What is included in a cabinet refacing job
Cabinet refacing changes everything you see on the front of the kitchen while leaving its structure alone. A complete refacing scope covers these parts:
- New doors. Every hinged door is replaced with a new one in the style you choose.
- New drawer fronts. Each drawer gets a matching front, so the drawers and doors read as one set.
- Veneer on the boxes. The existing face frames and visible box sides are covered so the old finish does not show beside the new doors.
- Hardware. Doors and drawers are reassembled with new or existing hardware, whichever the estimate specifies.
- Protection and cleanup. Counters, floors, and appliances are masked during the work, and the kitchen is cleaned before the final walkthrough.
- The walkthrough. Every door and drawer is aligned and tested, and the 5-year written workmanship warranty is activated.
That matches how national sources describe the job. The RenoQuotes 2026 Canadian refacing guide defines refacing as keeping the existing boxes and replacing the visible parts, naming doors, drawer fronts, side panels, and finishing panels, with handles, pulls, and hinges often replaced at the same time.
What cabinet refacing does not include
The parts refacing leaves alone are the reason it costs a fraction of new cabinets. This table shows where the line falls.
| Part of the kitchen | Cabinet refacing | Full replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Doors and drawer fronts | New | New |
| Cabinet boxes | Kept and veneered | Torn out and rebuilt |
| Countertops | Stay in place | Removed and refitted |
| Sink, taps, and plumbing | Untouched | Disconnected and reconnected |
| Layout | Unchanged | Can change |
| Price in St. Albert | $5,000 to $12,000 | $20,000 to $40,000+ |
| Disruption | 5 to 14 days by size | 4 to 8 weeks of demolition and building |
New countertops, a backsplash, lighting, or plumbing fixtures are separate projects. RenoQuotes notes that adding them raises the overall kitchen budget, so price them apart from the refacing scope when comparing quotes.
Cabinet refacing vs painting: what each price includes
Refacing and painting both leave the boxes in place, but they spend your money on different things.
| Included work | Cabinet refacing | Cabinet painting |
|---|---|---|
| Doors | Replaced with new doors | Existing doors cleaned, sanded, primed, and sprayed |
| Boxes | Covered in veneer | Finished on site to match |
| Door style | Changes to the style you pick | Stays the same |
| Peeling thermofoil | The usual fix | Not a good candidate |
| 2026 St. Albert price | $5,000 to $12,000 | $3,000 to $8,000 |
If you like your door shape and only want a new colour, kitchen cabinet painting covers that for less. The full comparison sits in the guide to refinishing vs refacing vs replacing.
How much does cabinet refacing cost in St. Albert in 2026?
Cabinet refacing in St. Albert is priced by kitchen size, with the door and drawer-front count doing most of the work:
- Small kitchen, 10 to 20 doors: $5,000 to $7,000, about 5 to 7 days.
- Average kitchen, 20 to 30 doors: $7,000 to $9,000. This is the most common refacing job.
- Executive kitchen, 30 to 50+ doors with island cabinetry: $9,000 to $12,000, about 10 to 14 days.
- Bathroom vanity, single or double: $1,500 to $3,500.
- Pre-sale refresh with modern doors: $4,000 to $7,000.
Room size alone does not set the tier, which the guide to refacing a 10x10 kitchen explains in detail.
Which kitchens are good candidates for refacing
Cabinet refacing fits kitchens where the structure is fine and the fronts are the problem. The most common case in the Edmonton region is thermofoil. Thermofoil doors peel and delaminate near stoves and dishwashers after 10 to 20 years, and they cannot be refinished because there is no wood grain under the foil. The particleboard and MDF boxes underneath are usually square and sound, which makes them good refacing candidates.
Refacing also suits kitchens with a door style you want gone, such as arched or dated raised panels, when the boxes and layout still work. It is the wrong fit for boxes with water damage or a kitchen that needs a new layout, because new doors cannot fix a swollen sink base or move a wall of cabinets.
Key takeaway: Refacing buys you new doors, new drawer fronts, veneered boxes, and hardware, while your counters, plumbing, and layout stay put. Call 587-817-6477 or request a written estimate to see the full scope priced for your kitchen.
What to check in a refacing estimate
A refacing quote should spell out the scope so you can compare it line by line. Look for:
- The number of doors and drawer fronts being replaced.
- The door style and material.
- Whether the face frames and visible box sides are veneered.
- Whether the hardware is new or reused.
- The timeline and the warranty terms in writing.
Cabinet Refinishing St. Albert provides a detailed written estimate covering prep, products, and labour, and the quoted price is the price you pay. The work is done by in-house crews, never subcontracted, backed by $2 million in liability insurance and WCB coverage. See kitchen cabinet refacing in St. Albert for the service details.