Want soft-close, glass doors or new trim
Many owners use refacing to add details: glass doors on a pair of uppers, taller crown, or new toe-kick and trim.
Serving Berwyn & nearby Oak Park, Chicago
Cabinet Refacing in Berwyn, IL
New doors, drawer fronts and matching skins on the cabinet boxes you already have in Berwyn, with your counters left in place.
- Crews working in Berwyn ZIP 60402
- Most jobs done in days, with your kitchen still usable
- Samples and a written quote before we start
Cabinet problems refacing solves in Berwyn
If your cabinet boxes are sound but the doors are dated or failing, we reface them. In Berwyn that means made-to-measure doors and drawer fronts, a matching skin over every exposed frame and side, and new hardware, usually installed in a few days on site.
Want to keep granite or quartz counters
New cabinets usually mean new countertops, because stone rarely survives removal. Refacing leaves the tops exactly where they are.
Can't be without a kitchen for long
Refacing happens with the kitchen mostly usable. The doors are made ahead of time, and the on-site work usually takes a few days.
Old exposed hinges and loose doors
Loose, exposed hinges are replaced along with the doors. Concealed soft-close hinges come standard in most of our refacing jobs.
Peeling thermofoil
Once thermofoil starts to bubble and peel, more doors usually follow. A full reface is the lasting fix, with the same boxes underneath.
Laminate cabinets with loose edges
Older laminate cabinets often lose their edge banding first. If the boxes underneath are solid, we prepare the surface and reface them.
Drawers that stick or slam
Worn roller slides and wobbly drawer boxes are an easy upgrade during refacing, since the fronts come off anyway.
Oak frames that don't suit a new look
If you want white or gray cabinets but the frames are golden oak, refacing skins them to match the new doors exactly.
What's included
- Box inspection and repairsWe check every box for water damage and loose joints and fix what needs fixing before any skin goes on.
- Surface prepFrames and ends are cleaned, degreased and sanded so the new veneer bonds properly.
- End panels and exposed sidesVisible cabinet sides get new plywood or laminate panels in the same finish as the doors.
- New doors and drawer frontsDoors and fronts are made to measure for each opening and arrive finished.
- Pulls and knobsNew hardware is installed with a drilling jig so every pull lines up.
- Trim, crown and toe kickCrown molding, light rail, scribe and toe-kick are replaced or added to match.
- Drawer boxes and slidesDrawers can be rebuilt with smooth slides while the fronts are being changed.
Materials and finishes
Soft-close hinges and slidesConcealed hinges and slides that close the last inch gently and quietly.
Rigid thermofoil (RTF)RTF suits clean, solid colors; we keep it away from direct oven heat or add heat shields.
High-pressure laminateLaminate resists scratches and moisture well and works for a flat, modern look.
Real wood veneerThin sheets of oak, maple, cherry or walnut, stained and clear-coated to match solid wood doors.
Painted MDF and solid wood doorsPainted doors use MDF panels that will not crack at the joints; stained doors use hardwood.
Kitchens like yours in Berwyn: before and after
Before
In progress
After
DetailCabinet Refacing in a prewar foursquare, Berwyn
The site: a prewar foursquare near Ogden Avenue. Before: 1960s birch cabinets painted cream over the years, chipped door edges, old brass hardware. What bothered the owners most: a worn paint job on dated doors. The result: new five-piece shaker doors in charcoal gray on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and polished nickel pulls. On site this meant box inspection and repairs, surface prep, plus drawer boxes and slides.
Before
AfterAn Oak Brook 1970s split-level: before and after
A 1970s split-level in Oak Brook, a typical kitchen for Oak Brook. The kitchen as it was: dark stained oak cabinets with wide face frames and a scalloped wood valance over the sink. The reason for the call: dated wood doors on solid boxes. The result: new flat slab doors with a thin edge in warm white on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and brushed nickel bar pulls. The job covered new doors and drawer fronts, trim, crown and toe kick, plus drawer boxes and slides.
Cabinet Refacing in Oak Brook →
Before
AfterCabinet Refacing in a postwar bi-level, Elmhurst
This one is a postwar bi-level in Elmhurst. What we started with: 1970s dark pecan-stained cabinets. What bothered the owners most: dated wood doors on solid boxes. The result: new five-piece shaker doors in creamy white uppers and navy lowers on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and unlacquered brass knobs and cup pulls. Work included box inspection and repairs, new doors and drawer fronts, plus trim, crown and toe kick.
Cabinet Refacing in Elmhurst →
Before
AfterA Berwyn brick bungalow from the 1920s: before and after
What changed: new flat slab doors with a thin edge and drawer fronts in creamy white uppers and navy lowers with brushed nickel bar pulls.
Cabinet Door & Drawer Front Replacement in Berwyn →
Before
AfterKitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in a brick bungalow from the 1920s, Berwyn
Finished: new cabinets in powder blue with polished nickel pulls, installed level and ready for black honed granite counters.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in Berwyn →How the job goes
- Visit and box checkAt the visit we confirm the boxes are worth keeping and take exact measurements.
- Choose style and finishDoor samples and finish chips help you decide in your own lighting.
- Doors are madeProduction happens off-site; nothing changes in your kitchen until the parts are ready.
- Install on siteWe skin the boxes, hang the new doors and fit hardware, typically in a few working days.
- Adjust and walk-throughEvery door and drawer is aligned and we go over the finished kitchen with you.
Cabinet Refacing questions from Berwyn homeowners
Refacing or painting: which should I choose?
If your doors are thermofoil, laminate or a style you dislike, reface. If they are good wood in a shape you like, painting is the lower-cost choice.
Is it cheaper to reface or replace cabinets?
In most kitchens refacing is the less expensive route. Replacement makes sense when the boxes are damaged or the layout has to change.
Can you reface laminate or thermofoil cabinets?
Usually. Peeling thermofoil doors are simply replaced, and laminate frames are prepped for a new skin if they are in good condition.
Can water-damaged cabinets be refaced?
Only after the damage is fixed. A swollen sink base gets a new floor or is replaced before we put new veneer over it.
Which cabinet colors will age well?
Pick a color you like with your floor and counters rather than chasing a trend. Warm neutrals and real wood tones tend to last.
Which Berwyn homes do you most often see for cabinet refacing?
In Berwyn we see Chicago-style brick bungalows, Duplexes and three-unit buildings and Larger homes on south side. Each comes with its own walls, wiring and plumbing, and we plan the job around them.
Do I need a Berwyn-registered contractor for cabinet refacing?
Contractors must be licensed and bonded with Berwyn; $10,000 surety bond and liability insurance naming the City per license (per licensing form. We take care of that before work starts.
Do I need a permit for cabinet refacing in Berwyn?
It depends on the scope. Berwyn's rule in short: City permit list includes any kitchen and bathroom remodeling, all electrical work, and plumbing/sewer work (faucet or toilet replacement excluded). We handle the permit when one is needed with Building Department, City of Berwyn.
Do you work in my part of Berwyn?
Yes. Our crews work across Berwyn, including South Berwyn, South Oak Park area, Depot District, LaVergne — ZIP 60402 — and nearby Oak Park, Chicago, Oak Brook.
Working in Berwyn
- Most Berwyn homes are prewar. We work around plaster walls, radiators and out-of-square rooms every week.
- Most Berwyn homes are single-family. We protect floors and driveways and leave the site clean every day.
- Live in the Central Berwyn Bungalow Historic District? Interior kitchen work is usually not reviewed. We check before anything touches the exterior.
South BerwynSouth Oak Park areaDepot DistrictLaVergneOgden Avenue
ZIP 60402
Cabinet Refacing nearby
- Cabinet Refacing in Oak Park 3.0 mi
- Cabinet Refacing in Chicago 5.5 mi
- Cabinet Refacing in Oak Brook 8.4 mi
- Cabinet Refacing in Elmhurst 8.7 mi
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- All kitchen services in BerwynRemodels, cabinets, counters, plumbing, appliances and repairs
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Other kitchen services in Berwyn
Cabinet Door & Drawer Front ReplacementReplacement doors and drawer fronts in any style.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & ReplacementNew cabinets installed, leveled and ready for counters.
Custom Kitchen CabinetsBuilt-to-fit cabinetry up to the ceiling.
Kitchen RemodelingFull kitchen remodels, from layout to last cabinet pull.
Kitchen Cabinet PaintingFactory-smooth painted cabinets without replacing them.