Our Etobicoke house has a 1990s kitchen with solid plywood boxes in good condition but a dated door style (oak raised panel, original finish) and builder-grade hardware. We got serious quotes for both refacing and full replacement to make an informed decision.
Our kitchen: 10x11 feet (about average). 18 uppers, 14 lowers, peninsula with 4 lowers. All boxes are plywood — we checked by opening the interior drawers. Structurally sound, no moisture damage.
Refacing quote: We got two refacing quotes. The approach: remove all doors and drawer fronts, apply maple veneer to the face frames and exposed box sides, install new shaker-style thermofoil doors and drawer fronts, new hardware throughout, new soft-close hinges and drawer glides. Quote 1: $9,400. Quote 2: $11,200. Both from specialty refacing companies (not general contractors).
Replacement quotes (same footprint): Two semi-custom cabinet lines quoted. KitchenCraft through a local dealer: $18,600 for boxes + doors, installed. Nobilia through an IKEA-adjacent dealer: $14,400 installed. Neither includes countertop.
What we chose: Refacing. Reasons: our boxes are genuinely good plywood, the layout works perfectly (we have used this kitchen for 8 years), and saving $5,000–$9,000 compared to replacement allowed us to spend more on countertops (we went quartz, $6,400 for the full kitchen) and a new backsplash ($1,800).
Total: $9,400 (refacing) + $6,400 (quartz) + $1,800 (backsplash) + $1,200 (appliance pull and reinstall) = $18,800
The kitchen looks completely new. The refacer was done in 3 days. No permit required.