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KraftMaid Kitchen Remodeling: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
If you have KraftMaid cabinetry and something’s failing, we can help. Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles installs and services KraftMaid-compatible kitchen systems across Los Angeles, and a full kitchen remodel with KraftMaid cabinets typically runs $16,520 – $53,100 depending on layout, cabinet line, and countertop material. Most Los Angeles homeowners discover the problem the hard way: a drawer that won’t close flush anymore, a hinge that’s sagging after a decade of use, or a water-damaged cabinet box under the sink that’s starting to crumble. What starts as a small annoyance usually points to a bigger question: is it worth fixing the one part, or is it time to remodel the whole kitchen around the KraftMaid cabinets you already trust?
We’re an independent Los Angeles remodeling contractor, not affiliated with KraftMaid. That matters because it lets us be straight with you: we’ll tell you when a $50 hinge replacement solves it, and we’ll also tell you when you’re pouring money into a cabinet box that’s already gone. Either way, the number comes in writing before we touch a single screw.
Which KraftMaid Models This Applies To
KraftMaid has been building cabinetry since 1969, and over the decades we’ve worked on just about every line they’ve produced: the original KraftMaid series, the mid-2000s KraftMaid KraftLine, and the current KraftMaid and KraftMaid Premium lines sold through big-box retailers and independent kitchen showrooms across the Los Angeles Basin. The compatibility gotcha most homeowners run into is this: KraftMaid has changed their hinge mounting patterns at least three times since the late 1990s, and a hinge that says “KraftMaid” on it isn’t automatically the right hinge for your door. The mounting holes on the cabinet frame are spaced differently depending on the year and series.
Here’s how you identify what you have: open any cabinet door and look at the interior of the cabinet box, near the top on the left or right side. KraftMaid stamps a small white or silver label with the cabinet code, color name, and manufacture date. That label is the single most useful thing you can photograph before you call anyone. If the label’s gone (common after 15+ years under the Los Angeles sun and heat cycling), we can identify the series by the hinge geometry, the drawer glide style, and the door profile. We carry OEM KraftMaid hinges, drawer glides, and door bumpers on our trucks for the most common series, and we source quality aftermarket equivalents only when the OEM part is discontinued and we’ve confirmed the match. Some of the older door profiles are no longer manufactured, which means a door replacement needs to come from our cabinet shop or you live with a repair. We’ll tell you which path makes sense before we quote it.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your KraftMaid Kitchen Remodeling Is Failing
- Drawer glides that grind, stick, or sag. Los Angeles homes built before 1980 often have original KraftMaid drawers with side-mount glides, and after 20-25 years the nylon rollers wear flat. The drawer still works but it sounds like it’s dragging gravel, and it’s on its way out.
- Cabinet doors that don’t close flush. Heat and humidity cycling in South Bay and the Valley cause the wood to move. If the gap between two doors widens at the top but not the bottom, the hinge is sagging, not the door. If the door itself is warped, that’s a different repair.
- Water damage under the sink or dishwasher. This is the most common KraftMaid failure we see in Los Angeles, especially in older kitchens where the sink was caulked years ago. The cabinet box swells, the laminate starts to separate at the edges, and eventually the bottom panel sags. By the time you see it, the substrate is usually soft.
- Soft-close mechanisms that no longer soft-close. KraftMaid’s soft-close hinges and drawer glides use a small hydraulic cylinder. Once the seal fails and the fluid leaks out, the soft-close is gone and the door slams. The fix is a hinge or glide replacement, not a new kitchen.
- Delaminating thermofoil doors. KraftMaid used thermofoil on certain door styles, particularly in the 1990s and 2000s. Heat from a nearby oven or a south-facing Los Angeles window can cause the foil to peel away from the MDF core. Once it delaminates, the door can’t be repaired; it needs replacement.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
Let’s give you real numbers. For Los Angeles homeowners, here’s what typical KraftMaid work runs:
- Cabinet door hinge replacement (parts + labor): $295 – $825 for a full kitchen set, depending on hinge count and series
- Drawer glide replacement (per drawer): $95 – $235, depending on glide type and whether the drawer box needs repair
- Cabinet box repair (typical water damage): $470 – $1,180, depending on extent of damage
- Full kitchen remodel with KraftMaid cabinets: $16,520 – $53,100, depending on kitchen size, cabinet line, countertop material, and whether we’re moving plumbing or walls
- Small kitchen remodel with KraftMaid cabinets: $10,620 – $23,600
Every number we give you is a written price before work starts. Not an estimate range, not a verbal ballpark. The price on day one is the price on the invoice. What drives the range up or down: the KraftMaid series you’re matching (current production vs. discontinued), whether we can source OEM parts or need to fabricate, the countertop material (we install Cambria, Silestone, and Caesarstone quartz alongside KraftMaid cabinetry), and whether the remodel involves any changes to plumbing, electrical, or load-bearing walls. Every job includes our written 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge.
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
Some KraftMaid repairs are genuinely safe to do yourself. Replacing a door bumper or adjusting a hinge is something a careful homeowner can handle with a screwdriver and fifteen minutes. Replacing a drawer glide on an older KraftMaid cabinet is also doable if you can match the glide length and the mounting pattern. But here’s where DIY goes wrong: misdiagnosing the problem. We’ve had Los Angeles homeowners replace four hinges when the real issue was a warped cabinet box, and we’ve seen people glue and clamp a water-damaged bottom panel that was already compromised to the point of failure. Water damage is the big one. If the cabinet box under your sink is swollen or soft, the substrate has failed and no amount of caulk or clamps is going to fix it. If the cabinet is load-bearing for a stone countertop, the wrong repair can literally crack the slab.
If you’re not sure whether the part you’re looking at is a $25 fix or a $2,500 problem, call us at (213) 277-6578. We’ll talk you through what we’re hearing, ask for a photo if that helps, and give you a straight answer. If we need to come out, the estimate is free, and it’s in writing before you commit to anything.
FAQs
KraftMaid cabinets in Los Angeles typically last 20 – 30 years with normal residential use. The doors and drawer fronts hold up well, but the mechanical parts (hinges, glides, soft-close mechanisms) and the cabinet boxes under sinks usually fail first, often around the 15-year mark. Heat cycling and dry air in Los Angeles accelerate wear on moving parts compared to more humid climates.
We repair individual KraftMaid cabinets all the time, and it’s often the smart move. If the cabinet box is structurally sound and the doors are in good shape, a hinge or glide replacement restores the function for a fraction of a remodel. The honest line we use: if the damage is isolated and the rest of the kitchen is in good condition, repair it. If multiple boxes are water-damaged or you’re already frustrated with the layout, that $500 repair on one cabinet is a down payment on a remodel you’re going to need anyway.
A hinge or glide replacement is typically done in one visit, usually two to four hours for a full kitchen. A cabinet box repair may take one day. A full KraftMaid kitchen remodel in Los Angeles generally runs four to eight weeks, depending on the cabinet lead time from the manufacturer, whether countertops need templating, and permitting if we’re changing plumbing or electrical. We give you a defined arrival window for every visit and a written schedule before the remodel starts.
We stock the most common KraftMaid hinges, drawer glides, and door bumpers for current production and recent discontinued series on our trucks. If we need a specific part for an older KraftMaid line, we source it from our parts suppliers or fabricate a replacement through our cabinet shop. We’ll tell you the lead time before we quote the job. Call (213) 277-6578 and we can usually tell you over the phone whether we have what you need.
Get Your KraftMaid Kitchen Back to Right
Whether it’s one failing hinge or a full KraftMaid kitchen remodel across Los Angeles, we’ll give you a number first, then pick up the tools. That’s how Trevor Nash runs Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles: written pricing up front, a real arrival window, background-checked technicians in uniform, and a 365-day promise in writing on every job. Call (213) 277-6578 today and we’ll schedule your free estimate. A live person answers, every time.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles at Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
