Reface your kitchen cabinets if the boxes are solid and the layout already works for you. Replace them if the boxes are damaged, sagging or badly arranged, or if you want different storage. Refacing costs a fraction of new cabinets, while replacement lets you change sizes, interiors and how the room functions.
Refacing keeps the existing cabinet boxes and adds new doors, drawer fronts and veneer over the exposed faces. New hinges, drawer slides and hardware usually go on at the same time. Because the boxes stay in place, the kitchen keeps its current layout and storage plan, and the work causes much less disruption than a full tear-out. It suits a kitchen that functions well but looks dated, where the only real complaint is the appearance of the cabinets.
Replacement is the better choice when the boxes themselves are the problem. Look for swollen or stained panels under the sink, shelves that bow, drawers that no longer fit their openings and boxes pulling away from the wall. New cabinets also make sense if you want deep drawers, a tall pantry, pull-out trash or room for a larger appliance. None of those can be added well to old boxes. Veneer applied over failing cabinets will not fix them, so the money is better spent on new boxes.
A quick check at home helps. Empty a base cabinet and a wall cabinet, then look at the corners, the back panel and the floor of each box. If they feel firm and dry, refacing is worth pricing. Legacy Construction & Design inspects the boxes during the free in-home consultation and tells you honestly which path fits. Either way, the sink, range and walls stay where they are, which keeps the project within the scope that does not require a building permit.
Answered by Legacy Construction & Design · CA License #790442 · October 2026