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Cabinet Refinishing Cost
Cabinet refinishing cost with Proper Reglazing is $80 per door to strip, restain and clear-coat real wood cabinets, with drawer fronts quoted per job. Plan on the kitchen being out of use for 5–7 days, compared with 3–4 days for painting.
Refinishing means different things to different contractors. Some use the word for any cabinet makeover, including paint. When we say refinishing, we mean restaining: stripping the old finish off wood cabinets, applying new stain, and sealing it with a clear coat so the grain still shows.
Here is the cabinet refinishing cost you can expect with us, what restaining kitchen cabinets costs next to painting, why it takes longer, and how to tell whether your cabinets are good candidates.
Refinishing and restaining price ranges
Our cabinet restaining cost is $80 per door. Drawer fronts are quoted per job, because drawer size, construction and the state of the old finish vary more than doors do.
To get a rough cabinet refinishing average cost for your own kitchen, multiply your door count by $80, then expect drawer fronts to be added on the quote. A kitchen with 20 doors comes to $1,600 for the doors alone. When you compare quotes, make sure frames and end panels are covered too, since a freshly stained door next to an old frame color will not match.
Send a photo of each wall of cabinets and a count of doors and drawers, and we reply with a full price, usually the same day.
Why stripping wood costs more than painting
Painting goes over the existing finish. After degreasing and scuff-sanding, a bonding primer grips the old surface and the color coats go on top. Restaining cannot work that way. Stain has to soak into bare wood, so the old finish has to come off completely first.
That means chemical stripping, cleaning old finish out of corners and profiles, sanding to clean wood, and evening out the color before any stain goes on. After the stain dries, the clear coat goes on in layers. Every step has drying time, which is why restaining keeps the kitchen out of use for 5–7 days.
Across the trade, that extra labor is why restaining usually costs more than painting the same kitchen. On our price list a door is $80 either way. The real difference for you is the extra days without a kitchen and how the drawer fronts price out on your specific job.
Get your cabinet price
$2,500–$4,500 for an average kitchen, 3–4 days, 2-year warranty. Send photos and we reply the same day.
Get a free quoteRefinishing vs painting cost
| Painting | Restaining | |
|---|---|---|
| Doors | $80 each | $80 each |
| Drawer fronts | $50 each | Quoted per job |
| Kitchen out of use | 3–4 days | 5–7 days |
| Works on | Wood, MDF, laminate, previously painted | Real wood only |
Cabinet refinishing cost per door matches painting with us, so the bigger differences are time and which surfaces each one works on. Painted kitchens run from $2,000 for small kitchens, $2,500–$4,500 for average kitchens and $4,500 and up for large ones, with frames and trim included in the quote. Painting also carries a 2-year warranty. For the choice itself, beyond price, see cabinet painting vs refinishing.
When refinishing is worth it
Restaining is worth the extra time when:
- Your cabinets are solid wood, or a real wood veneer thick enough to sand.
- You like wood and want to keep the grain, only in a different tone or with a clean new finish.
- The current finish is worn, yellowed or sticky, but the wood underneath is in good shape.
- You want to go darker or richer. Stain cannot make dark wood pale, so big moves toward light are harder.
It is not the right answer for MDF, laminate, melamine or thermofoil, which have no wood surface to take stain. It is also a poor fit for cabinets that were painted before, since getting paint out of the grain is slow and rarely clean. In those cases painting is the better route. Read more about the process in restaining and refinishing wood cabinets, or see all your options on the cabinet painting page.
Common questions
How much does it cost to restain kitchen cabinets?
We charge $80 per door, with drawer fronts quoted per job. Send photos of each wall and a count of doors and drawers for a full price, usually the same day.
How long does cabinet refinishing take?
Restaining keeps the kitchen out of use for 5–7 days, because the old finish has to be stripped and each coat needs drying time.
Is it cheaper to paint or refinish cabinets?
With us, doors are $80 either way. Painting has a set $50 rate for drawer fronts and is finished in 3–4 days, while restaining takes 5–7 days.
Can painted cabinets be restained?
It is rarely practical. Paint sinks into the grain and is slow to strip cleanly, so repainting in a new color is usually the better choice.