1970s cabinets with heavy face frames
Wide frames and lots of visible wood between the doors look dated. Larger, full-overlay doors hide most of the frame after refacing.
Serving Palatine & nearby Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove
Cabinet Refacing in Palatine, IL
New doors, drawer fronts and matching skins on the cabinet boxes you already have in Palatine, with your counters left in place.
- Crews working in Palatine ZIP 60067, 60074
- Most jobs done in days, with your kitchen still usable
- Samples and a written quote before we start
Cabinet problems refacing solves in Palatine
Refacing keeps the cabinet boxes, countertops and plumbing in your Palatine kitchen and replaces everything you see: new doors and drawer fronts, veneer or laminate skins on the face frames and end panels, and new hinges and pulls. The result looks like a new set of cabinets without a tear-out.
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.
Scratched or damaged end panels
Chipped and scuffed cabinet sides are covered with new panels that match the doors and frames.
Door style that dates the kitchen
Cathedral tops and ornate raised panels look their age. We replace them with a cleaner profile and skin the frames to match.
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.
Need a few extra cabinets
Missing storage? A new base or tall cabinet gets the same doors and veneer as the rest of the kitchen.
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.
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.
What we do on the job
- Surface prepFrames and ends are cleaned, degreased and sanded so the new veneer bonds properly.
- 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 sidesVisible cabinet sides get new plywood or laminate panels in the same finish as the doors.
- 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 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.
Options to choose from
Door stylesShaker, slab, flat recessed panel, beadboard and simple raised panels are the most requested.
Rigid thermofoil (RTF)A vinyl surface pressed over MDF, easy to clean and good for solid white and painted-look colors.
Real wood veneerWood veneer gives frames and ends the same grain and color as stained wood doors.
Soft-close hinges and slidesSoft-close hardware stops slamming and takes stress off the doors and boxes.
Two-tone and wood-plus-paintPainted perimeter cabinets with a wood-veneer island is a popular refacing combination.
Kitchens like yours in Palatine: before and after
Before
In progress
After
DetailA Palatine 1980s two-story: before and after
A 1980s two-story in Palatine, a typical kitchen for Palatine. The kitchen as it was: golden-oak cabinets with oak soffits above. What bothered the owners most: dated wood doors on solid boxes. Finished kitchen: new five-piece shaker doors in warm white on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls. On site this meant end panels and exposed sides, concealed hinges, plus pulls and knobs.
Before
AfterArlington Heights kitchen, postwar bi-level: cabinet refacing
The site: a postwar bi-level in Arlington Heights. Before: 1970s dark pecan-stained cabinets. What bothered the owners most: dated wood doors on solid boxes. After: 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 surface prep, end panels and exposed sides, plus final adjustment and cleanup.
Cabinet Refacing in Arlington Heights →
Before
AfterA Lake Zurich 1980s two-story: before and after
A 1980s two-story in Lake Zurich, a typical kitchen for Lake Zurich. Before: white thermofoil cabinets peeling at the edges, oak trim. The reason for the call: vinyl film lifting near the oven. After: new five-piece shaker doors in sage green on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls. Work included veneer on face frames, end panels and exposed sides, plus trim, crown and toe kick.
Cabinet Refacing in Lake Zurich →
Before
AfterPalatine kitchen, two-story colonial from the 1990s: cabinet door & drawer front replacement
What changed: new five-piece shaker doors and drawer fronts in muted blue-gray with satin brass pulls.
Cabinet Door & Drawer Front Replacement in Palatine →
Before
AfterA Palatine 1980s two-story: before and after
New cabinets in light terracotta with brushed nickel bar pulls, installed level and ready for black honed granite counters.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in Palatine →Day by day
- 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 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-throughFinal adjustments, cleanup and a walk-through to check every detail.
Cabinet Refacing questions from Palatine homeowners
Do you reface bathroom vanities?
We do. A vanity takes little time once we are set up for the kitchen.
Refacing or just new doors?
The difference is the frames. Door replacement keeps them; refacing skins them in the same material as the doors.
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.
Refacing or painting: which should I choose?
Paint changes color on the doors you have. Refacing gives you new doors in a new style. If you like the door shape, paint; if not, reface.
Do Palatine 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 Palatine-registered contractor for cabinet refacing?
Contractors must be registered and bonded with the Village before a permit is issued. Registration is online and expires Dec 31 each year. We take care of that before work starts.
Do I need a permit for cabinet refacing in Palatine?
It depends on the scope. Palatine's rule in short: A permit is required to remodel a kitchen or to add/alter the electrical system. We handle the permit when one is needed with Community Development Department - Building Permits & Inspections.
Do you work in my part of Palatine?
Yes. Our crews work across Palatine — ZIP 60067, 60074 — and nearby Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Lake Zurich.
Working in Palatine
- A lot of Palatine kitchens date from the 1970s. 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 60067ZIP 60074
Cabinet Refacing nearby
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Other kitchen services in Palatine
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.