Kitchen Cabinet Refacing & Refinishing in Montréal
If your kitchen layout still works but the cabinets look tired, you do not always need to tear everything out. Kitchen cabinet refacing in Montréal keeps your existing cabinet boxes and changes what you see: new doors, new fronts, fresh hardware.
It is a smaller job than a full replacement, it costs less, and most of the time you can keep using your kitchen while it happens. At Limakdéco, we help homeowners across Montréal and Saint-Laurent decide between refacing, refinishing, and starting fresh. If you would rather see finished work first, our custom kitchen projects page shows five kitchens with the materials and the timeline for each.
People call this job by a lot of names: cabinet refacing, kitchen refacing, cabinet resurfacing, cupboard refacing, cabinet door refacing, or simply renewing the cabinets. They all describe the same idea: keep the boxes, change everything you see. When we repaint the existing doors instead of replacing them, that is cabinet refinishing, sometimes called stripping and finishing or cabinet repainting.
What cabinet refacing includes
Refacing replaces the visible parts of your cabinets while leaving the boxes in place. We remove the old doors and drawer fronts, apply a new veneer or laminate skin to the exposed sides and frames, and install brand-new doors and fronts in the style and colour you choose.
New hinges and handles finish it off. Because the structure stays, there is no demolition and no new layout, which is what keeps both the price and the mess down.
What refinishing includes
Refinishing is the lighter option. Instead of new doors, we work with the doors you already have: cleaning, sanding, repairing, and applying a fresh sprayed finish. Done properly, the doors are finished in a controlled spray setup rather than brushed on site, so the result is smooth, with no brush strokes.
Refinishing suits solid wood or sturdy doors in good shape that you simply want in a different colour. If the doors themselves are damaged or a dated shape, refacing is the better call.
When to reface and when to replace
Refacing and refinishing only make sense if the boxes are sound. If your cabinet boxes are water-damaged, sagging, or made of crumbling particleboard, no new door will fix that, and replacement is the honest answer.
The same is true if you want to change the layout, move the sink, or add an island. In that case, look at our guide to custom kitchen cabinets in Montréal. But if the bones are good and you mostly want a new look, refacing gives you most of the visual change for a fraction of the cost.
Kitchen cabinet refacing in Montréal: cost and timeline
Prices depend on the size of the kitchen, the number of doors, and the materials. As a rough 2026 guide: refinishing an average Montréal kitchen runs about $2,000 to $5,000, while refacing with new doors and veneer runs about $2,500 to $9,000. Either way, you are typically saving a large share compared with new custom cabinets, which usually start around $15,000.
On timing, refinishing takes roughly a week once the doors go to the shop, and refacing is often two to four days on site. We give you a firm number after seeing the kitchen in person.
Kitchen cabinet refacing cost in Montréal, 2026
| Type of project | 2026 guide price | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet refinishing, small kitchen | $2,000 – $3,000 | 5 to 7 days |
| Cabinet refinishing, average kitchen | $3,000 – $5,000 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Refacing with new doors and veneer, small kitchen | $2,500 – $4,500 | 2 to 3 days on site |
| Refacing with new doors and veneer, average to large kitchen | $4,500 – $9,000 | 3 to 4 days on site |
| Brand new custom cabinets | from $15,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
A lot of people call us simply asking what it costs to keep the boxes and change only the doors. That is the second half of the table: the structure stays, everything visible gets replaced. For a kitchen with ten to fifteen doors, expect roughly $3,000 to $6,000 including new hinges and handles.
Cabinet stripping and refinishing for kitchens and bathrooms
When the doors are solid wood and still straight, stripping and refinishing usually gives the best value. We take the doors off, bring them to our Saint-Laurent shop, strip the old finish, sand, repair chips, then spray a primer and two coats of water-based finish. The result is smooth and even, without the brush marks you get from repainting cabinets at home.
We do exactly the same work on bathroom vanities. If you are refreshing the kitchen and the bathroom at the same time, both go through the shop in one batch, which brings the cost per door down. To compare with new, have a look at our custom bathroom vanities in Montréal.
Before and after
Here is a recent refacing project. Same boxes, same footprint, a completely different kitchen. If you would rather rebuild than reface, compare it with our classic English kitchen in Terrebonne.
Cabinet refacing near me: Montréal, the West Island, Laval and the South Shore
Our workshop is in Saint-Laurent, which puts us within about thirty minutes of most of the island. We reface and refinish kitchen cabinets across Montréal: Villeray, Ahuntsic, Rosemont, Outremont, the Plateau, Ville-Marie, Côte-des-Neiges, Mount Royal, Westmount, Hampstead and Côte Saint-Luc, plus Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, Kirkland and Dollard-des-Ormeaux in the West Island, along with Laval, Longueuil and the South Shore.
Because the doors come back to the shop either way, distance mainly changes the number of site visits, not the quality of the finish. For South Shore projects we combine measuring and door removal into a single visit.
Why homeowners choose Limakdéco
Limakdéco is a design studio run by four women, Sogol, Sepideh, Shadieh, and Ayda. We treat a refacing job with the same care as a full kitchen, which is part of why homeowners consistently leave us five-star Google reviews.
We serve homeowners across Saint-Laurent and the West Island, including Pointe-Claire, Kirkland, Beaconsfield, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, and Pierrefonds, as well as central Montréal neighbourhoods such as Ahuntsic, Villeray, Outremont, Town of Mount Royal, Hampstead, Côte-Saint-Luc, and Westmount, plus Laval and Longueuil on the South Shore.
We will tell you honestly whether refacing is worth it for your cabinets, or whether your money is better spent elsewhere. For kitchen cabinet refacing in Montréal, the same team handles measuring, doors, and finishing end to end.
Refacing versus replacing is one of the most argued questions on Reddit. The honest answer depends on your cabinet boxes, and we will tell you which side you are on.
Frequently asked questions
Is refacing cheaper than new cabinets?
Yes. Refacing usually costs a fraction of new custom cabinets because you keep the existing boxes and skip the demolition. For many Montréal kitchens it saves a significant share of the budget while still giving a fresh look.
How long does cabinet refacing take?
Most refacing projects take two to four days on site. Refinishing takes a bit longer, around a week, because the doors are finished in a spray shop and need time to cure. A larger kitchen adds time.
Can any cabinet be refaced?
Not every one. The cabinet boxes need to be structurally sound. Solid wood and good-quality boxes reface well. Boxes that are water-damaged, warped, or made of failing particleboard are better replaced. We check the condition before recommending refacing.
How much does cabinet refacing cost in Montréal?
In 2026, budget roughly $2,000 to $5,000 to refinish an average Montréal kitchen and $2,500 to $9,000 to reface with new doors and veneer. The number of doors moves the price more than anything else, ahead of the material you choose.
What is the difference between refacing, resurfacing and refinishing?
Refacing and resurfacing are the same job under two names: keep the boxes, replace or cover everything visible. Refinishing means stripping and repainting the doors you already have rather than replacing them, so it costs less but keeps the existing door style.
Can you keep the boxes and change only the doors?
Yes, and it is the most requested option. As long as the boxes are square and solid, we fit new doors and drawer fronts with new hinges. For a kitchen with ten to fifteen doors that usually lands between $3,000 and $6,000.
Do you do cabinet refacing near me?
If you are on the island of Montréal, in the West Island, in Laval, in Longueuil or on the South Shore, yes. We measure at your home and finish the doors at our Saint-Laurent workshop, so you can also drop in and see samples before deciding.
Is cabinet refacing messy?
Far less than a full replacement. There is no demolition and no plumbing to move. We protect the surfaces, remove the doors, and most families keep using their kitchen while the work is under way.
Ready to refresh your kitchen?
Send us a few photos of your current cabinets and we will tell you whether refacing, refinishing, or replacing makes the most sense, with a written quote. We reply within 48 hours.
Visit our Saint-Laurent showroom at 4130 Boulevard Thimens, Saint-Laurent, QC H4R 2B9.
Refacing is the cheaper path, but it is worth knowing what you are comparing it against. Here is what a new custom kitchen costs in Montréal, so you can weigh the two properly.
