Choosing a Cabinet Refacing Company: How to Compare Quotes
By Ratan Sharma, Founder and President, New Look Kitchen Refacing ·
Ask every company the same six questions and get the answers in writing: the price per door and drawer front, what that price includes, where the doors are made, who installs them, how many days on site, and the license number. Two quotes only compare once those match. Ours: $250 to $450 per front, our own crews, 3–5 days.
Why can't you compare two refacing quotes on the total?
Because two totals can describe two different jobs. One quote might count every door and drawer front in the room and include the veneer on the frames. Another might count fewer fronts, leave the frames out, and list the hinges as an extra. The second total is lower, and it buys less kitchen.
So don't put two totals side by side. Put the answers side by side. Six questions get you there, and any company that wants the job should be able to answer all six. If a figure you found online is part of the confusion, I explained why online refacing prices vary so much on our cost page.
1. What is the price per door and drawer front?
This is the question that turns a total into something you can check. Refacing is priced by the front: every door and every drawer front in the kitchen. Ask how many fronts the quote counts and what each one costs. Then count your own kitchen. If the count is different, one of you missed something.
Ours is $250 to $450 per front, depending on the door style and material. A typical 10×10 kitchen has around 40 fronts. 40 × $250 is $10,000, and 40 × $450 is $18,000, which is why most of our kitchens land between those two figures.
2. What does that price include?
Ask for the list, line by line. Refacing should replace everything you see when the doors are closed: the doors, the drawer fronts, the hinges, the handles, and a veneer on the exposed frames and end panels so they match the new doors. If the frames aren't covered, you get new doors on an old finish.
Then ask what's extra. Ours includes all of the above in the per-front price. Soft-close hinges and drawer glides, pull-out shelves, glass inserts and a new countertop are available on top, and each is priced separately, so it's clear what you're paying for.
3. Where are the doors made, and what are they made of?
The doors and drawer fronts are the whole of what you see afterwards, so ask both halves of this. Ours are made in North America, in wood, wood veneer or thermoplastic, in one of five door styles. Get the material named on the quote. A price for a thermoplastic door and a price for a wood door aren't the same price.
4. Who does the installation?
Ask whether the people in your kitchen work for the company you're signing with, or are subcontracted. It decides who answers for the work once it's done. We install with our own crews. Nobody gets subbed out.
5. How many days will the crew be in my kitchen?
Ask for a number of days on site, not a start date. Because refacing keeps your cabinet boxes, the time in your home is installation, not building. Ours is 3–5 days for most kitchens.
6. Whose license is on the quote?
Ask for the home improvement license number, and make sure it's the right one for where you live. Nassau and Suffolk each license contractors separately, so a Nassau license doesn't cover a Suffolk kitchen. Work in Queens, Brooklyn or Manhattan needs a New York City license. Ours are Nassau County Home Improvement Contractor #H030360000, Suffolk County Home Improvement Contractor #H-40691 and NYC Home Improvement Contractor #1229993-DCA.
There's more on what each county asks of a refacing job on our Nassau County, Suffolk County and Manhattan pages.
The six questions, and our answers
| Ask every company | Why it matters | New Look's answer |
|---|---|---|
| Price per door and drawer front, and how many fronts? | Turns the total into something you can check | $250 to $450 per front; about 40 on a typical 10×10 |
| What's included, and what's extra? | A lower total can mean less work | Doors, fronts, hinges, handles and frame veneer included; soft-close, pull-outs, glass inserts and countertop priced separately |
| Where are the doors made, and in what material? | The doors are what you see afterwards | Made in North America; wood, wood veneer or thermoplastic |
| Who installs? | Decides who answers for the work | Our own crews |
| How many days on site? | Your kitchen is out of use while they're there | 3–5 days |
| Which license number? | Nassau, Suffolk and NYC license separately | Nassau #H030360000, Suffolk #H-40691, NYC #1229993-DCA |
What if I already have a quote I like?
Bring it to the estimate. It's the easiest way to check the six answers against ours, line by line, in your own kitchen. And we run an offer for exactly this: Beat Your Best Quote. Bring us the most competitive quote you have from another kitchen cabinet refacing company and we will beat it by $1,500.
The one condition is in the terms: "Quote must be from another kitchen cabinet refacing company."
“Very nice, polite to work with. Neat and clean. Double checked any issues. Would recommend using this company. Work was done much quicker than expected and reasonably priced!”
The bottom line
A refacing quote is only as useful as what it tells you. A total on its own tells you very little. Six answers, side by side, tell you whether two companies are offering the same kitchen. Once they are, the cheaper one really is cheaper.
If you'd like our answers in your kitchen, the estimate is free. I bring the doors, finishes and hardware with me, so you can see what you'd be paying for. If you want to see more of our work first, here's the full gallery, and here's why the doors-only option is a different job.
