Kitchen Cabinet Replacement & Refacing in Gainesville, FL

Kitchen cabinet replacement and refacing are two ways to deal with cabinets you are tired of. Replacement removes the boxes and installs new ones, which lets you change sizes, add drawers and fix an awkward layout. Refacing leaves the old boxes in place, wraps the face frames and visible ends in a fresh skin, and adds new doors, drawer fronts and pulls. Which one fits depends on what the boxes look like inside, not on the doors.

Checking the boxes first

The sink base tells the story. Particleboard that has swollen or crumbled around an old leak, a floor panel that flexes, or shelves sagging under dishes are signs the boxes should go. Solid plywood or hardwood face-frame boxes that are square and dry are good refacing candidates. We open every cabinet at the estimate, check the sink base and the run beside the dishwasher, and tell you plainly which option makes sense.

Humidity and cabinet materials

Gainesville's summers are long and humid, and wood moves with moisture. Thomasville Cabinetry's humidity guide recommends 30 to 55 percent relative humidity and lists swollen doors, joint separation and panels that expand as effects of high humidity, adding that joints show more on painted cabinetry. Wood-Mode's care instructions say much the same, warning of splits and joint separation above 55 percent. We keep new cabinets in the cooled house before installation, recommend plywood boxes for sink bases, and seal cut edges near water.

When refacing makes sense

Refacing works when you like the layout, the boxes are sound and you want a new look with less disruption. The kitchen stays usable for most of the job, the counters can often stay in place, and there is far less demolition. It is common for landlords and for owners who just installed newer counters they want to keep. Refacing cannot change cabinet sizes or fix a bad layout.

When replacement makes sense

Replace the cabinets when the boxes are damaged, when you want drawers instead of base shelves, when the layout needs to change, or when the counters are coming out anyway. Replacement is also the moment to rethink storage: pull-out trash, deep pot drawers, a pantry cabinet, and upper cabinets taken to the ceiling to close the dusty gap above them.

Stock, semi-custom and custom

HomeAdvisor lists stock cabinets at about $100 to $300 per linear foot and custom cabinets at $500 to $1,200 or more. Stock lines come in fixed sizes with filler strips to close gaps; semi-custom lines offer more sizes, finishes and interior options; custom cabinets are built to the room. In older Gainesville houses, where walls are rarely square, semi-custom or custom sizing can save a lot of filler.

Manufacturer warranties

Most cabinet makers offer a limited warranty on their product, and the terms vary. Some tie coverage to proper care and indoor conditions; Thomasville, for example, describes seasonal wood movement as normal and not a fault of the cabinetry. Read the manufacturer's terms on the line you choose so you know what is and is not covered.