pre-1940 cabinets with heavy face frames
Cabinets from the pre-1940 often have wide face frames and small door openings. Full-overlay doors cover more of the frame and make the cabinets look current.
Serving Highland Park & nearby Northbrook, Glenview
Cabinet Refacing in Highland Park, IL
New doors, drawer fronts and matching skins on the cabinet boxes you already have in Highland Park, with your counters left in place.
- Serving Highland Park ZIP 60035
- A new look without tearing the kitchen out
- Clean, protected work area every day
Cabinet problems refacing solves in Highland Park
We reface kitchen cabinets in Highland Park for owners who like their layout and their counters but not the look of the cabinets. Old doors come off, the frames and ends are covered in new veneer or laminate, and new doors, fronts and hinges go on.
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.
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.
Door style that dates the kitchen
Arched cathedral doors and heavy raised panels say a lot about when a kitchen was built. New Shaker, slab or flat-panel doors change the style on the same boxes.
Oak frames that don't suit a new look
Wide oak face frames can be covered in a new wood veneer or a painted-look laminate, so the whole cabinet takes the new color.
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.
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.
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.
What's included
- Removing doors, fronts and hingesOld doors, drawer fronts, hinges and pulls come off and leave with us.
- Surface prepWe degrease and scuff every surface that will receive veneer or laminate.
- Veneer on face framesA new skin goes on each frame stile and rail so no old finish shows between the doors.
- End panels and exposed sidesWe skin every exposed end, including the island and the panel next to the fridge.
- 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.
- Drawer boxes and slidesOptional new dovetail drawer boxes and full-extension soft-close slides.
Options to choose from
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 doorsPainted doors use MDF panels that will not crack at the joints; stained doors use hardwood.
Door stylesShaker suits almost any house; slab doors fit a modern, minimal kitchen.
Soft-close hinges and slidesSoft-close hardware stops slamming and takes stress off the doors and boxes.
High-pressure laminateLaminate resists scratches and moisture well and works for a flat, modern look.
Before and after: kitchens near Highland Park
Before
In progress
After
DetailCabinet Refacing in a 1950s ranch, Highland Park
The site: a 1950s ranch near St. John's. 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. On site this meant removing doors, fronts and hinges, surface prep, plus drawer boxes and slides.
Before
AfterBefore and after: a postwar Cape Cod in Northbrook
This one is a postwar Cape Cod near Techny. The kitchen as it was: dark walnut-stained flush-panel cabinets with brass pulls. The main complaint was dated wood doors on solid boxes. After: new five-piece shaker doors in soft white on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls. Work included removing doors, fronts and hinges, veneer on face frames, plus end panels and exposed sides.
Cabinet Refacing in Northbrook →
Before
AfterBuffalo Grove kitchen, two-story colonial from the 1990s: cabinet refacing
This one is a two-story colonial from the 1990s near Didier Farms. What we started with: golden-oak cabinets with oak soffits above. The reason for the call: heavy wood frames that made the room feel old. The result: new five-piece shaker doors in warm white on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls. The job covered removing doors, fronts and hinges, pulls and knobs, plus drawer boxes and slides.
Cabinet Refacing in Buffalo Grove →
Before
AfterCabinet Door & Drawer Front Replacement in a postwar Cape Cod, Highland Park
Finished: new flat slab doors in a matte finish and long slim pulls.
Cabinet Door & Drawer Front Replacement in Highland Park →
Before
AfterBefore and after: a 1950s ranch in Highland Park
Finished: new cabinets in warm taupe with brushed nickel bar pulls, installed level and ready for charcoal concrete-look quartz counters.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in Highland Park →Day by day
- Visit and box checkWe inspect the boxes, measure every opening and show door styles and samples.
- 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-throughEvery door and drawer is aligned and we go over the finished kitchen with you.
Cabinet Refacing questions from Highland Park homeowners
Do you reface bathroom vanities?
Yes, vanities and laundry cabinets can be refaced to match the kitchen or in their own finish.
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.
What affects the cost of refacing?
Door count, materials, trim and upgrades drive the price. After measuring we send a written estimate with each line item.
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.
Refacing or just new doors?
If your frames are in good shape and easy to paint, new doors may be enough. If the frames are worn oak or laminate, refacing gives a cleaner match.
What kind of Highland Park homes do you work in?
In Highland Park we see Ravinia District retains early artists' colony character and architecture. Each comes with its own walls, wiring and plumbing, and we plan the job around them.
Do I need a Highland Park-registered contractor for cabinet refacing?
The City publishes contractor requirements on its Building Division page (new building codes effective March 1, 2026). We take care of that before work starts.
Do you work in my part of Highland Park?
Yes. Our crews work across Highland Park, including Ravinia District, Downtown Highland Park, Port Clinton, St. John's — ZIP 60035 — and nearby Northbrook, Glenview, Buffalo Grove.
Working in Highland Park
- A lot of Highland Park kitchens date from the pre-1940. We know these layouts well and what is worth keeping.
- Most Highland Park homes are single-family. We protect floors and driveways and leave the site clean every day.
- Older paint is treated with lead-safe practices: containment, HEPA cleanup and a clean hand-over.
Ravinia DistrictDowntown Highland ParkPort ClintonSt. John's
ZIP 60035
Cabinet Refacing nearby
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Other kitchen services in Highland Park
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.