New Cabinet Installation

New Cabinets in a Kitchen That Keeps Its Shape

Replacing cabinets is the point where a kitchen update stops being cosmetic. The doors change, but so do the drawers, the storage inside them, the height of the counters and how the room works day to day. For most Corona del Mar and Newport Beach owners we work with, the walls, the window and the sink stay where they are, and the new cabinets are fitted to that existing shell.

That sounds simpler than a full remodel, and in many ways it is. It also has its own traps, most of which come from putting new, square, factory built boxes into an older house that is not square at all.

Choosing the Cabinets

Box construction

Plywood boxes hold screws better and tolerate moisture better than particleboard, which matters in a sink base and in a house that breathes damp coastal air for part of the year. Particleboard boxes can be perfectly serviceable in dry locations, and they cost less. We usually recommend plywood for the sink base and any cabinet near the dishwasher, and discuss the rest against your budget.

Framed or frameless

Framed cabinets have a face frame around the opening, which adds rigidity and suits traditional door styles. Frameless cabinets give slightly more usable space inside and a cleaner, flatter look. Neither is better in general. Frameless boxes are less forgiving of uneven walls, so in an older cottage on the Peninsula or a ranch house in Eastbluff we look hard at the walls before committing to them.

Doors, drawers and hardware

Inset doors sit inside the frame and look beautiful, but they need precise installation and can bind as wood moves with humidity. Overlay doors are more tolerant. Inside, we specify full extension drawer slides so the back of the drawer is reachable, and soft close hinges and slides because they save the doors and the frames from years of slamming.

Near the water, the metal matters. Zinc plated hinges and slides can start to corrode within a few years in homes close to the bay or the beach. We use stainless or well coated hardware as standard in coastal homes, and we suggest the same thinking for pulls and knobs.

Lead Times and Ordering

Semi custom and custom cabinets commonly take several weeks to arrive after the order is placed, and longer for special finishes. We do not start demolition until the cabinets are delivered and checked, because a stripped kitchen waiting on a late shipment is the most common way a short job becomes a long one. Damaged or wrong boxes get sorted out while you still have a working kitchen.

The Order of Work

A typical cabinet replacement in an existing layout runs in this sequence:

1. Protection and demolition. Floors and adjacent rooms are covered, old counters and cabinets come out, and walls are checked for water damage behind the sink and dishwasher.
2. Rough work and inspection. Any new circuits, relocated outlets or plumbing adjustments are done now, and inspected where the scope requires a permit.
3. Wall and floor prep. Patching, and finding the high point of the floor, because every base cabinet is leveled from it.
4. Cabinet setting. Base cabinets are shimmed level and screwed to studs, then uppers are hung. Fillers and scribes close gaps against walls that are not straight.
5. Countertop template. Counters are templated only once the cabinets are set and level, then fabricated.
6. Counters, sink and backsplash. The top goes on, the sink and faucet are connected, and tile follows.
7. Finish. Doors adjusted, hardware fitted, under cabinet lights connected and appliances set.

Working Around Coastal Neighborhoods

On Balboa Island and the Peninsula, cabinets often have to be carried a distance from wherever the truck can stop, and a bin may not fit in front of the house. In gated communities, deliveries follow HOA hours. We plan delivery days and staging around those limits so the boxes are not left sitting outside in the damp overnight.

Getting a Quote

Call (949) 451-7349. If you already have a layout you like, we can quote new cabinets from measurements. If you are not sure the layout should stay, start with a design consultation.