Cabinet work in a kitchen remodel usually goes one of two ways: refacing, where the existing boxes stay in place and get new doors, drawer fronts, and matching veneer on the exposed frames, or full installation, where the old cabinets come out entirely and new boxes go in. Refacing costs less and takes days instead of weeks, but it only works if the existing boxes are square, solid, and in a layout you're happy keeping. A full install lets you change the footprint, add storage, or fix a bad layout, but it means more demolition, more disruption, and a bigger budget.
We track 7 businesses in New Haven that handle this kind of work. When you're comparing them, pay attention to how they measure and template (a rushed measure leads to gapped doors and misaligned drawers), whether they build or source boxes to your actual wall dimensions instead of forcing a standard size, and how they handle the small stuff like soft-close hinges, filler panels, and matching existing trim if you're only redoing part of the kitchen.
Our scoring weighs verified license and insurance status, review consistency over time rather than a single burst of five-star ratings, and how a company handles callbacks when hinges loosen or a panel warps after installation. For the full breakdown of how we rank and score contractors, see our methodology. To see how these 7 businesses stack up against each other, check the ranked guide to New Haven's best kitchen cabinet companies.
