When cabinet refacing is the right call
Three conditions, and you need all of them. The boxes are structurally sound, with no swelling at the base or the sink cabinet. The layout already works for how you cook. And you are not moving plumbing or appliances. If all three hold, refacing gets you most of the visual change. It costs a fraction of a replacement, and disrupts far less.
When it is not
Sometimes refacing is the wrong tool. Maybe the kitchen is closed off and you want it open. Maybe the sink is moving. Or the lower cabinets are particleboard that already took on water. In each case you would only wrap new doors around a problem.
We tell you which of these you face on the walk-through. That includes the times when refacing simply will not get you what you are picturing. See full cabinet replacement.
How long it takes
Cabinet refacing takes days rather than weeks, and the kitchen stays usable for most of it. That, more than the price, is why people choose it.