Cabinet Services · Nashua, NH and Southern New Hampshire
Kitchen Cabinet Installation and Refinishing in Nashua, NH
Get a Free EstimateKitchen cabinet installation and refinishing changes the look of the entire kitchen because the cabinets take up more visual space than anything else in the room. When the finish is peeling, the doors will not close straight, or the layout wastes half the storage space you should have, the whole kitchen feels off. Maybe the boxes are solid but the style screams 1995. Maybe you opened a base cabinet near the dishwasher last week and the bottom was soft. Or maybe you just want a different look without tearing the kitchen apart.
Not every cabinet project means a full replacement. Refinishing, refacing, and door replacement can each get the job done at a lower cost and in less time, as long as the existing cabinet boxes are still in good shape. When they are not, new cabinets with a proper layout give you storage and function you cannot get any other way.
We handle cabinet projects across Nashua, Bedford, Hollis, Amherst, Merrimack, Hudson, and the surrounding towns. Whether the job is a full installation, a refinish, or a reface, one crew manages the work from start to cleanup.
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Tell us about the cabinets and we'll set up a site visit.
Which Option Fits Your Kitchen
When to Refinish, Reface, or Replace Your Cabinets
This is the question most homeowners are actually trying to answer when they search for cabinet services. The right option depends on what is wrong with your current cabinets and what you are trying to change.
Your cabinets are structurally sound but the finish looks dated.
Refinishing is probably enough. If the doors are solid wood and the boxes are not damaged, a new paint color or stain changes the look without replacing anything. This is often the fastest and least expensive option.
The boxes are solid, but the door style feels outdated.
Refacing or door replacement makes more sense here. You keep the boxes, get new doors and drawer fronts, and the kitchen looks like it has new cabinetry. Refacing adds veneer to the visible frames too, so everything matches.
The layout wastes space or the storage does not work for how you cook.
New cabinet installation is the better path. Refinishing and refacing keep the existing layout. If the problem is where the cabinets are, not what they look like, you need new cabinets in new positions. Dead corners, missing drawers, no pantry storage, upper cabinets that are too shallow. None of that gets fixed with a new coat of paint.
The cabinet boxes are damaged, swollen, or delaminating.
Full replacement. Once the box structure is compromised, no surface treatment will hold. Particleboard boxes that have absorbed moisture can swell, delaminate, and lose structural integrity. This is common in base cabinets near the dishwasher and under the sink, where repeated moisture exposure damages the box material over time. If the bottoms feel soft or the sides are swelling, the boxes are done.
A site visit takes the guessing out of it. We look at the boxes, the doors, the layout, and tell you which option fits your kitchen and your budget.
What We Do
Our Kitchen Cabinet Services
Every cabinet project starts with the same question: what condition are your current boxes in? The answer determines whether you need new cabinets, new doors, a new finish, or a combination.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation
If the current layout wastes space, the boxes are damaged, or you are reconfiguring the kitchen as part of a larger remodel, new cabinets are the path. The old cabinets come out, the walls get prepped, and the new ones go in, measured and scribed to walls that are rarely perfectly plumb in older homes. If the project includes layout changes, adding an island, or reconfiguring storage, installation is the only option that addresses all of it. Electrical work for under-cabinet lighting or new outlets is handled as part of the same project.
Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing
If the boxes and doors are solid wood in good condition but the finish looks dated, refinishing can change the entire look of the kitchen without replacing anything. The existing finish is removed using the prep method appropriate for the cabinet material and coating, then a new paint color or stain is applied. Raised-panel doors take more prep and cost more than flat-panel. Proper prep and a cabinet-grade finish are what determine how well the new finish holds up to everyday use.
Kitchen Cabinet Refacing
If the boxes are solid but the door style is outdated, refacing gives the kitchen a new look without demolition. The existing boxes stay in place. New doors and drawer fronts replace the old ones, and matching veneer gets applied to the visible surfaces of the cabinet frames. The result looks like new cabinetry while keeping the existing layout and structure intact. Because the boxes stay in place, refacing costs less than a full replacement and wraps up in days rather than weeks.
Kitchen Cabinet Door Replacement
Sometimes the boxes, the layout, and even the frame finish all work fine, but the door style is wrong. Replacing cabinet doors and drawer fronts without touching the boxes or the frame gives the kitchen a completely different look. Shaker doors, flat-panel slab doors, recessed-panel doors. The door style changes the character of the room faster than almost anything else in the kitchen. The new doors need to be sized to the existing openings, so accurate on-site measurements are part of the process.
How It Works
The Kitchen Cabinet Process, Step by Step
Cabinet projects are smaller in scope than a full kitchen remodel, but the sequence still matters.
- 1
You'll Know Which Option Makes Sense Before You Spend Anything
The existing cabinets get evaluated: box condition, door material, finish state, hardware, layout. You leave with a recommendation (refinish, reface, or replace) and a clear sense of what each option involves. If refinishing or refacing can get you what you want, that comes up first. If the boxes need replacing, you will know why.
- 2
Every Finish, Door Style, and Hardware Selection Gets Locked Before Work Starts
Paint colors, stain samples, door profiles, drawer fronts, pulls, hinges. All of it gets selected and confirmed during the design phase. Material lead times are checked so nothing stalls the project. No decisions get made while the kitchen is in progress.
- 3
You'll Know the Full Cost Before Any Work Begins
Once the scope and materials are set, you receive a clear estimate covering the full project: materials, labor, hardware, and any electrical or plumbing work if applicable. The estimate accounts for prep, finish coats, and cleanup. No costs get added after work starts.
- 4
The Kitchen Stays Protected, and the Work Gets Checked Before We Leave
A refinish or reface does not require gutting the room. Doors come off in sections, prep work is contained, and adjacent areas stay usable. Full installations take the kitchen offline for a longer window, but surrounding spaces are protected with dust barriers and floor coverings. Once work is complete, door alignment, drawer operation, finish quality, and hardware placement all get checked before the project closes.
Pricing
How Much Does Kitchen Cabinet Work Cost in Nashua?
The cost depends entirely on which service fits your situation.
Refinishing is the least expensive option. A professional cabinet refinish for a typical kitchen runs $1,500 to $5,000, depending on the number of doors, the door style, and the condition of the existing finish. Raised-panel doors cost more to prep and finish than flat-panel.
Refacing costs more because it involves new doors, new drawer fronts, and veneer on the cabinet frames. A typical refacing project runs $4,000 to $9,500. The material you choose for the new doors (laminate, wood veneer, or solid wood) is the biggest variable.
Full cabinet replacement covers the widest range because it depends on the number of cabinets, the construction type (stock, semi-custom, or custom), and whether the layout is changing. A mid-sized kitchen with stock cabinets typically runs $5,000 to $10,000 installed. A large kitchen with semi-custom or custom cabinets, plywood box construction, and soft-close hardware can run $15,000 to $25,000 or more. Layout changes, electrical work, and countertop modifications add to the total.
Door replacement without refacing the frames sits between refinishing and refacing in cost, typically $2,200 to $6,600 for a typical kitchen depending on the number of doors and the material.
We review the full scope and expected cost before work starts so you can compare the options side by side.
Common Questions
Questions Homeowners Ask About Kitchen Cabinet Installation in Nashua
What needs to be done before new cabinets are installed?
The existing cabinets come out first, along with any backsplash tile attached to the wall behind them. The walls get patched, sanded, and checked for plumb. Electrical and plumbing rough-in (for under-cabinet lighting, outlets, or sink relocation) goes in before the new cabinets are set. Flooring is typically installed before cabinets in most projects, though the approach depends on the flooring type. Once the walls are prepped and any rough-in is complete, cabinets are installed starting with the upper cabinets, then the base units.
How long does a professional cabinet installation take?
Refinishing typically runs 3 to 5 days for a full kitchen. Refacing runs 3 to 7 days. A full cabinet installation with stock or semi-custom cabinets usually takes 1 to 3 weeks depending on the size of the kitchen and whether layout changes, electrical, or plumbing are involved. Material lead times can add to the overall project timeline, especially for custom cabinets, which can take several weeks to arrive after ordering.
Do I need a permit for cabinet work in Nashua?
Cosmetic cabinet work like refinishing, refacing, or door replacement does not require a permit. The City of Nashua Building Safety Department classifies painting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work as ordinary maintenance. If the project involves electrical work (new under-cabinet lighting, added outlets) or plumbing changes (moving the sink for a layout change), separate trade permits are required for each.
Are plywood cabinet boxes better than particleboard?
Plywood holds screws better, resists moisture-related swelling, and maintains its shape through the humidity swings between a wet July and a dry January heating season in southern New Hampshire. Particleboard is more prone to absorbing moisture at the edges and delaminating once it does. The base cabinets near the dishwasher and under the sink take the most abuse. Those are the ones that tend to fail first when the box material cannot handle repeated exposure.
Can I just replace the cabinet doors without changing anything else?
Yes. If the existing boxes are structurally solid and the layout works for you, swapping the doors and drawer fronts gives the kitchen a completely different look without the cost or timeline of a full installation. The new doors need to be sized to the existing openings. Hinge hole placement and overlay dimensions need to match, or the doors will not sit right. Measurements are taken on-site and doors are ordered to fit what is already there.
What cabinet door styles are popular right now?
Shaker doors remain the most requested style nationally. The five-piece frame with a flat center panel works in both traditional and modern kitchens, which is why it has stayed popular for years. Flat slab doors are showing up more in kitchens that lean contemporary. For painted finishes, white and off-white are still the most common choices, but warm tones like greige, taupe, and soft sage have picked up. Natural wood finishes, especially white oak, are showing up more often in higher-end projects.
Other Kitchen Remodeling Services in Nashua
Your Cabinets Set the Tone for the Entire Kitchen
If the cabinets are the weakest part of the room, the rest of the kitchen never looks quite right. Whether you need a full set of new cabinets or a refinish that brings the existing ones back to life, the first step is the same: a look at what you have and a recommendation for what makes sense.