Kitchen cabinet installation and refacing

Refacing or new cabinets

Refacing keeps your existing cabinet boxes and covers them with new veneer, then adds new doors, drawer fronts and hardware. It works when the boxes are sound, the layout suits you and you mainly want a new look. It is quicker than a full replacement and keeps the counters in place in many cases.

New cabinets make more sense when the boxes are water damaged, sagging or made of particleboard that has swelled, or when you want a different layout, taller uppers, deeper drawers or an island. In older Croton kitchens, original or early replacement cabinets were often built in place, which can make refacing harder. A contractor can tell you which way your kitchen leans after looking inside the boxes.

Stock, semi-custom and custom

Stock cabinets come in set sizes and are the fastest to get. Semi-custom lines offer more sizes, finishes and inserts. Custom cabinets are built to your measurements, which helps in rooms where walls are out of square or the ceiling height varies. HomeAdvisor notes that custom work can add 50 to 100 percent to installation cost.

In a small or oddly shaped kitchen, a few custom pieces mixed with semi-custom boxes can be a good middle ground. Fillers and scribe strips close the gaps where an old wall bows.

What a good installation looks like

Cabinets should be level and fastened into studs, not just drywall or plaster. Doors should line up across the run with even gaps. Uppers should be hung at a consistent height so the backsplash and under-cabinet lights work out. On an old floor that slopes, the installer shims the base cabinets so the countertop ends up flat.

Ask who orders the cabinets and who checks the delivery for damage. Missing or damaged boxes are one of the most common causes of delay.

• Ask for the cabinet line, finish and box material in writing
• Ask whether removal of old cabinets is included
• Ask how long ordering takes
• Ask whether the counters will be templated after the cabinets are set

Painting versus refacing

Painting existing cabinets costs less than refacing but keeps the same doors. It works on solid wood doors in good shape. Refacing replaces the doors, so you can change the style. Either way, ask about the finish and how well it holds up near the sink and range.

Cabinets in older Croton kitchens

In houses built before the 1940s, kitchen walls are often plaster over wood lath, and studs are not always where you expect. Installers locate solid framing before hanging uppers, and some add blocking behind the plaster when the wall is open. Ceilings may also be higher than in newer homes, which leaves room for taller uppers or a stacked row of small cabinets at the top. Ask the contractor to measure the ceiling at several points, since older ceilings are rarely the same height from one end of the room to the other.

Typical cabinet costs

National ranges from published guides. Not quotes.

These rounded ranges come from the sources below and are not quotes. Your price depends on the number of cabinets, the cabinet line, finish, hardware and how much the walls and floor need correcting.

Sources: HomeAdvisor, cabinet installation; Angi, cabinet refacing