Loan Cabinet Door Calculator
Refacing lives or dies on the door count. Count your doors and drawer fronts, pick a material, and get the full replacement set priced — doors, drawer fronts at their standard discount, and soft-close hinges — before you measure for the order itself.
Prices are labeled planning ranges per standard-size door (up to about 15×30 in); drawer fronts price at 70% of the door rate, the usual catalog structure. Oversize doors, glass inserts, integrated pulls and matching end panels price above the range — measure first, then count anything non-standard separately.
How it works
Doors price at the material’s per-door band; drawer fronts at 70% of that band (smaller, simpler, and priced that way in most catalogs). Hinges add 2 per door at $6–$12 for soft-close cup hinges. The total is the set you would order for a reface or a door-only refresh — it deliberately excludes boxes, installation, drilling services and knobs/pulls, because those are the lines that get buried in reface quotes and deserve their own numbers.
Method & worked example
Method: Set cost = doors × per-door band + drawer fronts × 70% of band + hinges (2 per door × $6–$12). Bands (labeled planning ranges per standard door): MDF/thermofoil $45–$85, painted hardwood $75–$130, stained oak/maple $110–$190, premium/inset $160–$280.
Worked example: 18 doors + 6 drawer fronts in painted hardwood: $1,665–$2,886 for fronts, plus $216–$432 of hinges — $1,881–$3,318 for the set.
When to use this
- You are pricing a reface against a full remodel.
- A door catalog quote needs a count-based sanity check.
- You are choosing materials with the whole kitchen’s count attached.
- You need the hinge line separated from a bundled quote.
How to use it, step by step
- Walk the kitchen and count doors and drawer fronts one by one — corners and lazy-Susan pairs count twice.
- Pick the material you would actually order.
- Keep hinges on unless the existing ones are staying.
- Read the set range; measure every opening before turning it into an order.
What the inputs mean
| Input | What it is | Typical values |
|---|---|---|
| Door count | Every hinged front, including corner pairs counted individually | 15–25 in a typical kitchen |
| Drawer fronts | Priced at 70% of the door band | 4–8 typical |
| Material band | Per-door planning range by construction | MDF $45–$85; painted $75–$130; oak $110–$190 |
| Hinges | Two soft-close cup hinges per door | $6–$12 each |
Another worked example
A rental refresh: 10 doors + 4 drawer fronts in MDF/thermofoil with hinges — fronts $576–$1,088, hinges $120–$240, total $696–$1,328. At that number, doors plus paint undercut a single month of vacancy — which is the entire economic argument for the MDF band.
Frequently asked questions
How much do replacement cabinet doors cost for a typical kitchen?
An 18-door, 6-drawer-front kitchen in painted hardwood: doors and fronts $1,665–$2,886, hinges $216–$432, total $1,881–$3,318. The same set in MDF/thermofoil runs $696–$1,328 with hinges — which is why MDF dominates rental refreshes and painted hardwood dominates long-term homes.
Why do drawer fronts cost less than doors?
They are smaller and carry no hinge boring or hardware in most catalogs — the industry convention is roughly 70% of a comparable door’s price. This estimator builds that discount in. If your drawers are actually drawer boxes with fronts attached as one piece, price the box separately; this tool prices fronts only.
Is refacing cheaper than new cabinets?
On doors alone, almost always: a full door set at $1,881–$3,318 versus five figures for new boxes. Refacing makes sense when the boxes are sound, the layout works, and the countertops stay or are separately budgeted. It stops making sense when boxes are swollen, the layout fights you, or interior storage is the real complaint — doors cannot fix any of those.
How do I measure for replacement doors?
For overlay doors: measure the cabinet opening, then add the overlay (typically 1/2 in per side on frameless, more on face-frame) — the door covers the opening plus overlay. Record width × height per opening, note which side hinges, and photograph the hinge type. Order one sample door before the full set if the kitchen is pre-1990.
Are soft-close hinges worth it?
At $6–$12 each they are the cheapest daily-luxury upgrade in the kitchen — no slamming, and they forgive a decade of habits. Two per door is standard up to about 36 in tall; taller doors take three. If your doors are staying and only the close bothers you, soft-close dampers retrofit for less.
What about glass-front or specialty doors?
Glass inserts, mesh, and louvered doors price 30–100% above the flat-door band, and inset (flush-frame) work is joinery, not catalog ordering — that is the premium band here, and honestly beyond it for true custom shops. Count specialty doors separately and get them quoted from your measurements.
Does this include installation?
No. Hanging a pre-bored door set is a drill-driver afternoon for a competent DIYer; a pro charges per opening. Drilling/boring services from the door supplier (a few dollars per door) are worth it — a mis-bored hinge cup is the most common way this project goes wrong.