Here's the listing picture of the kitchen we just ripped out. It got a laminate reface sometime in the 80s (guessing based on the pink pickled oak look). And while I hated many many things about this kitchen, the laminate as a material was pretty impressive.

*No scratches, except on some inside doors where people didn't push the rollouts in enough. So easy to clean.

*The laminate on the face frames and cabinet door faces was still solidly fused at demo day.

*The edgebanding was peeling in a few places when we bought, and peeled more over the last several years. But it was 30 years old. And we could have reglued, if we'd cared.

*It was incredibly easy to clean. Just wipe off. Or spray with 409 with none of the worries you would have about wood care. Spilled water down the cabinet fronts, also no problems.

*You can "tell" where the edgebanding meets the cabinet face. But I don't think it looks much different from edgebanding on veneered cabinets. It doesn't have the brown line of a Formica edge. You can zoom in on my picture to get a decent idea of what it looks like.

I think the only knock against laminate is appearance. It's its own thing--it is never going to look like wood veneer or painted wood. But if you like the appearance, you can rest easy about the durability.

Showplace Cabinetry has a nice refacing system if you can find a dealer that does it. They use real wood edgebanding.

Search youtube for tons of before/after videos showing the process. Here is one.

Showplace RENEW refacing system (CLICK HERE)

Thanks mcarroll16! This is really helpful. Your cabinets look great. These look really good for cabinets that were refaced in the 80s. Do you by any chance have a close-up of the edge banding? I tried zooming in on the picture but I think Houzz reduces the resolution so I can’t make it out. Thanks!

Thanks Kitchen Place! I love showplace - we had them at our old house and they’re great cabinets. It’ll look into their refacing system

Ha, my memory is terrible. We've got a couple of drawers left that are getting new fronts, not total replacement. And looking at them, the edge banding definitely leaves the same brown frame as you get with laminate countertops. With wood grain, it just didn't feel noticeable. With white cabinets, I think it would really bother me. But maybe modern refacers have better solutions.

Thanks! This closeup is really helpful!

Just got a quote for

$27k to reface cabinets! new doors/drawers and laminate boxes! Is this for real??

In my 40's experience, refacing can easily be same cost as putting all new cabinets! Unless you can do the labor yourself, you're not saving anything. 65% of the cost of a cabinet is in the front...then you have the labor to resurface the frames and sides.

The only times I have refaced for my clients is when the cabinets were fairly new, had good drawers and interiors....but they just hated the door/color. OR if they had granite or quartz tops and didn't want to remove them to get a new look on the cabinets.

Your kitchen looks great....why would you want to reface it?

Yes, the refacing costs can be as much as buying new cabinets. But, you are saving the demolition of the old, and the counters, etc. It's a quick and less intrusive solution, and you are paying for that. You can refinish your existing cabinets, if you have the time. It may cost you a lot in time. But the money spend will be under 10K.

They were previiusly painted and ar enow chipping

Consider new doors, custom paint matched to the gray color...then just get new doors and drawer fronts...and some paneling if needed. That would save a lot not having to cover the frames/ends. Looks like you have quartz tops....to remove and reinstall those (if you got new cabinets) would be an added expense. You are actually a good candidate for refacing. Get two quotes...one for new gray doors/drawers....and one for full cabinet replacement.