Can any cabinets be refinished, or do some need to be replaced?

Solid wood and plywood cabinet boxes generally refinish well. Cabinets made from particle board that has swelled or delaminated from water exposure usually won't hold a smooth finish and are better candidates for replacement.

Does refinishing include the drawer boxes and interior shelves, or just the doors?

That depends on the scope you agree to. Most refinishing jobs cover the visible faces, doors, and drawer fronts. Interiors and drawer boxes can be included but usually cost more since it's more surface area to prep and coat.

How long does a cabinet refinish take compared to a full replacement?

Refinishing is typically measured in days since it's a coating job, while replacement or refacing involves ordering materials and carpentry work that can stretch into weeks.

Cabinet refinishing vs. replacement: which one fits your kitchen

Not every dated kitchen needs new boxes. If the cabinet frames are solid wood or plywood and just look tired, worn, or the wrong color, refinishing usually gets you 80% of the look of new cabinets for a fraction of the disruption. Replacement makes more sense when the boxes are particle board that's swelled from moisture, the layout itself needs to change, or the doors are damaged beyond a smooth repaint.

Refinishing involves degreasing, sanding or deglossing, filling dents and nail holes, priming with a bonding primer, and spraying or brushing on a durable enamel finish. Doors and drawer fronts are often removed and sprayed separately for a factory-smooth result.
Replacement means new cabinet boxes or at minimum new doors and drawer fronts on the existing boxes (a "reface"), which is a carpentry job rather than a painting job.

A lot of the painters and refinishing shops in this directory will do an on-site walkthrough and tell you honestly if your cabinets are a good refinishing candidate before you commit either way.

What it costs

Cost is driven mainly by door and drawer count, whether doors come off-site for spraying, the cabinet material (real wood takes finish better than laminate or thermofoil), and how much repair work (dents, water damage, hinge holes) has to happen before the primer goes on. Get a couple of on-site quotes rather than a phone estimate, since kitchen size and cabinet count vary a lot house to house.

Top 3 by our score

Ranked from our published scoring of public Google reviews for cabinet refinishing & repainting.

1. MDF Painting & Power Washing, LLC
4.9★ · 855 reviews

93
2. Robinson's Painting & Home Improvement LLC
5.0★ · 144 reviews

93
3. Quality Pro Painting
4.9★ · 50 reviews

87

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FAQ

Can any cabinets be refinished, or do some need to be replaced?: Solid wood and plywood cabinet boxes generally refinish well. Cabinets made from particle board that has swelled or delaminated from water exposure usually won't hold a smooth finish and are better candidates for replacement.
Does refinishing include the drawer boxes and interior shelves, or just the doors?: That depends on the scope you agree to. Most refinishing jobs cover the visible faces, doors, and drawer fronts. Interiors and drawer boxes can be included but usually cost more since it's more surface area to prep and coat.
How long does a cabinet refinish take compared to a full replacement?: Refinishing is typically measured in days since it's a coating job, while replacement or refacing involves ordering materials and carpentry work that can stretch into weeks.

When you submit an enquiry through our forms, we may share it with partner providers who can do the work and may earn a referral fee from those partners. Our rankings and scores are based solely on our published scoring method and are not affected by referral fees.