How Much Should You Expect To Spend To Replace Cabinet Doors?
What does it cost to replace cabinet doors? Expect to spend $57.50-$500+ per door, or between $1,750 and $15,000 for a kitchen.
At A Glance
How Much Should You Budget For Replacement Cabinet Doors?
Replacing cabinet doors costs between $23 and $200 or more per square foot. This works out to around $57.50 to $500 per door. For a kitchen with 30 pieces, you could spend $1,725 to $15,000 or more on replacement doors. Your final cost depends on the material, style, finish, size, and quantity you choose. Installation, hardware, shipping, and other refacing work may cost extra.
Replacing your cabinet doors can give your kitchen a new look without replacing the cabinet boxes. However, renovations are expensive, and you don’t want to spend more than necessary. How much should you budget for new cabinet doors? How can you tell whether you’re getting a fair price? And what other expenses should you expect?
At Cutting Edge Doors & Woodworking in Saskatchewan, we’ve manufactured custom cabinet doors for over 20 years. Most of our customers are cabinet makers and contractors across Western Canada and the US, but we also work directly with homeowners. Our experience manufacturing doors gives us insight into how different materials, styles, and finishing options affect their cost.
In this article, you’ll learn:
How Much Should You Expect To Spend To Replace Cabinet Doors?
Replacing cabinet doors costs between $23 and $200+ per square foot.
Several factors affect the price, including your supplier, the materials and styles you choose, and whether you order finished or unfinished doors. The services included in your quote also matter. For example, some companies only manufacture cabinet doors, while others provide measuring and installation services.
Although we can’t provide one figure that applies to every kitchen, we can share examples based on Cutting Edge’s cabinet door pricing. The prices provided below are in Canadian dollars.
$23-$200+ Per Square Foot To Replace Cabinet Doors
At Cutting Edge, unfinished 1-piece MDF cabinet doors start at approximately $23 per square foot, with prices increasing for more expensive materials, decorative styles, and finishing options.
| Cabinet Door Type | Price Per Sq. Ft. |
|---|---|
| Painted 1-piece MDF | $58 |
| Stained Maple Shaker | $50 |
| Stained Walnut raised panel | $106 |
To estimate the cost of an individual door, multiply its width by its height in inches, then divide by 144 to calculate its square footage. For example, a door measuring 15″ wide and 30″ high is 3.125 square feet. At $50 per square foot, that door would cost approximately $156.25.
While square-foot pricing is useful for comparing products or getting more detailed pricing, calculating the total cost of a kitchen this way can be time-consuming. Also, most cabinet door suppliers have a minimum price per piece. That charge can skew your numbers when using per-square-foot pricing. For example, at Cutting Edge, cabinet doors under 1.5 square feet are priced as if they are 1.5 square feet.
That’s why we’ll also look at price ranges per door and per kitchen.
$57.50-$500+ Per Door
You can expect to spend approximately $57.50 to $500 per replacement cabinet door, based on an estimated 2.5 square feet per piece.
In our experience, dividing the total square footage by the number of cabinet doors and drawer fronts usually equals 2.5 square feet per piece. This accounts for the mix of larger doors and smaller drawer fronts commonly found in kitchens.
| Cabinet Door Type | Estimated Price Per Door |
|---|---|
| Painted 1-piece MDF | $145 |
| Stained Maple Shaker | $125 |
| Stained Walnut raised panel | $265 |
For example, replacing ten cabinet doors with stained Maple Shaker doors would cost approximately $1,250.
Of course, the actual measurements may change your final cost.
$1,725-$15,000+ Per Kitchen
Replacing the cabinet doors in an average-sized kitchen could cost $1,725 to $15,000 or more, depending on your chosen materials, styles, and finishes.
In our experience, kitchens often contain approximately 30 pieces, including cabinet doors and drawer fronts. At an average of 2.5 square feet per piece, that is roughly 75 square feet of replacement doors.
Using our earlier pricing examples, here’s what you could expect to spend:
| Cabinet Door Type | Estimated Cost For 30 Pieces |
|---|---|
| Painted 1-piece MDF | $4,350 |
| Stained Maple Shaker | $3,750 |
| Stained Walnut raised panel | $7,950 |
You may notice that stained Maple Shaker doors cost less than painted MDF doors in this example. Although MDF is often considered budget-friendly, painted finishes are more expensive than stained finishes ($36 per square foot vs $22 per square foot). Thus, the final cost is higher than stained Maple doors.
The upper ends of these ranges reflect some of our most expensive products, including chevron cabinet doors. Because these decorative doors are relatively uncommon, most homeowners won’t need to budget for them. The examples above offer a more practical comparison of common materials and styles.
What Factors Affect Your Cost To Replace Cabinet Doors?
Although several details can affect the cost of replacing cabinet doors, most differences come down to six factors:
- Your cabinet door specifications: Materials, styles, and construction methods affect manufacturing costs. For example, decorative solid wood doors generally require more materials and labour than simple MDF doors, increasing their price.
- Door size and quantity: Larger doors require more material and generally cost more to manufacture. However, smaller pieces may incur a minimum fee. Usually, a kitchen with 30 large doors will cost more than one with 30 smaller doors and drawer fronts.
- Whether you order finished doors: Finishing your cabinet doors yourself can reduce the price you pay your supplier. At Cutting Edge, adding a finish increases the price by at least $15 per square foot. If you choose to apply the finish yourself, though, you’ll need to account for your own materials, equipment, and labour.
- Whether you need new hardware: Reusing your existing handles and hinges can help keep costs down. However, confirm whether your replacement doors are compatible with your existing hardware before ordering either.
- Whether you need professional help: Most cabinet door manufacturers, including Cutting Edge, don’t provide on-site measuring or installation. You may need to hire a contractor or cabinet maker, which will increase the project’s cost.
- Your location: Shipping costs depend on your location and delivery requirements. At Cutting Edge, shipping a kitchen’s worth of cabinet doors usually costs at least $200.
Remember To Budget For The Rest Of Your Cabinet Reface
Replacing cabinet doors isn’t necessarily the same as refacing cabinets. While replacing your doors updates the most visible part of your kitchen, you may also need to update the cabinet boxes for a professional, consistent appearance.
Depending on their condition and your chosen door style, this could involve painting the cabinet boxes, applying veneer, or replacing exposed end panels. For example, if you order stained Walnut doors, you may want the visible surfaces of your existing cabinets to match. In this case, you may need to purchase and apply veneer over exposed cabinet box parts.
These additional materials and labour can increase the project’s cost. If your cabinet boxes are damaged or poorly constructed, it’s also worth comparing the cost of refacing against replacing the cabinets entirely.
Before setting your budget, make sure you’ve accounted for both the replacement doors and any additional work your kitchen requires.
Is Replacing Your Cabinet Doors Worth The Cost?
Replacing cabinet doors can be a cost-effective way to update your kitchen if your existing cabinet boxes are in good condition. For a kitchen with 30 pieces, replacement doors could cost $1,725 to $15,000 or more, depending on your choices. However, your total project cost may be higher once you account for hardware, shipping, installation, and other refacing work. Before deciding whether refacing fits your budget, compare your options and request quotes based on accurate measurements.
At Cutting Edge, we manufacture custom replacement cabinet doors for homeowners who want to complete their own projects. However, we don’t provide on-site measuring or installation, so you’ll need to handle those tasks yourself or hire a professional. If that approach works for you, learn how to start working with Cutting Edge so you can explore your options and order replacement cabinet doors.
