Cabinet refinishing vs cabinet installation
Refinishing vs replacing cabinets: compare costs, timelines, durability, design options, and disruption to decide whether refreshing your existing cabinets or installing new ones is the better kitchen upgrade.
Cabinet refinishing (painting or restaining the existing cabinet boxes and doors) costs roughly $3,000–$8,000 for a typical kitchen and takes 3–5 days, during which the kitchen stays partially usable. New cabinet installation runs $10,000–$30,000+ and takes 1–3 weeks with the kitchen completely torn apart. Refinishing makes sense when the cabinet boxes are structurally sound, the layout works well, and the goal is a cosmetic refresh — a different color, a cleaner look, or updated hardware. It cannot fix sagging shelves, water-damaged particleboard interiors, poor drawer glide mechanisms, or an inefficient layout. New cabinets are the better investment when the existing boxes are delaminating or warped, you need a different configuration (deeper drawers, pull-out organizers, soft-close hinges), or you are already gutting the kitchen for new countertops and plumbing. A middle option — refacing (new doors and drawer fronts over existing boxes) — costs $5,000–$12,000 and bridges the gap.
Keukenkastjes herschilderen vs Kasten monteren
| Feature | Keukenkastjes herschilderen | Kasten monteren |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Choose cabinet refinishing when your existing cabinet boxes are solid hardwood or quality plywood with no water damage or structural sag, the current layout serves your needs, and you want a dramatic visual change at roughly one-third the cost of replacement. At $3,000–$8,000, refinishing is the highest-impact, lowest-disruption kitchen upgrade — you keep your countertops in place, avoid plumbing disconnection, and regain use of the kitchen within a week. Pair it with new handles and hinges for a complete transformation. | Choose new cabinet installation when the existing boxes are delaminating particleboard, have visible water damage, or the layout no longer works — narrow cabinets where you need wide drawers, no pull-outs, or wasted corner space. At $10,000–$30,000+, full replacement is a significant investment but the only way to get modern features like soft-close drawers, pull-out shelving, and custom interior organizers while potentially reworking the entire footprint. If you are already replacing countertops and moving plumbing, new cabinets integrate seamlessly into the larger renovation rather than working around constraints of the old boxes. |
Call a keukenkastjes herschilderen when…
Choose cabinet refinishing when your existing cabinet boxes are solid hardwood or quality plywood with no water damage or structural sag, the current layout serves your needs, and you want a dramatic visual change at roughly one-third the cost of replacement. At $3,000–$8,000, refinishing is the highest-impact, lowest-disruption kitchen upgrade — you keep your countertops in place, avoid plumbing disconnection, and regain use of the kitchen within a week. Pair it with new handles and hinges for a complete transformation.
Call a kasten monteren when…
Choose new cabinet installation when the existing boxes are delaminating particleboard, have visible water damage, or the layout no longer works — narrow cabinets where you need wide drawers, no pull-outs, or wasted corner space. At $10,000–$30,000+, full replacement is a significant investment but the only way to get modern features like soft-close drawers, pull-out shelving, and custom interior organizers while potentially reworking the entire footprint. If you are already replacing countertops and moving plumbing, new cabinets integrate seamlessly into the larger renovation rather than working around constraints of the old boxes.