Cabinet Refacing & Refinishing in San Diego
If your cabinet boxes are solid but the doors are dated, refacing gives you a new kitchen look for a fraction of replacement cost, usually in under a week. We tell you honestly which option your kitchen deserves.
- Licensed CSLB #1004363
- Fixed written pricing
- Owner-led since 2014
- Workmanship warranty
Get a Free Refacing Quote
Send a photo of your kitchen and we’ll tell you whether refacing, refinishing or replacement makes sense.
CSLB #1004363
50+ Google reviews
Across San Diego County
Owner-led, fixed-bid
Not every kitchen needs new cabinets. A lot of San Diego homes built from the 1980s through the 2000s have perfectly sound plywood or solid-wood cabinet boxes hiding behind oak raised-panel doors and brass hinges that date the whole room. Cabinet refacing keeps the boxes, replaces every door and drawer front, covers the exposed face frames and end panels with matching veneer or laminate, and swaps the hardware for soft-close hinges and modern pulls. Refinishing goes a step further back: the existing doors are stripped, repaired and sprayed in a new colour. Either way you get a kitchen that looks new for far less than replacement, with the work finished in days rather than months. As a licensed general contractor (CSLB #1004363) owned by Dave Romero and serving San Diego County since 2014, we also tell you plainly when the boxes are not worth saving and custom cabinets are the better spend.
Refacing, Refinishing or Replacement?
The right answer depends on the boxes, the layout and how long you plan to stay.
- Reface when the boxes are plywood or solid wood, square and dry, the layout works, and you want a new door style, colour and hardware. Typical San Diego cost is $7,000 to $20,000 and the work takes about a week.
- Refinish when you like the door style and only the colour is wrong: doors and frames are cleaned, sanded, repaired and sprayed with a catalyzed finish. Around $65 to $95 per linear foot and two to three days for a typical kitchen.
- Replace when the boxes are swollen particleboard, the layout needs to change, you want drawers instead of doors in the base cabinets, or you are opening walls. Semi-custom replacement runs $20,000 to $65,000 and full custom cabinetry $35,000 to $80,000, over 8 to 14 weeks.
We check the boxes at the consultation: water damage under the sink, sagging shelves, racked frames and particleboard construction all point toward replacement. Sound boxes with a layout you like point toward refacing.
What Cabinet Refacing Includes
- New doors and drawer fronts in shaker, slab, recessed-panel or raised-panel styles, in painted maple, MDF for a flawless painted surface, or stained white oak, walnut, alder or cherry.
- Matching veneer or laminate applied to face frames, exposed end panels and the toe kick so the boxes disappear behind the new finish.
- New hardware: soft-close concealed hinges, and where drawers are worn, new dovetailed drawer boxes on undermount soft-close slides.
- Pulls and knobs in brushed nickel, matte black, satin or unlacquered brass, with old hardware holes filled and hidden.
- Optional upgrades: crown moulding to the ceiling, glass door inserts, pull-out trash and spice organizers, under-cabinet LED lighting, a new island or pantry cabinet built to match.
Countertops can stay in place during refacing, which is one of the biggest savings over replacement. If you want new quartz at the same time, we template and coordinate it in the same written scope.
What Refacing Costs in San Diego
| Scope | Typical San Diego range (2026) | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet refacing, typical kitchen | $7,000 to $20,000 | Door count, door material (MDF vs hardwood), new drawer boxes, crown and extras |
| Refacing, per door and drawer front | $140 to $190 | Style, species, painted vs stained |
| Cabinet refinishing (spray new colour) | $65 to $95 per linear foot | Condition of existing doors, colour change, number of coats |
| Full replacement for comparison | $20,000 to $65,000 semi-custom; $35,000 to $80,000 custom | Layout changes, cabinet grade, countertops |
2026 San Diego ranges for planning only. You receive one itemized fixed written bid after we inspect the cabinets.
Financing is available on qualifying projects.
How Refacing Works
- Inspection and consultation: we check every box, hinge and drawer, measure each opening and confirm refacing is the right call.
- Design and fixed written bid: door style, colour, hardware and any upgrades chosen from samples, with one itemized price for the agreed scope.
- Doors and fronts made to measure in our shop: typically 3 to 5 weeks while you keep using your kitchen as normal.
- Installation, usually 3 to 5 days: old doors off, frames prepared and veneered, new doors and drawer fronts hung and aligned, hardware installed, punch list walked with you.
Your kitchen stays usable for most of the install; there is no demolition, no drywall dust and no weeks without a sink.
Refacing in San Diego Homes
Refacing suits the county’s huge stock of 1980s to 2000s tract homes in Rancho Bernardo, Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Chula Vista and Carlsbad, where builders installed solid boxes with dated oak or thermofoil doors. The most requested change is oak raised-panel to painted white or greige shaker with matte-black or brass pulls, which reads as a completely new kitchen. Coastal homes in Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach get a conversion-varnish topcoat on every new door to stand up to salt air and humidity, and we seal the veneered end panels so moisture never lifts an edge.
The difference is in the contract
| What matters | San Diego Custom Remodeling | Typical contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed written bid before any work starts | Always | Often vague or hourly |
| One accountable team, never subcontracted out | Yes | Frequently subbed |
| Licensed, bonded & insured (CSLB #1004363) | Yes | Not always |
| Permits pulled and inspections coordinated | Every job | Sometimes skipped |
| Written workmanship warranty | Yes | Rarely |
Project gallery
One written price. No surprise change orders.
After we walk your space, you get a single itemized bid for the agreed scope. If it is not in the contract, you do not pay for it. Every project is backed by a written workmanship warranty and the work of a licensed, bonded, and insured San Diego team.
Frequently asked questions
How much does cabinet refacing cost in San Diego?
A typical San Diego kitchen refaces for $7,000 to $20,000, which works out to about $140 to $190 per door and drawer front, depending on door style, material and whether you add new drawer boxes, crown moulding or organizers. Replacement with semi-custom cabinets runs $20,000 to $65,000 by comparison.
How long does cabinet refacing take?
Doors and drawer fronts are made to measure over 3 to 5 weeks while you keep using your kitchen, then installation takes about 3 to 5 days. Refinishing an existing kitchen in a new colour takes two to three days.
Is refacing worth it, or should I replace my cabinets?
Reface when the boxes are plywood or solid wood, dry and square, and you like the layout. Replace when the boxes are swollen particleboard, you want to change the layout or convert doors to drawers, or you are opening walls. We inspect the cabinets at the consultation and tell you honestly which one your kitchen deserves.
Can I keep my countertops when refacing?
Yes. Refacing works around existing countertops, which is one of its biggest savings. If you want new quartz at the same time we coordinate it in the same written scope.
What door styles and colours are available?
Shaker, slab, recessed-panel and raised-panel doors in painted maple or MDF (any colour), or stained white oak, walnut, alder and cherry. Painted white or greige shaker with matte-black or brass pulls is the most requested change in San Diego.
Does refacing include soft-close hinges?
Yes. Every refaced door gets new soft-close concealed hinges, and worn drawers can be replaced with dovetailed drawer boxes on soft-close undermount slides.
Will the veneer on the boxes peel in a humid coastal home?
Not when it is done right. We use quality veneer or laminate with the correct adhesive, seal every edge and finish new doors with a conversion-varnish topcoat, which holds up to the salt air in La Jolla, Pacific Beach and Coronado.
Can you add an island or pantry cabinet to match the refaced kitchen?
Yes. New cabinets are built to match the new doors and finish, so the island or pantry looks like it was always part of the kitchen.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We are a licensed, bonded and insured California general contractor (CSLB #1004363) serving San Diego County since 2014, and refacing carries the same written workmanship warranty as our full remodels.