THE SHORT ANSWER
Estimate cabinet refacing from a door-and-drawer schedule plus the exposed surfaces of sound cabinet boxes. Separate products, veneer labour, hardware and alignment; a face count alone misses important work.
This guide follows a fictional 12-door kitchen cabinet refresh in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The linked cabinet refacing PDF example shows the scope and 8 separate costs in Canadian dollars. Treat it as a worked document, then use measurements, supplier quotes and labour inputs from your own project.
1. Inventory every opening
Count doors and drawer fronts by size, swing and location. Photograph special corners and appliance panels so the supplier schedule can be reconciled to the actual kitchen.
2. Inspect existing boxes
Refacing assumes boxes that can remain. Record loose joints, water damage or out-of-square openings before pricing; box replacement changes the scope rather than becoming invisible prep.
3. Measure exposed surfaces
Veneer area is not the kitchen floor area or cabinet run length. Measure visible end panels, face frames and other surfaces to receive the selected finish.
4. Separate hardware decisions
Confirm hinge type, pull selection and who supplies them. Include a final adjustment line so the handoff describes operating doors rather than merely delivered components.
Review the Canadian project address
For the 12-door kitchen cabinet refresh in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the example uses the measured trade units shown in its PDF. Residential jobs may mix square feet, linear feet, counts and supplier units; keep each line’s measurement basis visible. Confirm site access, product selections and existing conditions in person. Check any trade or municipal requirements for the actual location, and record changes before issuing a final price. The figures are fictional CAD inputs, not a local price survey.
Describe which products the customer supplies and which the contractor supplies. State how any site condition outside the visible scope will be assessed and priced. Do not copy an allowance from another city or assume a sample’s tax entry establishes the treatment for this client.
Work through the cabinet refacing quantities
The matching PDF lets the client check each extension of quantity and unit rate. For this example, two useful checks are:
- Door and drawer-front removal: 18 each × C$22.00 = C$396.00.
- New door allowance: 12 each × C$175.00 = C$2,100.00.
Adding all 8 lines gives a C$8,297.00 illustrative subtotal. The PDF records 0% tax and C$8,297.00 as its total, before any markup. These are chosen sample inputs, not prices observed in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The measurement basis matters as much as the rate: a material purchase allowance may be larger than the installed area, while a fixture count is not interchangeable with hours of labour.
Check the scope before sending
- Count and identify all doors and drawer fronts.
- Inspect cabinet-box condition.
- Measure veneer coverage.
- Confirm hardware and finish selections.
Outside the illustrated scope: No cabinet-box replacement, layout change, countertop work, appliance panels not listed or concealed moisture repair.
Check the business and client names, property location, dates, quantities, unit rates and notes. Confirm tax, markup and any required approvals for the actual job. If selections or site conditions are unresolved, label the line as an allowance and explain how it will be updated.
Common questions
Is refacing the same as cabinet replacement?
No. This example retains suitable cabinet boxes and prices new visible faces and hardware. Replacement cabinets require another takeoff.
Can door count price the whole job?
Door count helps, but drawer fronts, box veneer, hardware and preparation need their own quantities or defined allowances.
Open the itemized cabinet refacing example and its app-exported PDF to see these decisions presented to a client. You can adapt the structure while replacing every fictional project input with your own.
