Is cabinet refacing a good idea in Dubai?

Refacing is a good idea when the kitchen works and only looks tired. The doors, drawer fronts and handles change. The boxes, worktop, sink and hob stay where they are. That makes it the smaller of the two jobs, and most kitchens that are worth refacing never need the larger one.

Is refacing a good idea for a sound kitchen?

Yes, when three things are true. The layout suits you, the boxes are sound, and the worktop stays or the new fronts clear it.

The layout suits you. Refacing keeps every cabinet where it is. If you need a wider hob, an island or the sink moved, the work has passed refacing and become a renovation.

The boxes are sound. Open the cabinets under the sink and beside the dishwasher. Swelling or soft board there means that box needs rebuilding. A new front on top will not fix it.

The worktop stays, or the new fronts clear it. New doors have to sit at the same gap from the worktop as the old ones. We measure that on site, not from drawings.

Is cabinet refacing a good idea if the layout changes?

No. Refacing does not move anything, so a layout change needs a renovation, and paying for new faces on the old plan wastes the money.

What a refacing job covers with us

Refacing covers the doors, drawer fronts and handles and, where they are tired too, the end panels and plinths. We design, make and fit the new fronts, check every box before we quote, and list each part we replace so you can compare the figure with anything else you are offered. Refacing starts at AED 5,000 with us.

For the faults refacing cannot fix, read refacing downsides before you decide. It covers the damage that carries over into new doors.

Which job fits your budget?

A full kitchen renovation starts at AED 12,000 with us. The gap between the two is the cost of the things refacing leaves alone: the worktop, the sink and tap, the appliances and any work on walls or services. If your list reads like a new kitchen in the same layout, the figure you need is the renovation one. Our kitchen cabinet cost page shows how cabinet prices move with scope.

When is refacing the right call?

Refacing is the right call for a kitchen that is structurally sound, keeps its layout, and has doors that have yellowed, chipped or lost their handles. A household that is staying put and wants the room to feel new, for a fraction of a rebuild, is the usual case. Send us the door count and the finish you want, and we price the job against the boxes we find.

When is a full renovation the better buy?

Renovation is the better buy when the layout is the problem: a cramped galley, a corner that wastes a metre of worktop, a cracked worktop, or plumbing and wiring older than the cabinets. Refacing over those problems pays for a kitchen you will want to change again within a few years. If you are weighing new boxes as well, our kitchen cabinets page covers what they are made of and what they cost.

How we decide with you

Send photos of the cabinets, the worktop and the wall they sit on, and say what bothers you about the kitchen today. We reply on WhatsApp, say which job we think it is, and give you a price for that job. If you want both prices side by side, ask for them on the same brief, and we quote refacing and renovation for the same kitchen.

A first price needs less than people expect. One photo of each run of cabinets from the front, one of the inside of the unit under the sink, and a rough length of each run in metres are enough to start. The inside photo matters most, because the box behind the door decides whether refacing is sound, and no finish can change that.

Send us your cabinet photos