Hire a Pro or Do It Yourself
There is more than one way to get the refacing done. Services that specialize in refacing can often be found in the Yellow Pages under “Kitchen Cabinets.” These services come to your house to get the dimensions of the cabinets to be refaced, then return with the materials for the installation, all for thousands of dollars less than the cost of new cabinets.

If you’re committed to doing it yourself and willing to devote several weekends to the project, refacing can be accomplished with quality, low-cost materials available at most home centers. However, chances are you’ll find only a limited selection of styles. Also, if your kitchen has lots of custom dimensions, it will be difficult to make off-the-shelf products fit.

Another do-it-yourself option is to have doors and drawer fronts custom-made by a local millworker, then reface remaining cabinet surfaces yourself. Though their services will cost more than store-bought refacing systems, millworkers offer a range of styles that will fit custom cabinets, and they will do a high-quality job.

However you go about the refacing, consider taking the opportunity to renovate the insides of the cabinets as well. Older cabinets can be fitted with the latest storage systems, such a shelf sliders, roll-out bins, and swing-up platforms for small appliances. Or two narrow drawers could be combined to form a wide one that is more useful.