Painting or refacing?
Choose based on what you want to keep and what needs to change.
Painting keeps the current doors and drawer fronts. Refacing replaces them while keeping usable cabinet boxes. The cabinet condition, door style, layout, finish, hardware, and damage all belong in the decision.
Side-by-side
What stays, what changes, and what Carlos needs to inspect.
Swipe left and right to see both cabinet options.
| Question | Cabinet painting | Cabinet refacing |
|---|---|---|
| What usually stays? | Cabinet boxes, doors, and drawer fronts that are suitable for coating. | Cabinet boxes and the existing layout when the structure is sound. |
| What changes? | The color and finish. Compatible hardware can also be discussed. | Doors and drawer fronts, exposed surface finishes, and often hinges or hardware. |
| When does it work well? | When you like the door profile and layout but want a different cabinet color. | When you like the layout but want a different door style or need new doors and drawer fronts. |
| What needs close review? | Surface material, previous coatings, damage, grease, adhesion, wood grain, and repair needs. | Box condition, measurements, overlay, exposed ends, hinge compatibility, repairs, and material choices. |
| What does it not change? | The door shape, cabinet footprint, and major storage layout. | The cabinet-box footprint and room layout unless custom work is added. |
Sometimes it is neither
Repair, custom work, or replacement may solve a different problem.
Repair
Consider repair when the main issue is a broken drawer, loose door, worn slide, damaged shelf, cabinet bottom, trim piece, or localized failure.
About cabinet repairCustom work
Consider custom work when storage is missing, an opening is awkward, or a built-in or one-off cabinet piece needs to fit the room.
About custom cabinetsFull replacement
Replacement may deserve consideration when cabinet boxes are failing, the layout needs major changes, or the current footprint no longer works.
Questions to ask yourself
What bothers you about the cabinets today?
- Is it mainly the color, or do you also dislike the door profile?
- Do the cabinet boxes feel stable and fit the room well?
- Are drawers, doors, hinges, shelves, or bottoms damaged?
- Do you need more storage or a different layout?
- Do you want to keep the existing hardware, change it, or add soft-close parts?
- Are you comfortable with visible wood grain beneath a painted finish?
Still weighing the options?
Let Carlos see what you want to keep and what you want to change.
Send cabinet photos, your city, and a short description of the appearance or function you want to improve.