Wood refinishing costs vary significantly by service type, scope, and condition of the existing finish. The only reliable way to get an accurate number for your specific project is a free in-person estimate — and that is exactly what we provide. But if you want realistic ballpark ranges before you make that call, this guide covers what different projects actually cost in St. Louis in 2025, and what drives the price in each category.
At a glance: typical cost ranges
All pricing requires in-person estimate. Lead paint compliance, condition, and stain matching affect final cost.
Door Refinishing
Door refinishing cost
Doors are the most common single-piece refinishing project we take on — and also the one with the widest cost range, because no two doors arrive in the same condition or require the same scope of work.
Front door (exterior)
Exterior doors take more abuse than any other piece of woodwork in the home — UV exposure, moisture cycling, and temperature extremes degrade finish faster than interior conditions. A front door refinish includes stripping the old finish, sanding to a clean substrate, any necessary wood repair, staining (or clear finish), and application of an exterior-grade topcoat designed to move with the wood.
Cost drivers for exterior doors: the number of layers of old paint or varnish, whether the door includes glass panels with detailed surrounding molding, whether the frame and casing are included, and whether lead paint containment and disposal are required.
A single front door, door only (not frame), in average condition: several hundred dollars. With frame, sidelights, and multiple paint layers including lead, the price increases accordingly. Free estimate is the right first step.
Interior doors
Interior doors — particularly original five-panel or six-panel fir doors common in pre-1920 St. Louis homes — are priced per unit. The condition of the existing finish matters a great deal: a door with two layers of old varnish is a different job than one with six layers of paint accumulated over 80 years.
Multiple-door projects benefit from consolidated scheduling — stripping and finishing a set of eight doors in one visit is more efficient than individual trips. We discuss project scope and scheduling options during the estimate.
Per-door pricing varies by door type, condition, and finish selected. Projects involving stain matching to adjacent woodwork carry a premium for the color work required to achieve a seamless match.
On stain matching: Matching a new door finish to existing woodwork — adjacent trim, a staircase, a built-in — takes more time and material than a standard single color. We do this routinely in St. Louis historic homes and it is well worth doing correctly. A door that is visibly off in tone reads wrong to everyone who walks through the entry.
Staircase Refinishing
Staircase refinishing cost
Staircases are among the most labor-intensive refinishing projects — and among the most transformative. In a historic St. Louis home, a properly refinished staircase is often the architectural centerpiece. The range is wide because the scope variables are significant.
Cost range: $300 to $1,500 and up
This range reflects the significant variation in staircase scope. A short run of eight treads with a simple railing and plain square balusters is a different job than a 16-tread main stair with turned balusters, carved newel post, and shaped handrail in need of complete stripping.
What drives staircase cost:
- —Tread count. More treads equal more square footage of stripping and finishing. Simple math, but it adds up.
- —Spindle / baluster count and profile. Plain square balusters are fast. Turned spindles with details require careful hand work on each one to strip without blurring the profile. A 16-tread stair with three balusters per tread is 48 individual spindles, each needing individual attention.
- —Newel post. Carved or turned newel posts are the most labor-intensive single component of any staircase — lots of profile detail, deep recesses that require careful hand work, and significant visual impact if not done right.
- —Railing profile. A simple round handrail is faster than a shaped bullnose rail with cove profiles. The finish needs to get into every surface.
- —Current finish condition. A staircase with one worn coat of varnish takes less work than one painted over multiple times. In pre-1978 homes, multiple paint layers almost certainly include lead paint, which adds containment and disposal requirements.
- —Finish type selected. Oil-based varnish, water-based polyurethane, and penetrating oil finishes each have different material costs and application requirements. We discuss options and their trade-offs during the estimate.
Staircases in continuous use cannot simply be taken out of service for a week. We schedule staircase work in phases — completing one half at a time and alternating treads if needed — so the stair remains usable throughout the project. This adds to the project duration but is standard practice for occupied homes.
Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing
Kitchen cabinet refinishing cost
Kitchen cabinet refinishing is the project where the comparison to replacement is most stark — and most in favor of refinishing.
The replacement math
New kitchen cabinets — stock cabinets installed — typically run $15,000 to $30,000 for a full kitchen. Semi-custom runs $20,000 to $50,000. Custom cabinetry can exceed $100,000.
Refinishing the original solid-wood cabinets in a historic St. Louis home costs a fraction of that — typically in the range of a few thousand dollars for a full kitchen, depending on door count, condition, and finish type selected.
And the original cabinets — if they are solid old-growth wood — are better than most of what you would replace them with. Today's production cabinets are primarily MDF or plywood carcasses with veneer or thermofoil faces. Original solid wood cabinets from a 1920s kitchen are a different category of material.
Painted vs. stained finish
Cabinet refinishing can go two directions: a painted finish or a stained-and-clear-coated finish that shows the wood grain. Painted finishes require meticulous surface prep and primer work to achieve a factory-smooth result; the wood grain beneath must be sealed fully. Stained finishes require stripping back to bare wood, color work, and clear topcoat. Both are valid choices — the decision comes down to the kitchen's style and what the homeowner wants. We discuss both options at the estimate.
What affects cabinet project cost
- —Door count. Per-door pricing is the base unit. A kitchen with 24 doors is a larger project than one with 12.
- —Door profile complexity. A flat-panel Shaker door is faster to strip and finish than a raised-panel door with detailed molding around the perimeter. Profile work takes time when done correctly.
- —Whether cabinet boxes are included. Door refinishing alone is one scope; including face frames, drawer fronts, and exposed box sides is a larger scope.
- —Existing finish condition. Kitchens accumulate grease, moisture damage, and multiple layers of old finish. Heavy buildup takes more stripping time.
- —Lead paint. Pre-1978 kitchen cabinets almost certainly have lead paint. RRP compliance adds to the cost but is legally required and genuinely necessary in a food-preparation environment.
Architectural Woodwork
Built-ins, wainscoting, millwork, and mantels
Architectural woodwork — built-in bookcases, wainscoting panels, fireplace mantels, window and door millwork, and ornamental trim — is scope-dependent and assessed project by project. These are the pieces that define a historic home's character more than anything else, and they are also among the most sensitive to poor refinishing technique.
Pricing depends on linear footage of molding, square footage of paneled surface, number of distinct profiles, existing finish condition, and whether the work is done on-site or requires removal. Most built-ins and wainscoting are finished in place — they cannot be removed without damaging the surrounding structure.
Built-in bookcases and cabinetry
Assessed by size and detail. A simple painted built-in with flat-panel doors is different from a floor-to-ceiling oak bookcase with carved pilasters and glazed upper cabinets.
Wainscoting and paneling
Priced by square footage and profile complexity. Beadboard is simpler; raised-panel wainscoting with cap rail and base requires more individual detail work.
Fireplace mantels
High-impact, high-detail work. Original mantels in historic St. Louis homes often have carved ornament and pilaster details that require individual attention at every profile.
Window and door millwork
Casing, aprons, stools, and surrounds — typically priced per opening or by linear foot depending on complexity and condition.
All architectural woodwork projects are estimated in person. There is no reliable way to price this category without seeing it — photographs help, but the condition of the existing finish, the number of profile transitions, and the site access situation all affect the estimate in ways that cannot be assessed remotely.
Cost Factors
What affects the cost of any refinishing project
Across all project types, these are the variables that move the price up or down most significantly:
Condition of the existing finish
Stripping one coat of worn varnish is a different job than removing six layers of oil paint, latex, and shellac accumulated over 100 years. The condition of the current finish is the single biggest variable in labor cost.
Lead paint presence
EPA RRP Rule compliance adds containment setup, HEPA cleaning, and documented disposal to every pre-1978 project. This is a real cost — but it is also a legal requirement and a genuine health necessity. Projects with lead paint will cost more than comparable projects without it.
On-site vs. off-site work
Some pieces can be removed and worked in a controlled off-site setting; others must be finished in place. On-site work in an occupied home involves setup, containment, and cleanup that off-site work does not. Doors are typically the one piece that can often be worked off-site.
Number of pieces and project scope
A single door and a set of eight doors involve the same setup per visit but very different total labor. Larger projects have more predictable per-unit costs because setup is amortized across more pieces.
Stain matching required
Matching a new door or set of cabinets to existing woodwork requires color work — mixing, testing, adjusting — that adds time. When matching is done well, it is invisible. When it is not done, it is always visible.
Finish type selected
Oil-based finishes typically require longer dry times between coats, adding to project duration. Water-based finishes dry faster. Penetrating oils and wax finishes have different material costs. We discuss the trade-offs for each application during the estimate.
The Better Investment
Refinishing vs. replacement: the honest comparison
Refinishing original solid wood is almost always the better economic choice. It is also, for original old-growth wood, the better choice on every other measure.
The wood in a St. Louis historic home cannot be replaced with equivalent wood
Old-growth Douglas fir, quarter-sawn white oak, American chestnut — the timber that built St. Louis's historic homes in the 1880s through 1920s — grew for 200 to 300 years before it was cut. The grain is four to five times tighter than new-growth lumber. It is harder, more stable, and more beautiful. It is not available today at any price from a standard lumber supplier.
Replacing an original door with a new solid-wood door gets you a door made of 30-year-growth lumber — softer, looser grain, less dimensionally stable, and without the 120 years of patina that gives original wood its depth. Replacing it with a fiberglass or steel door means no wood at all. Neither is an upgrade.
Refinishing
- ✓ Preserves original old-growth material
- ✓ Fraction of replacement cost
- ✓ Maintains architectural character
- ✓ Adds value for historic home buyers
- ✓ Lasts decades when done correctly
- ✓ No construction disruption
Replacement
- ✗ Original material permanently gone
- ✗ Significantly higher cost
- ✗ Inferior wood or composite materials
- ✗ May require structural modification
- ✗ Lead paint disposal still required
- ✗ Demolition and installation disruption
The one exception: if the wood is genuinely beyond saving — structural damage, rot through the core, repeated dip-stripping that has compromised the substrate — replacement may be the only option. In 36 years, I have seen this occasionally. I have seen people told their wood was unsalvageable when it was not, far more often. If you are not sure, get an honest assessment before deciding.
The only number that matters is your specific project.
Free in-person estimates. No obligation. Sue comes to you, looks at the work, and gives you a written price. No phone estimates, no guessing — just an accurate number you can make a decision from.