One of the most common questions we get on a first showroom visit: "Can you just put new doors on my old cabinets, or do I need a whole new kitchen?" The answer depends on five things. Here they are, in the order we ask them.
The 60-second decision tree
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Cabinet boxes are solid (no swelling, no broken hinges, layout works) | Refacing ($6,000–$15,000 typical, 3–5 days) |
| Boxes are MDF/particle board AND swollen from water damage | Full replacement ($15,000–$45,000+, 2–4 days install) |
| You want to change the layout (move sink, add island, remove peninsula) | Full replacement (refacing can't change layout) |
| You want to add storage features (pull-outs, lazy Susans, charging drawers) | Either works — pull-outs can be added during refacing too |
| Existing cabinets are 40+ years old with custom hardwood | Refacing if structurally sound — old construction is often better than new |
What "refacing" actually includes
A lot of customers think refacing means "we paint the doors." It's much more than that:
- New doors in any of our finishes (NorthPoint, PCS, or 1951 catalog) — solid wood or thermofoil
- New drawer fronts matching the doors
- New veneer applied to the visible exterior of the cabinet boxes (so they match the new doors)
- New hinges — soft-close upgraded if your original cabinets had standard hinges
- New drawer slides — full-extension soft-close instead of the old 3/4-extension stuff
- New hardware — pulls and knobs included
- Optional pull-outs and inserts — we can add lazy Susans, full-extension pantry pull-outs, trash bins, spice racks, etc., even though we're keeping the existing boxes
What we don't change in refacing: the cabinet boxes themselves, the layout, the wall positions, or the existing countertops/backsplash unless you specifically want to.
The five questions that determine which path
1. Are the cabinet boxes structurally sound?
Open every door. Look inside. Are the boxes solid wood or plywood? Are they square (not warped)? Are the shelves stable? Is there any swelling from water leaks under the sink? Are the hinges still attached to wood that hasn't crumbled?
If yes → refacing is on the table. We've seen cabinets from the 1960s with hardwood plywood boxes that are in better structural shape than 1990s particle-board boxes. Old doesn't mean bad.
If no → replacement is your path. Putting expensive new doors on a failing box is throwing money away — the box will fail in 3–5 years and you'll have to do it all over.
2. Do you want to change the layout?
This is the biggest single decider. Refacing keeps your existing layout — every cabinet stays where it is. If you're happy with where the sink, dishwasher, range, fridge, and pantry currently sit, refacing works.
If you want to move the sink under the window, add an island where there isn't one, take down a peninsula, or change the pantry to a butler's bar — you need full replacement. There's no way to relocate cabinets without making new ones.
3. Are your countertops staying or going?
If your countertops are staying (granite or quartz from a recent renovation, for example), refacing works perfectly — we don't touch the counters at all.
If your countertops need to be replaced anyway (laminate, dated tile, scratched solid surface), the cost difference between refacing and replacement narrows. You're paying for new counters either way; might as well consider whether new boxes give you a chance to fix layout issues.
4. What's your timeline?
| Project type | Order to install | Install duration |
|---|---|---|
| Refacing | 2–3 weeks | 3–5 days |
| Full replacement (NorthPoint stock) | 10 days | 2–3 days |
| Full replacement (PCS or 1951) | 4–8 weeks | 2–4 days |
Counterintuitive: a refacing project takes longer to install than a full NorthPoint replacement, because each old cabinet has to be carefully prepped for veneer (2 hours per cabinet vs. 30 minutes to set a new one). But the order-to-install window is faster on refacing because we're only ordering doors and veneer, not whole cabinet boxes.
5. What's the budget difference?
Realistic ranges for an average 12x14 kitchen with about 25 linear feet of cabinetry:
| Approach | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Refacing (NorthPoint Catalina doors, soft-close) | $8,000–$15,000 | Looks like new, original boxes |
| Refacing (1951 doors with bold finish) | $10,000–$18,000 | Looks like new, designer finish |
| Replacement (NorthPoint Hatteras Essentials) | $12,000–$22,000 | Brand-new everything, all-wood |
| Replacement (NorthPoint Catalina Premier) | $18,000–$32,000 | Brand-new everything, soft-close |
| Replacement (1951 with bold paint) | $22,000–$45,000 | Brand-new everything, designer |
Refacing typically saves 40–60% vs. replacement at the same finish quality. The savings come from skipping new cabinet boxes (which are 50% of a cabinet's cost) and skipping demo (refacing requires no drywall or floor repair).
When refacing is the wrong call
Be honest with yourself about these scenarios:
- Your kitchen layout fights you daily. Bad work-triangle, no counter space next to the range, fridge in a weird corner. Refacing won't fix any of that. Spend the money on replacement and a real designer.
- Your boxes are particle board AND show signs of failure. Sagging shelves, splintering screw holes, doors that don't sit right. Skip refacing — it'll fail.
- You want to add a feature that requires moving cabinets. Adding an island, expanding the pantry, removing a wall — all require replacement.
- You're planning to sell within 2 years. Buyers value "new kitchen" more than "refaced kitchen" in resale appraisals. The ROI delta usually favors a budget-friendly NorthPoint Hatteras replacement over a high-end refacing.
When refacing is the right call
- Your layout works. You like where everything is.
- Your boxes are sound. Solid wood or quality plywood, no water damage, no broken structure.
- Your countertops are staying. Quartz, granite, or quartzite that you spent money on recently.
- You want a fast refresh without total demo. 3–5 days of install vs. 2–3 weeks of full kitchen reno.
- You're updating a secondary space. Bathroom vanities, laundry, mudroom — refacing is great for these.
How we figure it out for your kitchen
Easiest path: submit some photos through the quote form. Photos of every cabinet (open and closed), the inside of the under-sink cabinet, and a wide shot of the kitchen. We can usually tell from photos whether refacing is viable.
Or we can come do an in-home assessment — free, no obligation. Bring a tape measure and a willingness to open every cabinet. We'll give you both a refacing quote and a replacement quote so you can compare apples-to-apples.
Questions? Call (435) 250-3669. Visit the showroom at 47 South Orange Street, Suite E4, Salt Lake City, UT.