SFGate

City Cabinet Center, San Diego No matter what type of wood species you currently have, if you are redoing cabinetry, you have the option of refacing or replacing. If cost is the number 1 priority, go with refacing because you will be hard pressed to find new/quality cabinetry at a refacing budget. Contact your local refacer to check out their selection of veneers to choose from that will cover the faces of your current cabinetry.
If you do have the budget to replace cabinetry, than a myriad of options are available to you. The most economical route for new cabinetry would be to find a boutique who sells "in stock" cabinetry. These cabinet lines are like legos. They have certain sizes or sku #'s and your design must stay within the parameters, but like legos, you can accomplish an elaborate finished product, especially with the help of a kitchen designer who knows their product lines.
We all know that budget is one of, if not the main factor that drives kitchen remodel decisions, but you need to weigh budget vs functionality and aesthetics. Refacing will keep your costs low and give your cabinets a face lift, but the functionality of your kitchen will remain the same. Replacing will offer more aesthetic options as well as increased functionality, for a higher cost.

Some questions I have for you:
1) Are your cabinets stick frame cabinets? - meaning you can see the drywall when you open the cabinet doors.
2) Are you looking to keep your current counter top?

olldbobbi You can paint the cabinets. I would suggest having the doors professionally sprayed for a better result.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design You can also replace just the doors and drawer fronts of cabinets.

judyg You bet! Ikea, my favorite go to for kitchens, whether you want to save $ and/or you want a quality cabinet. Daughter did them in her house. Amazing. She put in granite, upgraded the hardware and bought all the inserts for the drawers, cabinets and pantry. You have to see them to believe what you get for your money. And once or twice a year there is a sale. This picture shows pretty much what I used in our cottage, including this great bar and stools. The other side of the bar is shelving for whatever. We just got the wood countertops and sanded, stained and oiled.

Deborah Butler, Brickwood Builders If your cabinets are in good shape, try to paint them and spend you funds elsewhere in the room

carolannr If you like your kitchen arrangement, the cheapest way to update a kitchen is to paint the cabinets. If these are solid wood all the better but you can also paint cabinets that only have solid core doors and frames with mdf boxes. The key is in the preparation because you want your hard work to last a while. The doors and boxes can be prepared for refinishing either by sanding off the existing finish or stripping. There are also materials that will etch the surface to accept a primer and finish coat - it will depend on your current surfaces and what the cabinet construction is. Ck with an experienced representative at a noted paint store - not the big box hardware - these guys will know more about what you need to do the job successfully. I was in the decorating business for forty years and rehabed many apartment kitchens to condos successfully without having to resort to changing out the cabinets. But, if you have to hire it done, I would definitely ck out the offerings at ikea. Price being the consideration, you could probably re-do the whole thing for about the same price, less time, and less work for you.

Dytecture Without seeing photos of the stock cabinets. If they are in good condition and style, the best thing to do is actually to update other elements in the kitchen such as lighting, countertop, flooring, and accessories.