Cabinet Refinishing vs Painting vs Refacing in Edmonton
Cabinet refinishing is the process of stripping kitchen cabinets to bare wood and spray-applying a new factory-grade finish, and it is one of three ways to update Edmonton cabinets without replacing them. The other two are cabinet painting, which coats the existing surface with a durable enamel, and cabinet refacing, which installs brand-new doors and drawer fronts over your existing boxes. iPaint Painting performs all three across Edmonton, and this guide compares the real cost, durability, and timeline of each so you can pick the right one before you spend a dollar.
All three keep your existing kitchen layout and cost 40 to 70 percent less than new cabinets, which run $15,000 to $40,000 or more in Edmonton once you add demolition, new boxes, countertops, and weeks without a working kitchen. The question is almost never "renovate or not." It is "which of these three is right for my cabinets, my budget, and my timeline." Here is how to decide.
What is cabinet refinishing, painting, and refacing?
Cabinet refinishing
Cabinet refinishing is the process of stripping cabinet doors, drawers, and frames back to bare wood, filling the grain, priming, and spray-applying multiple coats of a hard curing finish. iPaint Painting uses catalyzed lacquer, conversion varnish, or Benjamin Moore Advance for a factory-smooth surface that resists chips and moisture. Refinishing keeps your existing doors and door style, so it suits solid-wood cabinets that are structurally sound but look dated. It is the go-to for Edmonton's 1980s and 1990s honey-oak kitchens that homeowners want turned white or grey.
Cabinet painting
Cabinet painting cleans, de-glosses, and primes the existing cabinet surface, then applies a durable cabinet-grade enamel by brush and roller or spray. Cabinet painting by iPaint is the fastest and most affordable of the three because the cabinets are not stripped to raw wood. It is ideal when your cabinets are already in good condition and you mainly want a colour change or a fresh, clean look.
Cabinet refacing
Cabinet refacing keeps your existing cabinet boxes but swaps the doors and drawer fronts entirely, then covers the visible box surfaces with a matching wood veneer or laminate. Cabinet refacing by iPaint is the only one of the three that changes the actual door style, for example swapping raised-panel oak for flat shaker doors, plus new soft-close hinges and hardware. It costs the most because you are buying new components, but it delivers the closest thing to a brand-new kitchen without touching the layout.
Cabinet refinishing vs painting vs refacing: the Edmonton comparison
| Factor | Refinishing | Painting | Refacing |
|---|---|---|---|
| What changes | Existing doors stripped to wood and re-sprayed | Existing doors cleaned, primed and enamelled | New doors and drawer fronts; boxes re-veneered |
| Door style | Stays the same | Stays the same | Can change completely |
| Cost (Edmonton kitchen) | $4,000–$10,000 | $3,000–$8,000 | $6,000–$15,000 |
| Durability | Highest (catalyzed lacquer / conversion varnish) | High (cabinet-grade enamel) | High (new factory doors) |
| Timeline | 7–10 days | 3–5 days | 3–5 days |
| Best for | Solid-wood cabinets, dramatic colour change | Cabinets in good shape, budget refresh | Outdated or damaged door style |
| Savings vs new cabinets | 60–70% | 50–70% | 40–50% |
Cabinet refinishing vs painting: which lasts longer?
Cabinet refinishing lasts longer than painting because the cabinets are stripped to bare wood and coated with catalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish, finishes that chemically cure to a harder, more moisture-resistant surface than standard paint. Cabinet painting with a premium enamel like Benjamin Moore Advance is genuinely durable and holds up well for years in a normal kitchen, but it bonds over the existing finish rather than raw wood, so in a high-traffic Edmonton kitchen with kids, steam, and daily use, a fully stripped-and-refinished surface resists chips and wear the longest.
The trade-off is time and cost. Refinishing takes 7 to 10 days and starts around $4,000 because of the stripping and grain-filling work. Painting is done in 3 to 5 days and often starts lower. If your cabinets are solid wood and you want the finish to look flawless and last, refinishing wins. If they are in good shape and you want a fast, affordable colour change, painting is the smarter spend.
Cabinet refinishing vs refacing: what is the real difference?
The real difference is simple: refinishing re-finishes the doors you already have, while refacing swaps them out. Cabinet refinishing keeps your existing doors, drawers, and frames and gives them a new colour and finish. Cabinet refacing removes your doors and drawer fronts, installs brand-new ones in the style you choose, and re-veneers the boxes to match. Choose refinishing when you like your door style and the doors are worth keeping. Choose refacing when the door style itself is the problem, or the doors are damaged beyond what a finish can fix. For a deeper look at these two, read our detailed breakdown of cabinet refacing vs. cabinet refinishing in Edmonton.
How much does each cost in Edmonton in 2026?
Cabinet painting is the most affordable in Edmonton, at roughly $3,000 to $8,000 for a standard kitchen (a bathroom vanity starts around $800). Cabinet refinishing runs about $4,000 to $10,000 for a kitchen and $1,000 to $3,000 for a vanity, reflecting the extra stripping, grain-filling, and multi-coat spraying. Cabinet refacing is the most expensive at roughly $6,000 to $15,000 because the price includes new doors, drawer fronts, hinges, and veneer. Every one of these beats the $15,000 to $40,000-plus you would spend replacing cabinets outright, and iPaint gives you a detailed written estimate before any work starts, so the number you see is the number you pay.
Which option is right for your Edmonton kitchen?
The right choice comes down to three questions: are your doors solid and worth keeping, do you want to change the door style, and what is your budget? Use this quick decision guide.
Choose the option that matches your kitchen
A short version of the advice iPaint gives on every free in-home consultation.
Why Edmonton homeowners choose iPaint for cabinets
iPaint Painting is one of the few Edmonton contractors that performs all three cabinet services in-house, which means the advice you get is about your kitchen, not about the one service a company happens to sell. Led by owner and master painter Mourad with more than 15 years of spray-finishing experience, iPaint is MPI certified, fully insured, and backs every cabinet project with a 5-year written workmanship warranty. The company operates as Cabinet Refinishing Experts LTD, cabinets are not a sideline, they are the core of the business.
"We had our kitchen cabinets refinished from dark oak to white. The transformation is unbelievable. Friends think we got a full reno. Highly recommend iPaint."
"iPaint refinished our cabinets and painted the whole interior. The colour consultation was so helpful, we never would have picked those colours on our own and we love them."
"Cabinet refacing transformed our kitchen. New shaker doors, soft-close hinges, modern hardware, looks like a $40K reno for a fraction of the cost."
iPaint refinishes, paints, and refaces cabinets across Edmonton and the surrounding communities, including Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, and Spruce Grove. Wherever you are, the first step is the same: a free in-home look at your cabinets and an honest recommendation on which of the three fits best.
Cabinet refinishing, painting & refacing FAQs (Edmonton)
What is the difference between cabinet refinishing, painting, and refacing?
Cabinet refinishing strips the cabinets to bare wood and spray-applies a new factory-grade finish. Cabinet painting coats the existing surface with a durable enamel after cleaning and priming. Cabinet refacing keeps the boxes but installs brand-new doors, drawer fronts, and matching veneer. All three keep your layout and cost far less than new cabinets. iPaint Painting performs all three across Edmonton.
Which is cheaper in Edmonton: refinishing, painting, or refacing?
Cabinet painting is usually the most affordable at roughly $3,000 to $8,000 for a kitchen. Cabinet refinishing runs about $4,000 to $10,000. Cabinet refacing is the most expensive at roughly $6,000 to $15,000 because it includes new doors and drawer fronts. All three cost 40 to 70 percent less than the $15,000 to $40,000 of new cabinets.
Does refinishing or painting cabinets last longer?
Cabinet refinishing lasts longer because the cabinets are stripped to bare wood and coated with catalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish, which cures harder than standard paint. Cabinet painting with a quality enamel like Benjamin Moore Advance is durable and holds up well for years, but a fully stripped and re-lacquered finish resists chips and moisture better in a busy Edmonton kitchen.
Should I refinish or reface my kitchen cabinets?
Refinish when your doors are solid wood, structurally sound, and you are happy with the door style but want a new colour and a flawless finish. Reface when you want to change the door style itself (for example, raised-panel oak to flat shaker) or the doors are damaged beyond repair. iPaint refinishes when the doors are worth keeping and refaces when the style needs to change.
How long does each cabinet update take in Edmonton?
Cabinet painting takes roughly 3 to 5 days, cabinet refacing about 3 to 5 days, and cabinet refinishing the longest at 7 to 10 days because the cabinets are stripped, grain-filled, primed, and given multiple sprayed coats. iPaint sets your kitchen back up as work is completed so you are never without cabinets for the full project.
Not Sure Which Is Right for You?
Get a free, no-obligation estimate from Edmonton's trusted cabinet specialists. We refinish, paint, and reface, so we recommend what is best for your kitchen, not ours.
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