Condo kitchen with building rules
In a condo, refacing avoids hauling old cabinets through the building. We bring in doors and panels and take out only the old doors.
Serving Evanston & nearby Skokie, Glenview
Cabinet Refacing in Evanston, IL
New doors, drawer fronts and matching skins on the cabinet boxes you already have in Evanston, with your counters left in place.
- Crews working in Evanston ZIP 60201, 60202, 60208
- Most jobs done in days, with your kitchen still usable
- Samples and a written quote before we start
Cabinet problems refacing solves in Evanston
If your cabinet boxes are sound but the doors are dated or failing, we reface them. In Evanston 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.
Scratched or damaged end panels
Cabinet sides by the fridge or the dining area take kicks, chair bumps and pet scratches. New veneer or plywood skins cover them completely.
Oak frames that don't suit a new look
Frames are covered in the same material as the new doors, so no old oak peeks out between them.
Good boxes, worn-out finish
Scuffed doors and faded frames on otherwise solid cabinets are the classic case for refacing.
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.
Want to keep granite or quartz counters
Stone tops sit on the cabinet boxes. Because refacing keeps the boxes in place, your granite or quartz stays put too.
Want soft-close, glass doors or new trim
Glass inserts, crown molding and soft-close hardware are easy to add while the cabinets are being refaced.
Peeling thermofoil
Vinyl film lifting near the oven or dishwasher cannot be glued back for long. Refacing replaces those doors and fronts and gives the frames a new matching surface.
What we do on the job
- Removing doors, fronts and hingesWe take off and haul away the old doors, fronts and hardware.
- 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.
- End panels and exposed sidesWe skin every exposed end, including the island and the panel next to the fridge.
- Concealed hingesNew doors hang on hidden, adjustable hinges, usually with soft-close.
- Pulls and knobsKnobs and pulls go on in the layout you pick, drilled square and level.
- Trim, crown and toe kickCrown molding, light rail, scribe and toe-kick are replaced or added to match.
Materials and finishes
Two-tone and wood-plus-paintWe can reface the island in one finish and the wall cabinets in another.
High-pressure laminateA tough plastic laminate in wood grains and solid colors, often used for slab-style refacing.
Painted MDF and solid wood doorsPainted doors use MDF panels that will not crack at the joints; stained doors use hardwood.
Real wood veneerWood veneer gives frames and ends the same grain and color as stained wood doors.
Rigid thermofoil (RTF)A vinyl surface pressed over MDF, easy to clean and good for solid white and painted-look colors.
Cabinet Refacing before and after — Evanston homes
Before
In progress
After
DetailAn Evanston prewar foursquare: before and after
This one is a prewar foursquare in Evanston. What we started with: 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. Finished kitchen: new five-piece shaker doors in charcoal gray on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and polished nickel pulls. Work included end panels and exposed sides, concealed hinges, plus trim, crown and toe kick.
Before
AfterBefore and after: a postwar Cape Cod in Skokie
The site: a postwar Cape Cod in Skokie. Before: dark walnut-stained flush-panel cabinets with brass pulls. The main complaint was dated wood doors on solid boxes. The result: new five-piece shaker doors in soft white on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls. The job covered removing doors, fronts and hinges, end panels and exposed sides, plus pulls and knobs.
Cabinet Refacing in Skokie →
Before
AfterBefore and after: a 1960s ranch in Park Ridge
This one is a 1960s ranch in Park Ridge. The kitchen as it was: original birch cabinets painted white decades ago, sagging doors, chrome pulls. What bothered the owners most: 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 veneer on face frames, end panels and exposed sides, plus pulls and knobs.
Cabinet Refacing in Park Ridge →
Before
AfterEvanston kitchen, 1920s bungalow: cabinet door & drawer front replacement
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 Evanston →
Before
AfterKitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in a 1920s bungalow, Evanston
Finished: new cabinets in powder blue with polished nickel pulls, installed level and ready for black honed granite counters.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in Evanston →Day by day
- 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 madeDoors, fronts and skins are built to your measurements while the kitchen stays as it is.
- 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 Evanston homeowners
Is it worth it to reface kitchen cabinets?
Yes, when the boxes are solid and the layout works. You get new doors, frames and hardware without tearing out cabinets, counters or plumbing.
Can you reface laminate or thermofoil cabinets?
Often, yes. The boxes are what matter; we check that the surface is sound and prepare it so the new skin bonds.
Can I use the kitchen during refacing?
Yes. There is no demolition, so you can cook in the evenings. We clear the work area each day.
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 just new doors?
The difference is the frames. Door replacement keeps them; refacing skins them in the same material as the doors.
Can you do cabinet refacing in an Evanston condo?
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.
Evanston contractor registration: do kitchen contractors need it?
All contractors working in city limits must register with the City; annual fee General Contractor $150, Trade Contractor $125. We take care of that before work starts.
Do I need a permit for cabinet refacing in Evanston?
It depends on the scope. Evanston's rule in short: Residential permit applications go through the Citizen Portal; City worksheets signed by the contractors are required for any electrical, plumbing or HVAC work. We handle the permit when one is needed with Community Development Department, Building & Development Services (Building & Inspection Services).
Do you work in my part of Evanston?
Yes. Our crews work across Evanston — ZIP 60201, 60202, 60208 — and nearby Skokie, Glenview, Park Ridge.
Working in Evanston
- Most Evanston homes are prewar. We work around plaster walls, radiators and out-of-square rooms every week.
- Condo or townhome? We follow association rules on work hours and elevators and bring the insurance certificate your board asks for.
- Live in a historic district? Interior kitchen work is usually not reviewed. We check before anything touches the exterior.
ZIP 60201ZIP 60202ZIP 60208
Cabinet Refacing nearby
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Other kitchen services in Evanston
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.