1980s cabinets with heavy face frames
Cabinets from the 1980s often have wide face frames and small door openings. Full-overlay doors cover more of the frame and make the cabinets look current.
Serving Carol Stream & nearby Glendale Heights, Winfield
Cabinet Refacing in Carol Stream, IL
New doors, drawer fronts and matching skins on the cabinet boxes you already have in Carol Stream, with your counters left in place.
- Crews working in Carol Stream ZIP 60188
- Most jobs done in days, with your kitchen still usable
- Samples and a written quote before we start
Cabinet problems refacing solves in Carol Stream
If your cabinet boxes are sound but the doors are dated or failing, we reface them. In Carol Stream 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.
Condo kitchen with building rules
Condo buildings often limit work hours and need elevator bookings. Refacing is quiet, low-dust work with no demolition, so it fits those rules well.
Can't be without a kitchen for long
Your sink, range and fridge keep working during refacing. We work cabinet by cabinet and clean up each day.
Good boxes, worn-out finish
Many kitchens have well-built boxes and tired doors. Refacing puts money into the visible parts and leaves the solid structure alone.
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.
Scratched or damaged end panels
Exposed ends get the most abuse. Refacing skins every visible side, so the dings and worn spots disappear.
Need a few extra cabinets
We can add a matching pantry, a cabinet in an empty corner or a small island and reface everything so it looks like one set.
Laminate cabinets with loose edges
Laminate boxes can usually be refaced after proper prep. We test the existing surface so the new skin stays bonded.
What we do on the job
- Box inspection and repairsDamaged sink-base floors, loose frames and broken shelves are repaired first, so the new surfaces sit on solid cabinets.
- 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.
- Final adjustment and cleanupWe fine-tune every gap, clean the kitchen and go through the work together.
Finishes we offer
Two-tone and wood-plus-paintPainted perimeter cabinets with a wood-veneer island is a popular refacing combination.
Rigid thermofoil (RTF)A vinyl surface pressed over MDF, easy to clean and good for solid white and painted-look colors.
Painted MDF and solid wood doorsPaint-grade MDF center panels stay flat, and solid hardwood frames hold hinges well.
Real wood veneerWood veneer gives frames and ends the same grain and color as stained wood doors.
Door stylesShaker, slab, flat recessed panel, beadboard and simple raised panels are the most requested.
What the work looks like in Carol Stream homes
Before
In progress
After
DetailCarol Stream kitchen, two-story colonial from the 1990s: cabinet refacing
A two-story colonial from the 1990s in Carol Stream, a typical kitchen for Carol Stream. The kitchen as it was: white thermofoil cabinets peeling at the edges, oak trim. The main complaint was vinyl film lifting near the oven. Finished kitchen: new five-piece shaker doors in sage green on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls. The job covered new doors and drawer fronts, trim, crown and toe kick, plus final adjustment and cleanup.
Before
AfterA Glendale Heights 1990s two-story colonial: before and after
A 1990s two-story colonial in Glendale Heights, a typical kitchen for Glendale Heights. What we started with: honey-oak cathedral raised-panel cabinets with worn finish near the handles, brass knobs. The main complaint was arched raised-panel doors that dated the kitchen. Finished kitchen: new flat slab doors with a thin edge in white uppers and deep green lowers on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls. The job covered end panels and exposed sides, new doors and drawer fronts, plus final adjustment and cleanup.
Cabinet Refacing in Glendale Heights →
Before
AfterA Carol Stream 1980s two-story: before and after
New five-piece shaker doors and drawer fronts in muted blue-gray with satin brass pulls.
Cabinet Door & Drawer Front Replacement in Carol Stream →
Before
AfterCarol Stream kitchen, 1990s two-story colonial: kitchen cabinet installation & replacement
New cabinets in warm taupe with satin brass pulls, installed level and ready for dark soapstone-look quartz counters.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in Carol Stream →
Before
AfterCarol Stream kitchen, two-story colonial from the 1990s: custom kitchen cabinets
Built-to-fit cabinetry to the ceiling in pale sage with brushed nickel bar pulls and warm walnut butcher block counters.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets in Carol Stream →Day by day
- Visit and box checkAt the visit we confirm the boxes are worth keeping and take exact measurements.
- Choose style and finishYou pick the door style, material, color and hardware from samples in your own kitchen.
- Doors are madeProduction happens off-site; nothing changes in your kitchen until the parts are ready.
- Install on siteOld doors come off, frames and ends are skinned, new doors and hardware go on, usually over a few days.
- Adjust and walk-throughFinal adjustments, cleanup and a walk-through to check every detail.
Cabinet Refacing questions from Carol Stream homeowners
Do you reface bathroom vanities?
Yes, vanities and laundry cabinets can be refaced to match the kitchen or in their own finish.
Refacing or painting: which should I choose?
Painting keeps the doors; refacing replaces them. Both leave the boxes and counters in place.
What is the downside of cabinet refacing?
It keeps your layout and your cabinet interiors as they are. If the boxes are damaged or the layout does not work, refacing will not fix that.
Which cabinet colors will age well?
Natural wood tones and warmer neutrals are holding up well. We bring large samples so you can judge them in your own light.
How long does cabinet refacing take?
Doors are made first, which takes some weeks; installation on site is then typically a few days.
Do Carol Stream condo associations need to approve cabinet refacing?
Associations usually set rules for work hours, elevators, deliveries and insurance, and many require approval for plumbing, electrical or structural changes. We provide the certificate of insurance and follow the building's rules.
Do I need a permit for cabinet refacing in Carol Stream?
It depends on the scope. Carol Stream's rule in short: Permit required for most remodeling; exempt only if no structural change and no alteration or relocation of plumbing, heating or electrical; fixture swaps without piping changes are exempt. We handle the permit when one is needed with Community Development Department, Building Permits & Inspections.
Do you work in my part of Carol Stream?
Yes. Our crews work across Carol Stream — ZIP 60188 — and nearby Glendale Heights, Winfield, Bloomingdale.
Working in Carol Stream
- A lot of Carol Stream kitchens date from the 1980s. We know these layouts well and what is worth keeping.
- Condo or townhome? We follow association rules on work hours and elevators and bring the insurance certificate your board asks for.
- We know how Community Development Department, Building Permits & Inspections handles kitchen permits and pull them for you.
ZIP 60188
Cabinet Refacing nearby
More for Carol Stream homeowners
- All kitchen services in Carol StreamRemodels, cabinets, counters, plumbing, appliances and repairs
- Cabinet Refacing across ChicagolandEvery town we cover for this service
-
Running the projectKitchen Refresh vs Full Remodel: How to Choose the Right ScopeChoose a kitchen refresh when the cabinet boxes are solid and the layout works: paint or reface cabinets, replace counters, add a backsplash and…3 min read
-
CabinetsCabinet Refacing vs Painting vs Replacement: How to ChooseIn cabinet refacing vs painting vs replacement, start with the boxes. Sound boxes and only a color complaint: paint. Sound boxes but a dated or…4 min read
-
Costs and budgetingCabinet Refacing Cost: What Refacing Kitchen Cabinets Costs and WhyPublished national cost guides put kitchen cabinet refacing at roughly $4,000 to $13,500 for most kitchens, or about $150 to $450 per linear foot of…3 min read
-
CabinetsKitchen Cabinet Design Ideas: Refacing Before and After, Makeovers and Modern UpdatesMost kitchen cabinet makeovers succeed or fail on three decisions: door style, color and the details around the boxes, such as hardware, crown…4 min read
Other kitchen services in Carol Stream
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.