How much does kitchen cabinet refinishing cost in St. Albert in 2026?
Kitchen cabinet refinishing in St. Albert is priced by the number of doors and drawer fronts, not by the square footage of the room. Refinishing strips the old finish off real wood, repairs dings, re-stains, and seals everything under a clear coat, so each front passes through several hands before it goes back on its hinges. St. Albert jobs are priced on the same terms as Edmonton, with no travel surcharge.
| Refinishing job | Doors and drawer fronts | 2026 St. Albert price |
|---|---|---|
| Small solid-wood kitchenCondos, galleys, older bungalows | 10 to 20 | $4,000 to $6,000 |
| Average oak kitchenThe most common refinishing job | 20 to 35 | $6,000 to $8,000 |
| Large kitchenPantry wall, island, tall uppers | 35 to 50+ | $8,000 to $10,000 |
| Bathroom vanitySingle or double, solid wood | Varies | $1,000 to $3,000 |
The refinishing schedule is not published as a fixed number of days. It is confirmed at the quote, once the fronts are counted and the condition of the existing finish is checked. Coatings used on refinishing jobs include catalyzed lacquer, conversion varnish, and Benjamin Moore Advance. The page on cabinet refinishing in St. Albert walks through the strip, repair, and re-stain steps.
Refinishing needs real wood. Thermofoil and laminate have no grain to strip, so those kitchens are painted or refaced instead, and their prices follow those services.
Cabinet painting vs refinishing vs refacing vs new cabinets: 2026 costs compared
Four different jobs get called "refinishing" in quotes and search results. Each one keeps a different share of the kitchen you already paid for, and the price rises as more of the original cabinet gets replaced.
| Option | 2026 St. Albert price | What you keep | Time in the kitchen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet paintingSolid colour, HVLP sprayed | $3,000 to $8,000 | Doors, drawer fronts, boxes, counters, layout | 5 to 12 days by size |
| Cabinet refinishingStripped and re-stained wood | $4,000 to $10,000 | All of the above, with the wood grain still showing | Confirmed at the quote |
| Cabinet refacingNew doors, veneered boxes | $5,000 to $12,000 | Boxes, counters, plumbing, layout | 5 to 14 days by size |
| New cabinetsDemolition and install | $20,000 to $40,000+ | Nothing, and counters are refitted | 4 to 8 weeks |
The right choice depends on the condition of the boxes and whether you like the door style. The guide to refinishing vs refacing vs replacing matches each option to the problem it fixes.
Kitchen cabinet costs by size and timeline in St. Albert
Door count is the biggest price driver for painting, refinishing, and refacing alike. Count every hinged door and every drawer front, including the island, the pantry, and the narrow cabinet above the fridge, then find your row.
- 10 to 20 fronts: painting $3,000 to $4,500 over 5 to 7 days, refinishing $4,000 to $6,000, refacing $5,000 to $7,000 over 5 to 7 days.
- 20 to 35 fronts: painting $4,500 to $6,500 over 7 to 10 days, refinishing $6,000 to $8,000. Refacing an average 20 to 30 door kitchen costs $7,000 to $9,000.
- 35 to 50+ fronts: painting $6,500 to $8,000 over 8 to 12 days, refinishing $8,000 to $10,000. Refacing an executive kitchen with 30 to 50+ doors and island cabinetry costs $9,000 to $12,000 over 10 to 14 days.
- Kitchen plus a vanity, laundry, or built-ins: painting starts at $7,000.
How St. Albert prices compare with Canadian averages
National cost guides start lower than the St. Albert tiers, and the gap has clear causes. Three published Canadian sources were checked in September 2026.
| Job | St. Albert and Edmonton | National figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet painting | $3,000 to $8,000 | $1,500 to $8,500; most homeowners pay $2,500 to $5,500 | HomeStars painting guide |
| Cabinet refacing | $5,000 to $12,000 | $5,000 to $12,000 for a full kitchen | HomeStars cabinets guide |
| Cabinet refacing | $5,000 to $12,000 | $2,500 to $8,500 for an average-sized kitchen, installed | RenoQuotes, updated Sept. 10, 2026 |
| New cabinets | $20,000 to $40,000+ installed | $10,000 to $25,000 for the cabinets | HomeStars cabinets guide |
Three differences explain most of the spread:
- Smaller kitchens. The HomeStars small painting tier covers 8 to 12 doors and drawers at $1,500 to $3,500. The smallest St. Albert tier starts at 10 fronts.
- Brush-and-roll jobs. HomeStars reports that spray application adds $500 to $1,500 to a painting quote. Every St. Albert painting price includes HVLP spraying, with the doors finished in a shop.
- Cabinets only vs installed. The HomeStars new-cabinet range covers the cabinets, and it lists professional installation separately at $1,000 to $6,000. The St. Albert replacement figure already includes demolition, installation, and countertop refitting.
HomeStars also reports that most painters price per piece, at $150 to $200 each, and that labour makes up 60 to 75 percent of most quotes. The St. Albert tiers follow the same logic: the number of fronts moves the price more than the choice of paint.
Key takeaway: A full refinished kitchen in St. Albert costs $4,000 to $10,000 in 2026, and painting costs less at $3,000 to $8,000. Count your doors and drawer fronts, then call 587-817-6477 or request a written price to confirm your tier.
What changes the price of refinishing kitchen cabinets
Door and drawer-front count
Every front is removed, labelled, prepped, finished, and returned to its exact opening. A kitchen with 42 fronts takes far more labour than one with 16, even when the two rooms look the same size.
Cabinet material
Solid wood can be stripped and re-stained. Laminate and melamine need a bonding primer and are painted. Thermofoil doors peel and delaminate near stoves and dishwashers after 10 to 20 years and cannot be refinished, so they are usually refaced.
Open-grain oak
Oak has open grain. When oak is painted rather than re-stained, the job includes grain filling so the texture does not show through a smooth finish. Honey oak to a painted colour such as Benjamin Moore Cloud White or Hale Navy costs $3,000 to $6,000.
Extra rooms and resale timing
Adding a vanity, laundry cabinets, or built-ins pushes a painting job to $7,000 or more. A pre-sale refresh that puts modern doors on a kitchen before listing costs $4,000 to $7,000.
Is refinishing kitchen cabinets worth the cost in Canada?
Cabinet painting saves 50 to 70 percent against new cabinets, roughly $12,000 to $30,000 for most owners, and skips 4 to 8 weeks of demolition. Refacing costs roughly a quarter to a half of full replacement. Honey oak painted over costs $3,000 to $6,000, compared with $20,000 to $35,000 to replace the same kitchen.
The saving only holds when the boxes are sound. Water-damaged boxes or a new layout point toward replacement. Every job carries a 5-year written workmanship warranty, activated at the final walkthrough. For how long each finish holds up, read how long refinished cabinets last.
Where to get a cabinet refinishing price near me in St. Albert
Cabinet Refinishing St. Albert starts every job with a free in-home consultation and a detailed written estimate covering prep, products, and labour. The quoted price is the price you pay. Compare the service pages for kitchen cabinet painting and kitchen cabinet refacing, or see bathroom vanity painting if the job is a single vanity. Edmonton homeowners can read the Edmonton cabinet refinishing page.