Cabinet refinishing vs refacing in Tucson: what's the difference?
Curious how much a professional cabinet refinish costs? Get an instant price from our cabinet calculator.
The short answer: cabinet refinishing keeps your existing doors, drawer fronts and boxes and gives them a new finish, usually paint. Refacing replaces the doors and drawer fronts and covers the boxes with a new veneer. If you like your door style and the doors are solid, refinishing is the simpler, lower-cost route; if the doors themselves are the problem, refacing is the one to look at.
When Tucson homeowners search for “cabinet refinishing Tucson” or “kitchen cabinet refinishing,” they usually mean painting the cabinets they already have. “Refacing” sounds similar but is a different trade, done by different companies with different tools. Knowing which one you need saves you calls to the wrong company and quotes you cannot compare. A quick way to tell: if you are happy with the shape of your doors and only want a new color, you are looking for refinishing.
What cabinet refinishing includes
Refinishing works with what is already in your kitchen. At PAINTR, that means:
- Doors and drawers removed and labeled.
- Every surface degreased and scuff sanded.
- A bonding primer.
- Two sprayed coats of a waterborne alkyd-urethane enamel or a baked-cure acrylic coating, our hardest finish.
- Hardware reinstalled or replaced, then a walk-through.
Oak grain can be filled for a smoother painted look. The layout, the door shape and the boxes stay; the color and finish change. See how we paint kitchen cabinets, step by step for the full process.
What cabinet refacing includes
Refacing changes more of the cabinet. A refacing company typically:
- Removes and replaces the doors and drawer fronts with new ones
- Covers the face frames and visible box sides with a new veneer or laminate
- Installs new hardware, and often new hinges
The boxes stay where they are, so the layout does not change. Because refacing replaces materials, it typically costs more than refinishing. PAINTR does not do refacing; a refacing company handles that work.
Side by side
| Refinishing (painting) | Refacing | |
|---|---|---|
| Doors and drawer fronts | Kept, prepped and painted | Replaced with new ones |
| Cabinet boxes and frames | Kept and painted | Kept and covered with veneer |
| Door style | Stays the same | Can change completely |
| Color choice | Any paint color | Limited to the door and veneer options offered |
| Materials replaced | None, except optional new hardware | Doors, drawer fronts, veneer |
| Relative cost | Lower | Typically higher |
| Who does it | A cabinet painting company like PAINTR | A cabinet refacing company |
When refinishing makes sense
Refinishing is usually the better fit when:
- The doors are solid wood or sound MDF and in decent shape
- You like the door style and only want a new color
- The layout works and you are not moving appliances
- You want any color, such as Alabaster (SW 7008), Sea Salt (SW 6204), Hale Navy (BM HC-154) or Peppercorn (SW 7674)
- You want to keep costs closer to an average of $3,500 to $6,250 for a Tucson kitchen
Solid oak kitchens are often good candidates: sturdy boxes, solid doors, a color that simply looks dated. Paint turns them into a fresh kitchen without tearing anything out, and nothing goes to the landfill. Read painting oak cabinets and grain filling if that sounds like yours.
When refacing makes sense
Refacing is worth pricing when:
- Doors are warped, cracked or water-damaged
- Thermofoil doors are peeling or bubbling badly
- You want a completely different door style, such as raised panel to flat slab
- The boxes are sound and you want to keep the layout
If both the boxes and the layout are failing, neither option is the right fix, and replacing the cabinets is worth pricing instead. And if only a door or two is damaged, it is worth asking whether those few can be repaired or replaced before refinishing the rest.
If you are unsure whether your doors can take paint, start with can you paint laminate, thermofoil and MDF cabinets. For a broader cost comparison that also covers replacement and remodeling, see cost to paint cabinets vs remodel vs refacing vs replacement.
Getting a refinishing price
Count your doors and drawer fronts and use the instant cabinet price for a starting range, or read cost to paint kitchen cabinets per door in Tucson. A free estimate gives you three options on the spot, Standard, Premium and Elite, with our Price Lock Guarantee. You can also preview colors on a photo of your own kitchen with the free color visualizer.
Learn more about cabinet refinishing and painting in Tucson, or read the hidden benefits of cabinet refinishing.
Curious how much a professional cabinet refinish costs for your kitchen? Try our instant price calculator. It takes about 30 seconds.
Cabinet Painting in Tucson: prices, process and photos
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cabinet refinishing and refacing?
Refinishing keeps your existing doors, drawer fronts and cabinet boxes and changes their finish, usually with paint. Refacing replaces the doors and drawer fronts with new ones and covers the boxes and frames with a new veneer. Refinishing changes the color; refacing changes the doors themselves.
Is refinishing cabinets cheaper than refacing?
Generally, yes. Refacing replaces materials, new doors, drawer fronts and veneer, so it typically costs more than refinishing, which reuses what you have. An average Tucson kitchen costs $3,500 to $6,250 for professional cabinet painting.
Is cabinet painting the same as cabinet refinishing?
Mostly, yes. In Tucson many people say refinishing when they mean painting their cabinets. Strictly, refinishing can also mean restaining, but most refinishing jobs today are painting with a hard cabinet coating.
When should you reface cabinets instead of painting them?
Refacing makes sense when the doors themselves are the problem: damaged, warped, peeling thermofoil, or a door style you want to change completely, while the boxes are still sound. If you like the door shape and the doors are solid, refinishing gets you a new look for less.
Does PAINTR do cabinet refacing?
No. PAINTR refinishes and paints cabinets. If you need new doors and veneered boxes, a cabinet refacing company does that work.
