DIY vs Hire Cabinet Refacing: Which Option Costs Less?

Is DIY cheaper for cabinet refacing?

On the defaults — a 30 linear-foot run, $65.00 of materials per linear foot, $600 of supplies, 30 hours at $50 an hour, against a pro price of $250.00 per linear foot — refacing the cabinets yourself costs $4,050.00 against a $7,500.00 pro quote: DIY wins by $3,450.00. A pro cabinet refacing is usually priced per linear foot — and a typical kitchen has 20–40 linear feet of cabinets. A pro refacing usually runs $100–$300 per linear foot depending on whether the new doors are laminate, wood veneer or solid wood, so a 30 ft run commonly lands between $3,000 and $9,000 for the work alone. A 30 ft run is a middle-of-the-road job — big enough to matter, small enough to reface yourself. DIY is worth it when the boxes are solid and square, the doors are standard sizes, no layout changes, and you have time; hire a pro when the boxes are damaged, the doors are custom sizes, the finish is high-end, the deadline is tight, or the warranty matters — most pro jobs carry a labour warranty the DIY route does not.

Three things about the model are worth stating plainly.

First, the DIY cost is 30 × $65.00 + $600 + 30 × $50 = $4,050.00. Second, the pro cost is 30 × $250.00 = $7,500.00. And third, DIY wins by $3,450.00; all listed in Accuracy & limitations.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 30 linear feet, $65.00 of materials per linear foot, $600 of supplies, 30 hours at $50 an hour, pro price $250.00 per linear foot.

Line 1 — the DIY cost. The DIY cost is 30 × $65.00 = $1,950.00 of materials, + $600.00 of supplies, + 30 × $50.00 = $1,500.00 of labour = $4,050.00.

Line 2 — the pro cost. The pro cost is 30 × $250.00 = $7,500.00.

Line 3 — who wins. $7,500.00 − $4,050.00 = $3,450.00, so DIY wins by $3,450.00.

Line 4 — the check. $1,950.00 + $600.00 + $1,500.00 = $4,050.00, the DIY cost; and $7,500.00 − $4,050.00 = $3,450.00, the DIY win.

Every branch, checked

Hours 15: DIY $3,300.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $4,200.00 — With 15 hours instead of 30 the DIY cost falls to $3,300.00 and DIY wins by $4,200.00.

Hours 60: DIY $5,550.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $1,950.00 — With 60 hours the DIY cost rises to $5,550.00 and DIY wins by $1,950.00.

Materials $90.00: DIY $4,800.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $2,700.00 — With materials at $90.00 per linear foot the DIY cost rises to $4,800.00 and DIY wins by $2,700.00.

Materials $45.00: DIY $3,450.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $4,050.00 — With materials at $45.00 per linear foot the DIY cost falls to $3,450.00 and DIY wins by $4,050.00.

Materials $180.00: DIY $7,500.00; pro $7,500.00 — exact tie — With materials at $180.00 per linear foot the DIY cost is $7,500.00, exactly the pro cost — a dead heat, a TIE.

Supplies $4,500: DIY $7,950.00; pro $7,500.00 — Hiring wins by $450.00 — With supplies of $4,500 the DIY cost rises to $7,950.00 and hiring wins by $450.00.

Hours 75: DIY $6,300.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $1,200.00 — With 75 hours the DIY cost is $6,300.00 and DIY wins by $1,200.00.

The reverses, worked backwards

Smallest hourly value where hiring WINS: At the displayed $166 the figures are DIY $7,530.00; pro $7,500.00 — Hiring wins by $30.00. At the displayed $166 the DIY cost is $7,530.00 against a $7,500.00 pro quote, so hiring wins by $30.00. At $165 the DIY cost is $7,500.00, exactly the pro cost — a dead heat, a TIE — so $166 is the smallest hourly value where hiring wins.

Largest hourly value where DIY still wins by at least $1,000: At the displayed $131 the figures are DIY $6,480.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $1,020.00. At the displayed $131 the DIY cost is $6,480.00 and DIY wins by $1,020.00. At $132 the DIY cost is $6,510.00 and DIY wins by only $990.00 — under the $1,000 target — so $131 is the largest hourly value where DIY still wins by at least $1,000.

Smallest supplies where hiring WINS: At the displayed $4,051 the figures are DIY $7,501.00; pro $7,500.00 — Hiring wins by $1.00. At the displayed $4,051 the DIY cost is $7,501.00 against a $7,500.00 pro quote, so hiring wins by $1.00. At $4,050 the DIY cost is $7,500.00, exactly the pro cost — a dead heat, a TIE — so $4,051 is the smallest supplies where hiring wins.

Smallest whole-cent materials where hiring WINS: At the displayed $180.01 the figures are DIY $7,500.30; pro $7,500.00 — Hiring wins by $0.30. At the displayed $180.01 the DIY cost is $7,500.30 against a $7,500.00 pro quote, so hiring wins by $0.30. At $180.00 the DIY cost is $7,500.00, exactly the pro cost — a dead heat, a TIE — so $180.01 is the smallest whole-cent materials where hiring wins.

Smallest hours where hiring WINS: At the displayed 100 hours the figures are DIY $7,550.00; pro $7,500.00 — Hiring wins by $50.00. At the displayed 100 hours the DIY cost is $7,550.00 against a $7,500.00 pro quote, so hiring wins by $50.00. At 99 hours the DIY cost is $7,500.00, exactly the pro cost — a dead heat, a TIE — so 100 is the smallest hours where hiring wins.

Smallest pro price per linear foot where DIY wins at all: At the displayed $136 the figures are DIY $4,050.00; pro $4,080.00 — DIY wins by $30.00. At the displayed $136 per linear foot the pro cost is $4,080.00 against a $4,050.00 DIY cost, so DIY wins by $30.00. At $135 per linear foot the pro cost is $4,050.00 — a dead heat, a TIE, not a DIY win — so $136 is the smallest pro price where DIY wins at all.

A warning about the neighbours: every neighbour above sits one step from the star — $1 of supplies, one cent of materials, one hour, one dollar of hourly value, one dollar of pro price. A pro quote that moves by a dollar changes the answer. The page prints the neighbour values in full so the rounding does not mislead you: at $165 the DIY cost is $7,500.00, a dead heat; at $132 DIY wins by only $990.00; at $4,050 the DIY cost is $7,500.00, a dead heat; at $180.00 the DIY cost is $7,500.00, a dead heat; at 99 hours the DIY cost is $7,500.00, a dead heat; at $135 per linear foot the pro cost is $4,050.00, a dead heat.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are a 30 linear-foot run, $65.00 of materials per linear foot, $600 of supplies, 30 hours at $50 an hour, and a pro price of $250.00 per linear foot — DIY $4,050.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $3,450.00. With Hours 15, DIY $3,300.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $4,200.00. With Hours 60, DIY $5,550.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $1,950.00. With Materials $90.00, DIY $4,800.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $2,700.00. With Materials $45.00, DIY $3,450.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $4,050.00. With Materials $180.00, DIY $7,500.00; pro $7,500.00 — exact tie. With Supplies $4,500, DIY $7,950.00; pro $7,500.00 — Hiring wins by $450.00. With Hours 75, DIY $6,300.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $1,200.00. With All zero, DIY $0.00; pro $0.00 — exact tie. With 20 linear feet, materials $70.00, supplies $400, hours 20, hourly $45, pro $230.00, DIY $2,700.00; pro $4,600.00 — DIY wins by $1,900.00. With 30 linear feet, materials $52.375, supplies $987.50, hours 18.5, hourly $62.25, pro $187.50, DIY $3,710.38; pro $5,625.00 — DIY wins by $1,914.63. With Materials $200.00, supplies $900, hours 50, hourly $60, pro $250.00, DIY $9,900.00; pro $7,500.00 — Hiring wins by $2,400.00. With Hours 0, DIY $2,550.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $4,950.00. With Hours 12.5, DIY $3,175.00; pro $7,500.00 — DIY wins by $4,325.00. With Win-by bars, supplies for a $2,000.00 DIY win $2,050; pro price per linear foot for a $2,700.00 DIY win $225.00; materials per linear foot for a $3,000.00 DIY win $80.00.

A note on the rounding: with 30 linear feet, materials $52.375, supplies $987.50, 18.5 hours at $62.25 an hour and a pro price of $187.50 per linear foot, the unrounded DIY cost is 3710.375 — which rounds half-up to $3,710.38 — and the unrounded win is 1914.625 — which rounds half-up to $1,914.63. The page prints the unrounded values so the rounding does not mislead you.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner with a 30 ft cabinet run: they learn refacing the cabinets themselves costs $4,050.00 against a $7,500.00 pro quote — and they check the $166 reverse to see the hourly value where hiring wins.
• The DIYer pricing new doors and veneer: they learn a pro refacing usually runs $100–$300 per linear foot — and they check the $180.01 reverse to see the materials price where hiring wins.
• The busy parent with no weekends free: they learn a pro crew refaces a standard kitchen in three to five days while a DIYer takes two to four weekends — and they check the 100 reverse to see the hours where hiring wins.
• The buyer comparing quotes: they learn a 30 ft pro job commonly lands between $3,000 and $9,000 — and they check the $136 reverse to see the pro price where DIY wins at all.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is first-principles: the DIY cost is linear feet × materials per linear foot + supplies + hours × hourly value; the pro cost is linear feet × pro price per linear foot; the winner is the lower cost, and equal costs are a dead heat — all rounded to two decimals half-up. What the model cannot do is price your kitchen: pro prices vary by region and by whether the new doors are laminate, wood veneer or solid wood — a pro refacing usually runs $100–$300 per linear foot; materials vary by grade; the hourly value is your own time, so price it honestly — an hour of your weekend is worth more than an hour you would spend idle. The model also cannot see the boxes: veneer bubbles and peels if the surface is not cleaned and sanded first, doors hang crooked if the hinges are not adjusted, new doors in a different wood tone clash with the old veneer, and the dust from sanding gets everywhere — all risks the calculator cannot price; and it does not include permits, inspections, or a pro’s labour warranty. Use it to see the money — then open a cabinet door and check the boxes before you decide.

Frequently asked questions