FAQ’s

Refacing works best when your cabinet boxes are in solid shape, your layout is working for you, and you’re happy with the basic footprint of the kitchen. If your doors are tired but the structure underneath is sound, refacing can give you a brand-new look for a fraction of the cost of a full renovation.

If your boxes are water-damaged or warped, your layout needs a significant rethink, or you’re only looking to replace a handful of doors, we’ll tell you that honestly during the consultation — and point you toward whatever actually makes sense for your situation.

Not sure? That’s exactly what the free in-home visit is for.

With a full replacement, everything comes out — boxes, doors, hardware — and a new kitchen goes in. It’s the right call when the layout isn’t working, the boxes are past their useful life, or you want to make significant structural changes.

With refacing, the boxes stay. We replace the doors, drawer fronts, and hardware, and can add crown moulding, extend uppers to the ceiling, swap base cabinets for drawer configurations, and more. The end result looks and feels like a new kitchen — often finished in a few days rather than weeks, and at meaningfully lower cost.

There’s also a middle path a lot of homeowners don’t know about: keeping most of the existing cabinets while replacing one section, adding a pantry, or rebuilding the island. We’ve done plenty of these hybrid projects, and they often deliver the biggest visual change for the best value.

Most refacing projects are finished within a week of installation starting. The longer part of the timeline is the lead time between accepting your quote and having your doors ready to install — typically 6 to 8 weeks from the time you place your order, depending on the door style and finish you choose.

From accepted quote to a finished kitchen, you’re generally looking at 8 to 10 weeks all in. We’ll give you a clear timeline upfront and keep you posted as your order moves through production.

Yes. Refacing doesn’t mean you’re locked into the exact kitchen you have now. We can add new cabinets, extend uppers to the ceiling, convert base cabinets to full-drawer configurations, add a pantry, or incorporate crown moulding and other finishing details. New cabinets are built to match the refaced ones, so everything ties together.

If you’re thinking about changes beyond just the doors and hardware, mention it during the consultation — we’ll walk through what’s possible and what makes sense given your space.

We start by visiting your home. We look at the existing space, listen to what isn’t working, and talk through what you’d like instead — no pressure, no obligation, just a conversation. From there we design a custom layout and put together a clear, itemized quote with 3D renderings so you can see the kitchen before approving anything.

Once you’re happy with the design and the quote, we order the cabinets (built to fit your space exactly) and schedule installation. Most projects run 6 to 8 weeks from order to installation, with the install itself taking anywhere from a week to a couple of weeks depending on scope.

Every kitchen we build includes BLUM MERIVOBOX soft-close drawers (full extension, rated to 40 kg), BLUM Cliptop soft-close hinges, and ⅝” white melamine with plywood core or ⅝”pre-finished birch plywood box construction as standard — not as upgrades. These aren’t premium add-ons; they’re the baseline because they’re what makes a kitchen hold up over time. If you’ve had cabinets that rattle, stick, or wear out early, these are the details that make the difference.

We work with a wide range of styles — from clean modern flat panels to classic Shaker profiles and everything in between. Finish options include painted lacquer, stained or clear-coated solid wood, soft-matte flat panel, composite wood prints, PVC/thermofoil, and solid wood veneer.

The right choice depends on your home, your lighting, and how you want the space to feel. We’ll help you think through the options during the design process — including how your doors coordinate with your countertops, flooring, and the rest of the home.

With proper care, well-built cabinets should last decades. The boxes we use — 5/8” pre-finished birch plywood or 5/8” white melamine with plywood core— are built for longevity and hold up well in coastal environments.

Door finish is worth thinking about. Solid wood and most synthetic finishes are highly durable. Painted lacquer doors can show wear more readily over time, particularly in high-traffic areas like around the sink or stove. We’ll be honest with you about the tradeoffs when you’re choosing a finish.

1. In-home consultation — We come to you, look at the space, and have a proper conversation about what you want. Free, no obligation.
2. 3D concept and quote — We design a layout and put together a clear, itemized quote. You see the kitchen in 3D before approving anything.
3. Material and finish selection — Door style, colour, hardware, and how it all coordinates with the rest of your home.
4. Build — Cabinets are built to fit your space exactly. Typical lead time is 6 to 8 weeks from order.
5. Installation — Our small team installs with care. Most projects take a few days to a couple of weeks depending on scope.

Yes, and we encourage it. During the consultation we’ll bring samples of the materials and finishes we’re considering for your project so you can see and handle them in your own space, in your own lighting. Choosing a finish from a screen or a showroom is very different from seeing it next to your countertops and flooring at home.

Let us know as soon as possible. Changes are much easier to accommodate before the cabinets go into production than after. Once production starts, options become more limited depending on what’s changed. We’ll always tell you clearly what’s possible and what isn’t — no surprises.

Yes. All of our cabinetry comes with a warranty covering manufacturing defects. We’ll go over the specifics during your consultation so you know exactly what’s covered. In general, if something isn’t right with the product we’ve supplied and installed, we stand behind it.

Yes — the same small team that designs and manages your project handles the installation. We don’t subcontract it out. That consistency matters: the people installing your kitchen are the same ones who designed it and who you’ve been talking to throughout.

We’re based in Nanaimo but serve the broader mid-Vancouver Island region — from Parksville and Qualicum in the north down through Ladysmith and Chemainus in the south, and communities in between. If you’re not sure whether we cover your area, just reach out and we’ll let you know.

The first step is a free in-home consultation. We come to you, have a look at your kitchen, and talk through what you’re hoping to accomplish — no pressure, no obligation. From there we put together a 3D concept and a clear, itemized quote so you can see exactly what you’re getting before committing to anything.

You can reach us by phone at 250-713-2145, by email at jamie@birdseyecabinetry.com, or through the contact form on the website. We’d love to hear about your project.