Quick answer: Cabinet refacing in Ontario costs roughly $9,000 to $18,000 for an average kitchen, against $25,000 to $60,000 for full custom replacement. Refacing makes sense when your existing cabinet boxes are solid plywood and the layout already works. Replace when boxes are particleboard, the layout is wrong, or you want to change the footprint — refacing a bad layout just makes it look nicer.

Not every kitchen needs to be torn out. That is not something you hear often from someone who builds custom cabinetry for a living, but it is true, and I would rather tell you up front than take on a job that was not the right call.

I get asked about refacing constantly, usually by Durham Region homeowners who like their kitchen’s layout but cannot stand the way it looks. Sometimes refacing is exactly right. Sometimes it is money spent on a problem it cannot fix. Here is how I help people decide.

What You Will Learn

• What cabinet refacing actually involves
• 2026 costs for refacing versus replacing in Ontario, in Canadian dollars
• The specific conditions where refacing is the smart choice
• When refacing is a waste of money
• How to inspect your own cabinets before you call anyone

What Refacing Actually Means

Refacing keeps your existing cabinet boxes in place. The doors and drawer fronts are replaced entirely, and the visible exterior surfaces of the boxes — the face frames and exposed end panels — are covered with matching veneer or new panelling. You get new hinges, new hardware, and usually new drawer boxes if the originals are worn.

What you keep: the boxes, the layout, the footprint, and usually the countertop.

What changes: everything you actually look at.

It is worth being clear about what refacing is *not*. It is not painting your existing doors, which is a different and much cheaper job. And it is not a partial rebuild — if the boxes need work, you are no longer refacing.

Cost Comparison: Refacing vs. Replacing in Ontario (2026)

All figures in Canadian dollars, installed, for a typical 10-by-12-foot Durham Region kitchen.

Approach	Typical Cost	Lifespan	Timeline
Painting existing doors	$3,500 — $6,500	5 — 8 years	4 — 7 days
Refacing (new doors, veneered boxes)	$9,000 — $18,000	15 — 20 years	5 — 10 days
Semi-custom replacement	$18,000 — $30,000	15 — 20 years	6 — 10 weeks
Full custom replacement	$25,000 — $60,000	25 — 30 years	8 — 12 weeks

Refacing lands at roughly 35 to 50 percent of the cost of full custom replacement, and it is dramatically faster — days instead of months, with your kitchen usable for most of it. That timeline difference matters more to most families than the money.

When Refacing Is the Right Call

Refacing works well when all of the following are true:

Your boxes are plywood, not particleboard. This is the deciding factor. Plywood boxes last decades and are worth keeping. Particleboard boxes swell at the base near the dishwasher, sag under weight, and will not hold new hinges reliably.

The layout already works. If you are not fighting your kitchen daily — you have enough counter space, the work triangle makes sense, storage is adequate — then the layout is not the problem and refacing addresses the actual complaint.

The boxes are square and solid. Doors should still close in alignment, shelves should not sag, and there should be no water damage under the sink.

You are staying five to fifteen years. Long enough to enjoy it, not so long that you will want another kitchen before the refacing wears out.

You want minimal disruption. This is the underrated advantage. A reface keeps your kitchen functional through most of the project.

When You Should Replace Instead

The boxes are particleboard or damaged. No amount of new doors fixes a failing box. You will be redoing the whole kitchen in five years.

The layout is wrong. This is the one I feel strongly about. If your kitchen has a cramped corner, a badly placed pantry, or not enough counter space beside the range, refacing makes a frustrating kitchen look better while leaving every daily annoyance in place. Homeowners regret this more than any other kitchen decision I see.

You want to change the footprint. Removing a wall, adding an island, extending cabinetry to the ceiling, or relocating appliances all require new cabinetry.

Your cabinets are unusually shallow or short. Older Oshawa and Whitby kitchens sometimes have upper cabinets that stop well below the ceiling or bases shallower than today’s standard. Refacing preserves those limitations permanently.

You want specific interior features. Pull-out pantry systems, deep drawer organizers, and integrated waste bins are much easier to build into new boxes than to retrofit.

How to Inspect Your Own Cabinets First

Before you call anyone, spend ten minutes checking these yourself:

1. Open a base cabinet and look at the raw edge of the box. Layered plies mean plywood — good. A uniform sandy-looking core means particleboard.
2. Check under the sink. Water damage here is the most common reason cabinets fail. Swelling, staining, or a soft base means the box is compromised.
3. Look at how the doors sit closed. Uneven gaps can mean a racked box, though often it is just hinges needing adjustment.
4. Push down on a loaded shelf. Noticeable sag means thin material.
5. Be honest about the layout. Stand in your kitchen and think about what actually frustrates you. If the answer is “how it looks,” reface. If the answer is “where things are,” replace.

What I Recommend Most Often

For Durham Region homes built after about 1995 with plywood boxes and a workable layout, refacing is frequently the better value — and I will tell you so even though the job is smaller for me.

For older Whitby, Oshawa, and Bowmanville kitchens with original cabinetry, particleboard construction, or a layout fighting how you cook, custom replacement is the honest recommendation.

The wrong answer is refacing a kitchen you already dislike using. You will spend $12,000 and still be annoyed every evening.

Not Sure Which One You Need?

I am happy to come out, look at your boxes, and give you a straight answer — including telling you if refacing is the better value. I work throughout Durham Region: Whitby, Brooklin, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, and Clarington.

Contact Dixon Custom Carpentry today for a free kitchen consultation.