fronts and veneer. Enter the piece count and your two prices to see both paths side by side — both far cheaper than a remodel.

Planning estimate: this is a planning estimate from the numbers you enter — not a bid or a contract. Paint quantity and price depend on wall texture, porosity, color change, number of coats, prep and patching, trim and ceilings, height and access, and local labor. Get itemized written quotes from licensed, insured painters before you commit.
Your result
Refinish (sand & recoat)$1,800.00
Reface (new door/drawer fronts)$6,250.00
Refinish: units × $/unit30 × $60.00
Reface: run × $/linear foot25 × $250.00

Refinishing (sand & recoat the existing doors) of 30 units is about $1,800.00; refacing (new door & drawer fronts + veneer) at 25 lf is about $6,250.00 — a labeled compare. Refinishing is far cheaper than refacing or replacing, and this is the paint/refinish line item, not a kitchen remodel (renovationcalcs).

Calculator inputs

count
For the refinish path — every door that gets sanded and recoated.
count
For the refinish path — drawer fronts only.
$/unit
Your price to sand and recoat (or restain) each existing door or drawer front.
linear feet
For the reface path — total linear feet of cabinet run getting new fronts + veneer.
$/lf
Your price per linear foot to reface (new door/drawer fronts + box veneer).

“Refinishing” gets used loosely, so pin down what you mean before you price it. Refinishing here is sanding and recoating (or restaining) the doors and boxes you already have — the same piecework as a paint job. Refacing is a bigger step: new door and drawer fronts plus a matching veneer over the existing boxes, priced by the linear foot of cabinet run. Both keep your layout; both cost a fraction of a full remodel.

This tool runs the two paths in parallel so you can see the gap. Refinishing follows the piece count (doors + drawers × your per-unit price); refacing follows the run length (linear feet × your per-foot price). Neither is a kitchen remodel — if you are moving cabinets or changing the layout, that belongs on renovationcalcs, not here.

Formula

Two independent paths, compared:

refinish = (doors + drawers) × $/unit

reface = run_lf × $/linear foot

  • refinish — sand and recoat the existing doors and fronts, priced per piece.
  • reface — new fronts + box veneer, priced per linear foot of run.

Both keep your boxes and layout; replacing the cabinets entirely is a different (and much larger) project.

Worked example

30 pieces (20 doors + 10 drawers) refinished at $60 each, versus a 25 linear-foot run refaced at $250 a foot:

refinish = 30 × $60 = $1,800

reface = 25 × $250 = $6,250

So refinishing is roughly $1,800 against $6,250 to reface — a labeled compare from your prices, not a verdict. If the boxes are sound and you simply want a new color or a crisp finish, refinishing wins on cost; if the fronts are dated or damaged, refacing buys you new doors.

Measure first, avoid re-orders

Decide what problem you are solving. A tired color or a scuffed finish is a refinish. Warped, delaminating or hopelessly dated doors are a reface. Failed boxes or a layout you dislike are a replacement/remodel — a different budget entirely.

  • Refinish tracks the count; reface tracks the run. Measure the linear feet of cabinet run for the reface path, and count doors + drawers for the refinish path — they are different units on purpose.
  • Wood species and current finish matter. A heavy grain or a peeling factory finish adds prep to a refinish; put that in your per-unit price.
  • This is a line item, not a remodel. Moving cabinets, new counters or a new layout is renovation territory — keep those out of this compare.

Reference table

Labeled cabinet planning bands — a sanity check only. You enter your real per-unit price; cost swings with door style, spray vs brush, the number of coats, degreasing and how much boxes/frames work is included.

BasisTypical range
Paint, per door or drawer front$50.00–$100.00
Paint, per sq ft of cabinet face$30.00–$60.00
Reface, per linear foot of run$150.00–$350.00

Frequently asked questions

Is it cheaper to refinish or reface cabinets?
Refinishing (sand and recoat your existing doors) is almost always cheaper than refacing (new fronts + veneer). In the example, $1,800 to refinish 30 pieces against $6,250 to reface a 25-foot run — but enter your own prices, since both depend on your quote.
What is the difference between refinishing and refacing?
Refinishing sands and recoats the doors and boxes you already have. Refacing keeps the boxes but fits new door and drawer fronts plus a matching veneer. Both preserve your layout; refacing costs more because you are buying new fronts.
Why is refinishing priced per piece but refacing per foot?
Refinishing is piecework — each door and drawer front is handled and recoated — so it tracks the count. Refacing is a materials-and-fit job across the cabinet run, so it is quoted by the linear foot of run.
Is refinishing or refacing a remodel?
Neither. Both keep your boxes and layout and cost a fraction of new cabinetry. Moving cabinets, changing the layout or new counters is a kitchen remodel — a different, larger budget that belongs elsewhere.
Are these numbers a quote?
No — they are a labeled planning compare from the prices you enter. Get itemized written quotes from licensed, insured cabinet pros before you commit.

Related calculators

Cabinet Painting CostEstimate cabinet painting cost from the doors and drawer fronts you count and the per-unit price you enter, plus labor and a labeled contingency buffer.Cost to Paint Kitchen CabinetsEstimate the cost to paint kitchen cabinets by counting doors and drawer fronts at your per-unit price, plus labor and a planning contingency buffer.Painter Quote CheckerCheck a painter's quote by dividing it by your paintable area, then compare the derived dollars per square foot to a labeled sanity band for that job type.Trim & Door Painting CostEstimate trim and door painting cost: trim by the linear foot plus doors by the each, from your own prices, with a planning contingency buffer.