Should you paint or reface cabinets? If your cabinet boxes and doors are solid and you like the door style, painting gives the biggest change for the money: about $2,875 to $7,475 in San Antonio. If the doors are damaged, dated in shape, or made of peeling thermofoil, cabinet refacing at $9,200 to $17,250 replaces the doors and covers the boxes with a new veneer. Replacement only makes sense when the boxes or layout have to go.
We paint kitchens every week, and we also tell homeowners when painting is not the right call. Below is the honest comparison, plus seven questions that settle the decision for most kitchens.
Paint or Reface Cabinets: The Quick Comparison
| Option | Typical San Antonio cost | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet painting | $2,875 – $7,475 | 4 – 6 days |
| Cabinet refacing | $9,200 – $17,250 | 1 – 2 weeks |
| Cabinet replacement | $17,250 – $40,250+ | 4 – 8 weeks |
- Painting keeps your existing doors, drawer fronts and boxes. We clean, repair, prime and apply a hard enamel finish.
- Cabinet refacing keeps the boxes but installs new doors, drawer fronts and a veneer or laminate skin over the frames, often with new hinges.
- Replacement tears out everything, usually including countertops, and installs new cabinets.
What Painting Cabinets Does Well
- Lowest cost. Usually a quarter to a third of the price of refacing.
- Fast. Four to six days with no demolition.
- Any color. White, greige, sage, navy, black or a two-tone island.
- Keeps solid wood. Many older San Antonio kitchens have well-built oak or maple boxes worth keeping.
- Countertops stay. No risk to granite or quartz.
The trade-off is that the door style stays the same. A raised-panel cathedral door painted white is still a raised-panel cathedral door. For many homeowners that is fine; for others, it is the reason to reface.
What Cabinet Refacing Does Well
- New door style. Go from arched raised panels to modern Shaker or flat slab.
- Fixes damaged doors. Warped, cracked or peeling thermofoil doors are replaced, not repaired.
- New hardware and soft-close hinges are often part of the package.
- Durable factory finishes on the new doors.
The trade-offs: higher cost, a one-to-two-week timeline, and the boxes are covered rather than rebuilt, so cabinet refacing does not fix a bad layout or water-damaged boxes.
7 Questions to Decide Whether to Paint or Reface Cabinets
- Are the boxes solid? Press on the bottoms and sides, especially under the sink. Soft, swollen particleboard means neither paint nor refacing will last; replace those boxes.
- Do you like the door shape? If yes, paint. If the shape is what bothers you, reface.
- What are the doors made of? Solid wood and MDF paint well. Thermofoil and some laminates do not hold paint long; reface those.
- Do you like the layout? If you want to move the sink, add an island or change cabinet sizes, you are really looking at replacement.
- What is your budget? Under about $8,000 points to paint. Between $9,000 and $17,000 opens up refacing.
- How long will you stay? Selling in a year or two? Paint gives the best return. Staying ten years and want a new style? Refacing can be worth it.
- How much downtime can you handle? Paint takes about a week. Refacing takes one to two. Replacement can take one to two months.
If you answered “solid, like the shape, wood or MDF,” the answer to paint or reface cabinets is almost always paint.
Paint or Reface Cabinets by Material
| Cabinet material | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solid oak, maple, cherry | Paint | Strong, stable wood that takes primer well. Oak grain can be filled for a smooth look. |
| MDF doors | Paint | Smooth surface gives a near-factory finish. |
| Wood veneer in good shape | Paint | Light sanding and a bonding primer work well. |
| Thermofoil (vinyl-wrapped) | Reface or replace doors | The vinyl skin peels with heat and does not hold paint long. |
| Laminate | Usually reface | Can be primed with special products, but results vary. |
| Swollen particleboard boxes | Replace | Water-damaged boxes cannot be painted or refaced reliably. |
The material question answers paint or reface cabinets for a lot of kitchens before price even comes up. If you are not sure what your doors are made of, we can tell you in a minute during the estimate.
Durability: Does Paint or Cabinet Refacing Last Longer?
A professionally painted kitchen with proper degreasing, a bonding primer and a hard enamel commonly lasts 8 to 10 years or more before it needs a refresh, with small touch-ups along the way. Refaced doors with a factory finish often last 10 to 15 years or more. Painted cabinets can chip if hit with a sharp object, while refaced veneer can peel at edges near heat and moisture.
The biggest factor for either option is the quality of the work. Read how long do painted cabinets last for the care habits that keep a painted kitchen looking new.
What the Cabinet Refacing Process Looks Like
Cabinet refacing starts with precise measurements of every door, drawer front and face frame. New doors are ordered, which is where most of the timeline goes. On install days, the old doors come off, the frames and exposed sides are covered with matching veneer or laminate, and the new doors, drawer fronts and hinges go on. Many companies also offer new drawer boxes and organizers at this stage.
Compare that with painting, where your own doors are cleaned, primed and finished and back on in under a week. Knowing both processes makes the paint or reface cabinets choice much easier.
Resale Value: Paint or Reface Cabinets Before Selling?
For a home going on the market, painting usually wins. Buyers react to color and condition in photos, and a fresh, neutral kitchen reads as updated. Refacing costs more than most sellers recover. In higher-end neighborhoods where buyers expect custom details, refacing or replacing can make sense, but that is the exception rather than the rule.
Can You Combine Painting and Refacing?
Yes, and it is a smart middle path. Common combinations we see:
- Paint the perimeter cabinets and replace only the island doors.
- Replace a few damaged doors with new Shaker doors, then paint everything to match.
- Paint the cabinets and add new crown molding, hardware and lighting.
Mixing approaches gets a new look for less than full cabinet refacing. Ask about this during your estimate.
Cost Details Worth Knowing Before You Decide
Painting prices depend on piece count, door style and condition; our cost to paint kitchen cabinets guide breaks this down by kitchen size. Refacing prices depend on door material (veneer, solid wood, laminate), the number of doors and drawers, and add-ons such as soft-close hinges and new drawer boxes. Replacement depends on cabinet grade, countertops, plumbing and electrical changes.
Older homes add one more consideration. If your home was built before 1978, sanding or demolition may disturb lead-based paint, and the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule sets requirements for contractors doing that work.
Paint or Reface Cabinets: Our Recommendation
When homeowners ask us whether to paint or reface cabinets, the first thing we do is open the doors and look at the boxes. In most San Antonio kitchens built from the 1980s onward, the wood is in good shape and painting is the clear winner on cost and speed. When the doors are thermofoil, badly warped or a style you cannot live with, we will tell you that cabinet refacing is the better investment.
See real painted kitchens in our project gallery, or learn more about our process on the cabinet painting in San Antonio page.
Paint or Reface Cabinets: FAQs
Is it better to paint or reface cabinets?
Paint if the boxes and doors are solid and you like the door style; it costs about $2,875 to $7,475 in San Antonio. Reface if you want a new door style or the doors are damaged; that runs about $9,200 to $17,250.
How much does cabinet refacing cost in San Antonio?
Cabinet refacing typically costs $9,200 to $17,250 and takes one to two weeks, depending on door material, kitchen size and hardware.
How long does painting cabinets take compared with refacing?
Painting usually takes four to six days. Refacing takes one to two weeks, and full replacement often takes four to eight weeks.
Can thermofoil cabinets be painted?
Thermofoil does not hold paint well long-term, especially near heat. Peeling thermofoil doors are usually better replaced or refaced.
Does painting cabinets increase home value?
A fresh, neutral painted kitchen helps listing photos and buyer impressions, and it costs far less than refacing or replacement.
Can I paint some cabinets and replace some doors?
Yes. Many homeowners replace a few damaged or dated doors and paint everything to match, which costs less than full refacing.
Get Your Cabinet Quote
Still torn on whether to paint or reface cabinets? We will give you an honest answer on site. Revival Painting of Texas is a veteran-owned, Latino-owned company that paints kitchens and vanities across San Antonio, Alamo Heights, Stone Oak, Helotes, Boerne, Schertz, Cibolo and New Braunfels. We count every door and drawer, check the wood and the existing finish, and send a written quote. Call (210) 908-0189 or book a free estimate. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.