Kitchen Cabinet Replacement Cost 2026: Replace vs Reface vs Paint
Full replacement, refacing or paint? Here is the 2026 cost of each route, what you get for it, and how to choose without regret.
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Before you price new cabinets, answer one question honestly: are the boxes sound? If the carcasses are solid, square and laid out the way you want, you can spend a third of the money and get most of the visual result. If they are sagging particleboard or the layout fights you daily, refacing just puts nice doors on a bad kitchen.
The Three Routes and What They Cost in 2026
- Paint or refinish existing cabinets: $2,200-$4,500 for a 25 LF kitchen ($90-$110 per LF)
- Reface with new doors, drawer fronts and veneered boxes: $4,800-$8,500 ($190-$240 per LF)
- Replace with stock cabinets installed: $6,000-$9,500 ($240-$300 per LF)
- Replace with semi-custom installed: $10,000-$16,000 ($380-$450 per LF)
- Replace with custom installed: $16,000-$28,000 ($600-$900 per LF)
How Long Each Takes
- Painting: 4-6 days on site, kitchen usable most of that time.
- Refacing: 3-5 days, no demo, no drywall repair.
- Replacement: 1-2 weeks on site after a 4-10 week cabinet lead time, plus countertop templating afterward.
Compare all three routes side by side with your own linear footage.
Open the Kitchen Cabinet Cost CalculatorWhen Replacement Is the Only Honest Answer
- Water damage or swollen box bottoms under the sink.
- You want a different layout, a bigger sink base, or a wall run removed.
- Existing cabinets are 32-inch uppers and you want ceiling-height storage.
- Frameless conversion — you cannot reface a face-frame kitchen into frameless.
Refacing saves roughly 40-50% against replacement, but only when the layout already works.
Hidden Costs on a Replacement
New cabinets almost always mean new countertops, because old tops rarely survive removal. Add $2,500-$5,000 for that, plus backsplash repair, possible electrical relocation for under-cabinet lighting, and floor patching where the old toe kick sat.
Price the countertops that come with a cabinet replacement.
Open the Kitchen Countertop CalculatorFrequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to replace kitchen cabinets?
Most US homeowners spend $6,000-$16,000 in 2026 depending on tier, with custom kitchens running $16,000-$28,000 for a standard 25 linear foot layout.
Is refacing cabinets worth it?
Yes when the boxes are solid and the layout works — it delivers most of the visual change for roughly half the cost and a fraction of the disruption.
Do I need new countertops if I replace cabinets?
Almost always. Stone tops are bonded to the boxes and rarely come off intact, so budget for replacement tops in the same project.
Written by Javed Niamat
Javed Niamat is a home renovation cost analyst and the founder of RenoCalc Hub. He tracks US remodeling labor rates, material pricing and contractor bids across all 50 states, and builds the free calculators behind every guide on this site.
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