Cabinet Refinishing in Miami: Real Per-Door Pricing for 2026
If your kitchen cabinets are solid wood and the layout still works for you, refinishing them is one of the best returns on money you can spend in a kitchen. You get what looks like a new kitchen for a fraction of what new cabinets cost. The trick is knowing what refinishing actually involves, what it should cost, and whether your cabinets are good candidates in the first place.
This guide walks through real per-door and per-drawer pricing we use on projects across Miami-Dade in 2026. Honest numbers, not internet ranges that try to cover the whole country.
What Cabinet Refinishing Actually Means
Refinishing is not painting a coat over the existing finish and calling it done. Done right, it means:
- Removing all doors and drawer fronts
- Stripping or sanding the existing finish down to bare wood
- Filling any dings, dents, or grain holes
- Cleaning and prepping the cabinet boxes (which stay in place)
- Spraying primer and 2 to 3 coats of stain, paint, or lacquer
- Replacing hinges and pulls (optional but recommended)
- Reinstalling everything and adjusting alignment
It is detailed work. The finish you see on a refinished cabinet should look as smooth as a factory finish, which means no brush marks, no drips, no orange peel texture. That only happens with HVLP sprayers, controlled dust, and proper drying time between coats.
Real Per-Door and Per-Drawer Pricing
Here is what we actually charge for cabinet refinishing in Miami-Dade in 2026:
Per door: $100 to $150
Per drawer front: $75
Per cabinet box (interior or face touchup): $40 to $60
New hinges and pulls (installed): $8 to $15 per piece
A standard Miami kitchen has about 18 to 25 doors and 6 to 10 drawer fronts. That puts most full kitchen refinishing projects between $2,400 and $5,500, depending on door count, finish type, and hardware swaps.
Compare that to ripping out cabinets and installing new ones, which runs $12,000 to $25,000 for a typical kitchen. The math is hard to argue with if your cabinet boxes are in good shape.
What Drives the Range
A few things move the price within that band:
Finish type. Solid color paint is the cheapest. Stain that maintains visible wood grain takes more prep and more skill, so it sits at the top of the range. Two-tone finishes (different color uppers and lowers) add about 15 to 20 percent because we have to keep finishes separate during spraying.
Detail level on the doors. Flat-panel shaker doors are quick. Raised panels with beading, fluting, or applied molding take longer to mask and spray properly. Add about $20 to $40 per door for heavily detailed styles.
Hardware changes. If you keep the existing hinges and pulls, you save money. If you upgrade to soft-close hinges or new pull styles, factor that in. Soft-close conversions run about $12 to $18 per door installed.
Spray location. We prefer to spray doors in our shop where dust and overspray are controlled. If the project layout requires us to spray on site, we have to build temporary spray booths, which adds about 5 percent.
When Refinishing Makes Sense
Refinishing pays off when these three things are true:
When Refinishing Is the Wrong Call
We turn down refinishing projects when we know the result will disappoint. Common dealbreakers:
- Cheap particle board with thermofoil or laminate skins. The skin is glued on. Sanding through it ruins the substrate. These cabinets need to be replaced, not refinished.
- Severe water damage from leaks under the sink. Once water gets into the cabinet bottom and travels into the side panels, refinishing is putting lipstick on a problem. The cabinets need to come out.
- Dated layouts the homeowner does not actually like. Spending $4,000 to refinish cabinets you still hate in 6 months is wasted money. Better to wait and do the full remodel right.
If you are not sure which category you are in, we offer free in-person assessments. We will tell you straight whether your cabinets are worth saving.
Process and Timeline
A typical kitchen refinishing project runs 5 to 10 working days, broken out like this:
Day 1: Remove doors, drawer fronts, and hardware. Label everything for reinstall. Mask off the kitchen.
Days 2 to 3: Sand or strip existing finish. Repair any damage. Prep cabinet boxes.
Days 3 to 6: Doors and drawer fronts go to our shop. Boxes get prepped in place. Spraying happens here.
Days 6 to 8: Drying time between coats. We do not rush this. Florida humidity is real and pushing wet coats causes runs.
Days 9 to 10: Reinstallation. Hardware install. Final adjustments. Touchups.
Your kitchen is usable through most of this process. The cabinet boxes stay closed (we tape off the openings), and you can still use the sink, range, and refrigerator. You just lose cabinet storage access for 5 to 7 days.
Paint vs Stain: Quick Take
Paint hides the wood grain entirely. Looks crisp and modern. Easier to maintain. Best for shaker-style doors, two-tone kitchens, or anyone going for a clean white, gray, or navy look. About 80 percent of our refinishing jobs end up as paint.
Stain keeps the wood grain visible. Looks warm and traditional. Best for oak, cherry, or any species where the grain is part of the visual appeal. Stain shows imperfections more than paint, so the doors need to be in better shape going in.
We use post-catalyzed lacquer or 2K polyurethane for the topcoat in either case. Both are way more durable than off-the-shelf wall paint. They handle Miami humidity, splash, grease, and daily use without yellowing or peeling.
Mistakes That Kill a Refinishing Job
A few things we see homeowners get wrong when they try to DIY or hire the cheapest bid:
- Skipping prep. Spray paint over a glossy old finish and it will peel inside a year. Sanding and primer are not optional.
- Using wall paint. Latex wall paint stays soft and gummy on cabinets. Doors stick to frames. Use lacquer or 2K poly only.
- Brush and roll. You can technically get a passable result with a foam roller, but you will see roller texture forever. Spray is the only way to get a factory-quality finish.
- Skipping the primer step. Even high-end paint needs primer adhesion on previously finished cabinets. Skipping primer means peeling within 18 months.
If a bid comes in dramatically lower than ours, ask the company what their prep process looks like and what topcoat they use. The difference is almost always in what they leave out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a refinished cabinet finish last?
When the work is done properly with quality lacquer or 2K polyurethane, a refinished kitchen should look great for 10 to 15 years of normal use. That assumes you wipe up spills, do not slam doors, and use cabinet-safe cleaners (no abrasive scrubs). The finish itself is more durable than what comes from the factory on a lot of midrange new cabinets. We have seen our refinishing jobs from 8 years ago still looking sharp, with only minor touchups around the most-used pulls.
Can you refinish over thermofoil or laminate cabinets?
Generally no. Thermofoil is a thin vinyl skin heat-pressed onto MDF. It does not accept paint adhesion reliably, and sanding through it exposes the MDF underneath, which then needs to be sealed and primed differently. The few times we have done it successfully, we used a specific adhesion primer (Stix or BIN) and accepted that the long-term durability is not as good as on solid wood. We usually recommend replacing the door fronts instead of refinishing them.
Do you spray on site or take doors to a shop?
We do both. Door and drawer fronts go to our shop where we have a proper spray booth, climate control, and curing racks. That is where the finish quality lives. The cabinet boxes get prepped and sprayed on site, since you cannot remove built-in boxes without rebuilding the kitchen. We mask everything around them carefully so the rest of your kitchen stays clean.
Will refinishing affect my home value?
Refinished cabinets in good condition look essentially identical to new cabinets to a buyer or appraiser. The Remodeling 2026 Cost vs Value report puts kitchen refinishing at 70 to 80 percent return on investment, which is one of the best in the home improvement category. If you are refinishing because you plan to sell within 2 years, a clean white or warm gray finish has the broadest buyer appeal.
Can I keep using my kitchen during the project?
Mostly yes. You will lose cabinet storage access for 5 to 7 days while doors are off and finishes are curing. You can still use the sink, range, refrigerator, and countertops. We tape off the cabinet box openings so dust does not get inside. Most homeowners pack the dishes they need into a bin and set up a temporary station on the counter or dining table.
Get a Real Price for Your Kitchen
The pricing in this guide is real, but every kitchen has its own quirks. Door count, door style, finish choice, and hardware decisions move the final number. The only way to get an accurate price is for someone to look at your actual cabinets.
We do free in-person assessments across Miami-Dade County. We come out, count doors and drawers, look at the wood condition, and give you a flat price the same day. No pressure, no obligation. If we think your cabinets are not worth refinishing, we will tell you that too.
Service areas include Kendall, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Coral Gables, Doral, South Miami, The Hammocks, Cutler Bay, and the rest of Miami-Dade.
Call (786) 363-7039 or send a few photos of your cabinets via text. We will give you a ballpark within 24 hours.
Ready to start your Miami remodel?
Free in-home estimate. We respond within 15 minutes.