Kitchen cabinets set the look of the whole room. If yours are dated but the kitchen works, you have three choices, and the cheapest one is often the right one.
Painting
The cabinet boxes and doors you have, sprayed in a new colour with a hard cabinet enamel. It's the least expensive way to change a kitchen and takes about a week.
Best when: the boxes and doors are solid wood or good-quality material, you like the layout, and you're happy with the door style.
Refacing
New doors and drawer fronts, with the visible parts of the boxes covered in matching veneer. It changes the door style, from raised panel to a modern flat or Shaker door, for example.
Best when: the boxes are sound and the layout works, but you want a different door style.
Replacing
New cabinets, usually with new counters and often new flooring, backsplash and plumbing. It's the most expensive and most disruptive option.
Best when: the boxes are water-damaged or falling apart, or you're changing the layout.
How to tell what you have
- Solid oak or maple doors from the 1980s or 1990s paint beautifully.
- Thermofoil doors with peeling plastic skins can't be painted well. Those are reface or replace.
- Swollen particleboard under the sink or near the dishwasher is a sign the boxes may not be worth keeping.
Quick comparison
- Lowest cost: painting
- New door style: refacing
- New layout: replacing
Thinking about painting? Send the form at the top of this page and a local painter can look at your cabinets and tell you honestly whether they'll paint well. See cabinet painting.