1960s cabinets with heavy face frames
Heavy face frames from that era can be modernized: we skin them and use full-overlay doors so less frame shows.
Serving Des Plaines & nearby Mount Prospect, Park Ridge
Cabinet Refacing in Des Plaines, IL
New doors, drawer fronts and matching skins on the cabinet boxes you already have in Des Plaines, with your counters left in place.
- Serving Des Plaines ZIP 60016, 60018
- A new look without tearing the kitchen out
- Clean, protected work area every day
Cabinet problems refacing solves in Des Plaines
If your cabinet boxes are sound but the doors are dated or failing, we reface them. In Des Plaines 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
If you replaced the counters a few years ago, refacing lets you keep them. The boxes underneath never move.
Scratched or damaged end panels
Chipped and scuffed cabinet sides are covered with new panels that match the doors and frames.
Drawers that stick or slam
While the fronts are being replaced, we can fit new full-extension, soft-close slides and new dovetail drawer boxes.
Old exposed hinges and loose doors
Surface-mounted hinges from earlier decades look dated and loosen over time. New doors get concealed, adjustable hinges, often with soft-close.
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.
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.
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.
What the work covers
- 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.
- Veneer on face framesFace frames are covered with wood veneer or laminate that matches the new doors, trimmed tight at every edge.
- New doors and drawer frontsDoors and fronts are made to measure for each opening and arrive finished.
- Pulls and knobsKnobs and pulls go on in the layout you pick, drilled square and level.
- Trim, crown and toe kickWe finish the top and bottom of the cabinets with new trim in the same material.
- Final adjustment and cleanupDoors and drawers are aligned, the kitchen is vacuumed and we walk the job with you.
Finishes we offer
Painted MDF and solid wood doorsPainted doors use MDF panels that will not crack at the joints; stained doors use hardwood.
Soft-close hinges and slidesSoft-close hardware stops slamming and takes stress off the doors and boxes.
Rigid thermofoil (RTF)RTF suits clean, solid colors; we keep it away from direct oven heat or add heat shields.
High-pressure laminateA tough plastic laminate in wood grains and solid colors, often used for slab-style refacing.
Two-tone and wood-plus-paintWe can reface the island in one finish and the wall cabinets in another.
Kitchens like yours in Des Plaines: before and after
Before
In progress
After
DetailBefore and after: a 1950s ranch in Des Plaines
A 1950s ranch in Des Plaines, a typical kitchen for Des Plaines. Before: 1970s dark pecan-stained cabinets. What bothered the owners most: heavy wood frames that made the room feel old. 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 surface prep, veneer on face frames, plus pulls and knobs.
Before
AfterCabinet Refacing in a postwar bi-level, Mount Prospect
The site: a postwar bi-level in Mount Prospect. The kitchen as it was: dark walnut-stained flush-panel cabinets with brass pulls. The reason for the call: heavy wood frames that made the room feel old. Finished kitchen: new five-piece shaker doors in soft white on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls. On site this meant surface prep, trim, crown and toe kick, plus final adjustment and cleanup.
Cabinet Refacing in Mount Prospect →
Before
AfterA Park Ridge postwar bi-level: before and after
A postwar bi-level in Park Ridge, a typical kitchen for Park Ridge. Before: original birch cabinets painted white decades ago, sagging doors, chrome pulls. The reason for the call: chipped paint and doors that never looked right. After: new five-piece shaker doors in forest green on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and unlacquered brass knobs and cup pulls. On site this meant box inspection and repairs, new doors and drawer fronts, plus trim, crown and toe kick.
Cabinet Refacing in Park Ridge →
Before
AfterCabinet Door & Drawer Front Replacement in a 1960s ranch, Des Plaines
Finished: new five-piece shaker doors and drawer fronts in light greige with matte black pulls.
Cabinet Door & Drawer Front Replacement in Des Plaines →
Before
AfterKitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in a 1960s ranch, Des Plaines
What changed: new cabinets in powder blue with matte black pulls, installed level and ready for light marble-look quartz counters.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in Des Plaines →How the job goes
- Visit and box checkWe inspect the boxes, measure every opening and show door styles and samples.
- Choose style and finishYou pick the door style, material, color and hardware from samples in your own kitchen.
- Doors are madeDoors, fronts and skins are built to your measurements while the kitchen stays as it is.
- Install on siteWe skin the boxes, hang the new doors and fit hardware, typically in a few working days.
- Adjust and walk-throughFinal adjustments, cleanup and a walk-through to check every detail.
Cabinet Refacing questions from Des Plaines homeowners
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?
Warm whites, soft greens, mid-tone wood and deep blues have staying power. Very cool, flat grays are what many owners now want to replace.
What affects the cost of refacing?
Kitchen size, the material you pick and extras such as crown, glass doors or soft-close drawers. You get an itemized written estimate after we measure.
Refacing or painting: which should I choose?
Painting keeps the doors; refacing replaces them. Both leave the boxes and counters in place.
Refacing or just new doors?
New doors alone leave the face frames as they are, so the frames must be painted or stained to match. Refacing also covers the frames and ends in new veneer.
Do I need a Des Plaines-registered contractor for cabinet refacing?
Contractors must register with the City (via the online portal); registrations expire Dec 31. We take care of that before work starts.
Do I need a permit for cabinet refacing in Des Plaines?
It depends on the scope. Des Plaines's rule in short: A building permit is required for any residential kitchen remodel; non-structural work uses the Kitchen/Bath Non-Structural permit ($150 fee, rough and final inspections). We handle the permit when one is needed with Community and Economic Development Department - Building Division.
Do you work in my part of Des Plaines?
Yes. Our crews work across Des Plaines — ZIP 60016, 60018 — and nearby Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Elk Grove Village.
Working in Des Plaines
- A lot of Des Plaines kitchens date from the 1960s. We know these layouts well and what is worth keeping.
- Most Des Plaines homes are single-family. We protect floors and driveways and leave the site clean every day.
- We know how Community and Economic Development Department - Building Division handles kitchen permits and pull them for you.
ZIP 60016ZIP 60018
Cabinet Refacing nearby
More for Des Plaines homeowners
- All kitchen services in Des PlainesRemodels, 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 Des Plaines
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.