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Cabinet Refacing

Handis cabinet refacing is the kitchen-cabinetry trade that changes the entire face of a kitchen while keeping the boxes — from $6,500 for a partial kitchen to $15,000 for a full kitchen with replacement doors, new veneer skins on the boxes, new soft-close hinges, new pulls, and a new toe-kick. The 1998 oak kitchen with good cabinet boxes and dated raised-panel doors. The 1992 honey-maple where the boxes are solid but the look is the look of 1992. The kitchen where the homeowner wants a different door style (slab from raised-panel, shaker from slab) and does not want to pay for a full cabinet replacement. We measure every door and drawer opening, order the replacement faces in your finish, apply new veneer skins to every visible box face, hang the new doors on new soft-close hinges, drill the pulls on a single jig-set reference line, and install a new toe-kick. The box stays, the face changes. Costs a fraction of a full cabinet replacement and finishes in a fraction of the time.

Cabinet refacing image — Seattle kitchen mid-refacing project with new white shaker replacement doors stacked on the counter waiting to be hung, a strip of wood veneer being applied to the visible side of a cabinet box with contact cement and a J-roller, the original cabinet boxes still in place underneath, and a stack of new soft-close European concealed hinges on the workbench.

Service

Photo of a cabinet refacing project in progress — installer rolling out a wood veneer skin onto the visible side of a cabinet box with a J-roller, contact cement still tacky underneath, new replacement shaker doors leaning against the wall in soft white finish, a stack of new Blum BLUMOTION soft-close hinges on the workbench, and the original cabinet boxes still in place ready to receive the new face.
Process

How Cabinet Refacing Works

Six sequential steps from the precise measurement through the final hinge adjustment — the actual sequence we follow on every full cabinet refacing.

Step 1/6

Measure Every Door and Drawer Opening to the Sixteenth

Width, height, and existing-door reveal measured on every opening in the kitchen. Measurements compiled as a shop drawing for the door supplier. Veneer for the boxes and matching end panels for the visible sides ordered in the same purchase.

Step 2/6

Order Replacement Doors, Drawer Faces, Veneer, and Hardware

Order placed with the door supplier (Cabinet Door Shop, Conestoga, TaylorCraft, or local custom shop) in your style and finish. Lead time typically 3 to 6 weeks. Hinges (Blum, Salice, Grass), pulls, and the new toe-kick ordered in the same window.

Step 3/6

Remove Old Doors, Drawer Fronts, and Toe-Kick

Existing doors and drawer fronts removed and labeled for disposal or donation. Old hinges unscrewed from the box; old toe-kick pried off the cabinet base. Boxes left clean and ready for prep. Hardware bagged for the homeowner if requested.

Step 4/6

Sand Box Faces, Apply Veneer Skins

Every visible box face sanded flat (220 grit, then 320 grit), vacuumed, wiped with denatured alcohol. Contact cement applied to both the box face and the back of the veneer, allowed to flash off, then the veneer rolled down with a J-roller from the center out. No air bubbles, no lifting at the corners.

Step 5/6

Hang Replacement Doors on New Soft-Close Hinges

New European concealed soft-close hinges (Blum BLUMOTION, Salice SilentSystem, or Grass Tiomos) mounted to the new doors and to the existing cabinet box hinge cups. Doors hung, drawer fronts attached to existing drawer boxes with manufacturer clips, three-way hinge adjustment to align every door reveal across the kitchen.

Step 6/6

Drill Pulls on a Jig-Set Sight-Line, Install Toe-Kick, Walkthrough

Pulls drilled with a Kreg or Rockler jig clamped to every door and drawer face, indexed off the same edge across the kitchen, backer block behind every door. New toe-kick attached to the base cabinet with finish nails, scribed to the floor on out-of-level runs. Walkthrough, hinge adjustment, one-year project warranty starts.

Pricing

Cabinet Refacing Pricing

Final pricing depends on cabinet count, door style and finish, hardware choice, and whether the existing boxes need any repair work (soft bottom under the sink trap, end panel replacement on a damaged corner). Premium door styles (custom shaker in a paint-grade hardwood, raised-panel cherry, beadboard in a stain finish) add a premium on the material cost. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.

Send a photo of the kitchen and the cabinet count — we will measure on a site visit and quote the refacing.

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Why Handis for Cabinet Refacing
Trust

Why Handis for Cabinet Refacing

Every refacing project we have ever been called to fix had veneer lifting at the corners by year two. The fix on a lifted corner is not a touch-up — it is the same prep sequence and the same contact cement, done right this time. The veneer is only as good as the surface it is glued to. We sand every box face flat, vacuum the dust to nothing, wipe with denatured alcohol to remove the last residue, apply contact cement to both surfaces, and roll the veneer down with a J-roller from the center out. No air bubbles, no lifting. Done right the first time, the refacing lasts the life of the cabinet box underneath.

Estimate

Tell us the cabinet count (door fronts plus drawer fronts), the existing box condition (good, water-damaged under the sink, end panel replacement needed), the door style and finish you have in mind (shaker, slab, raised-panel, beadboard; paint-grade or stain-grade; specific color or stain), and the pull pitch. We send a clear estimate with the measurement step, the door order, the veneer, and the hardware named line by line.

Service cost estimate illustration
Reviews

Customer Reviews

Cabinet refacing reviews from real Handis customers.

Full cabinet refacing on our 1998 oak kitchen — 38 doors and 22 drawer fronts. Handis ordered shaker-style replacement doors and drawer faces in soft white, applied new veneer skins on every visible box face, swapped to Blum BLUMOTION soft-close hinges, jig-drilled new brushed-brass pulls. Nine working days end-to-end. The veneer is flat, the doors hang square, the kitchen looks brand new.

Megan and Brent P., Full Oak-to-Shaker Refacing

Partial refacing on the lower cabinets only — 14 doors, 8 drawer fronts. Replacement doors in slab style, white thermofoil finish. The veneer on the visible end panels matches the door finish exactly. Six working days. Came in at the quoted number, no surprise charges.

Theresa and Marcus B., Partial Lower-Cabinet Refacing

Honey-maple 1992 kitchen refaced to a stain-grade walnut shaker. 32 doors, 18 drawer fronts. The walnut veneer on the visible boxes is dead-on to the walnut shaker doors. The Salice soft-close hinges are silent. The brushed-brass pulls are on a perfect sight-line. The kitchen reads like custom cabinetry.

Rajiv and Sara P., Full Walnut Shaker Refacing

The estimator caught the soft bottom in our sink-cabinet box during the measurement visit — water-damage from a slow drip we had not noticed. Quoted the substrate repair separately, fixed it as part of the refacing, no surprises. The kitchen looks new and the sink cabinet is solid.

Helen and Doug F., Refacing with Sink-Box Repair

Just the upper cabinets — 18 doors. Replacement doors in shaker style, paint-grade poplar, white finish. New veneer skins on the visible ends. Blum BLUMOTION hinges. Five working days. The uppers look like they came from a custom shop and the lowers (we kept them stained) still tie in nicely.

Patricia G., Upper-Cabinet Refacing
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Handis cabinet refacing.

How much does a cabinet refacing cost?
A partial kitchen refacing of 10 to 15 doors starts at $6,500. A standard kitchen of 20 to 25 doors runs $8,500 to $10,500 depending on door finish (paint-grade is lower, stain-grade hardwood or premium thermofoil is higher). A large kitchen of 25 to 35 doors runs $12,000. A full kitchen of 30 to 50 doors and drawers runs $15,000 with premium hardware. The estimate includes the measurement visit, the door and drawer-face order, the veneer for the visible box faces, the new soft-close hinges, the jig-drilled pulls, and the new toe-kick. You get a written estimate before any work begins.
Refacing versus painting versus full replacement — what is the right call?
Refacing is the right call when you want a different door style and the existing cabinet boxes are in good shape — solid frame, square boxes, no water damage. Painting is cheaper but keeps the existing door style; refacing changes both the door style and the finish. Full replacement is the right call when the boxes are warped, water-damaged, or the kitchen layout has to change. We tell you on the booking call which path fits your specific kitchen. Most 1990s and early 2000s kitchens with solid boxes are excellent refacing candidates because the box engineering held up; the dated look lives entirely on the doors and the box faces.
How long does a refacing take?
The order-to-install timeline is typically 4 to 8 weeks total — 3 to 6 weeks lead time on the replacement doors and veneer (the supplier needs time to cut and finish every door and drawer face to spec), then 6 to 10 working days of install on site. The install sequence is door removal, veneer application on the boxes, door hang, drawer-front attachment, pull drilling, and toe-kick install. Days 1 and 2 are demo and veneer. Days 3 to 5 are door and drawer-front hang. Days 6 to 8 are pulls, toe-kick, hinge adjustment, walkthrough.
Can you change the door style — shaker from raised-panel, slab from shaker?
Yes — that is the whole point of refacing. The replacement doors come in any style your supplier offers (shaker, slab, raised-panel, beadboard, applied molding) in any finish (paint-grade poplar or MDF, stain-grade oak or maple, white or cherry thermofoil, or veneer over MDF). The new style is independent of the existing style. The most common style change we run is raised-panel oak (1990s standard) to shaker (current trend); the second most common is slab to shaker; the third is shaker in a neutral color to shaker in a saturated color like navy or sage.
What if my cabinet boxes have water damage under the sink?
We catch substrate damage on the measurement visit and we quote the repair separately as part of the refacing estimate. A soft cabinet bottom under the sink trap from a slow drip, water-stained interior side panels, rotted toe-kick at the dishwasher, or substrate damage from a previously fixed leak crosses into carpentry and substrate-rebuild scope and adds to the quote. You see the photos, you see the revised number, you sign off, then we proceed. Refacing over a water-damaged box hides the problem under the new veneer and is not a fix — we do not reface over damage.
Will the veneer lift at the corners in a year or two?
Not in our scope. Veneer is only as good as the surface it is glued to — we sand every visible box face flat (220 grit, then 320 grit), vacuum the dust, wipe with denatured alcohol, apply contact cement to both surfaces, and roll the veneer down with a J-roller from the center out. No air bubbles, no lifting at the corners. The one-year project warranty covers veneer adhesion; if veneer lifts at any corner inside a year, we come back and fix it at no extra charge.
Do I pick the doors, drawer faces, and finish, or do you spec it?
You pick the style, finish, and color — the look is yours to own. We can recommend door style and supplier if you have not specified (Cabinet Door Shop, Conestoga, TaylorCraft on replacement doors; specific finish lines per supplier) and we can walk you through the trade-offs (paint-grade poplar is the workhorse for shaker; MDF is the cheapest for slab; stain-grade hardwood is the premium for any style; thermofoil is the budget option for a uniform colored finish). If you want a fully custom door style or an unusual finish, that routes to a custom-door order with a longer lead time. We talk through both options on the booking call.
Does the refacing include new hinges and pulls?
Yes. Every refacing includes new European concealed soft-close hinges (Blum BLUMOTION, Salice SilentSystem, or Grass Tiomos — three-way adjustable, built-in soft-close) on every door and new pulls drilled on a jig-set sight-line across the entire kitchen. You pick the pull style and pitch. The hinges and pulls are part of the package quote, not an add-on.
Can I keep using the kitchen during the refacing?
Mostly yes. Day 1 is door removal, which leaves the cabinet openings exposed — not pretty but functional. Days 2 to 5 are veneer application on the boxes and door hang, which leaves the kitchen mostly online with the sink and stove reachable. Days 6 to 8 are pulls, toe-kick, and hinge adjustment, which keep the kitchen reachable. The kitchen does not go fully offline at any point in the refacing the way it does on a full cabinet replacement.
Do you handle any plumbing or electrical on a refacing?
Rarely. Most cabinet refacing has no plumbing or electrical scope — the boxes stay in place, the sink and the disposal stay in place, the dishwasher stays in place. The exceptions are if you want to relocate the sink cabinet or add a new disposal branch circuit during the refacing, which routes the regulated portion to a licensed Washington L&I plumber or electrician on a coordinated subcontract. We tell you on the booking call whether your specific scope needs a sub and we name the sub on the quote.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes — one-year project warranty on our scope. If veneer lifts at a corner, a door reveal shifts out of square, a hinge soft-close fails, a pull works loose, the toe-kick separates from the cabinet base, or any of our work fails inside a year, we come back and fix it at no extra charge. Every Handis tech carries liability insurance and has cleared a background screening before the first job. Manufacturer defects on the doors, hinges, or hardware route to the brand for warranty.

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Tuesday:09:00 - 21:00
Wednesday:09:00 - 21:00
Thursday:09:00 - 21:00
Friday:09:00 - 21:00
Saturday:09:00 - 21:00
Sunday:Closed

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