Custom Kitchen Cabinets in Exton, PA
West Whiteland Township roughly doubled in population between the early 1970s and 2000, most of it after Exton Square Mall opened and the Route 30 and Route 100 crossroads became the busiest shopping district in the county. That growth built a lot of houses in a short time, and a lot of kitchens with them.
Twenty to forty years later, these are the kitchens we work with in Exton. We build custom replacement cabinetry in our Honey Brook shop and install it ourselves.
Built in the Boom, Aging on Schedule
A house built quickly in a growth period usually received cabinets chosen for price: particleboard boxes under a printed or thermofoil finish, stapled drawers, hinges and glides from the builder's cheapest line. They look fine on move-in day, but the wear pattern shows up on a fairly predictable timeline. Some of the signs to notice:
- Swelling at the sink base, where one slow leak or years of wet sponges got into unsealed particleboard.
- Peeling or yellowing doors, if the finish was a thermofoil wrap.
- Drawers that don't close square, because the stapled joints have worked loose.
- Hinges that won't hold an adjustment, because the screws are stripped from the particleboard.
- Sagging shelves in the uppers over the dishwasher and the coffee maker.
If you're seeing two or more of those, the cabinets are at the end of their useful life, and not repairable.
Ask a QuestionReplace, Reface or Refinish: An Honest Comparison
Not every Exton kitchen needs new cabinets, and we'd rather tell you that up front.
Refinishing (paint the existing cabinets) makes sense when the boxes are still solid wood or plywood, the doors are in good shape, and you only dislike the color. It's also the cheapest option. However, it does nothing for failing boxes or hardware, and paint doesn't bond well to thermofoil or laminate.
Reface (new doors and drawer fronts on the old boxes) makes sense when the boxes are sound, square and dry, and the layout works. It changes the look without tear-out. It doesn't fix a particleboard box that's swelling, and you keep whatever storage problems the original layout had.
Replace (new cabinetry built to the room) makes sense when the boxes are failing, the layout doesn't work for how you cook, or you want storage the old kitchen never had. It costs the most, and it's the only one of the three options that fixes everything. It's also the option that lasts. Our Amish cabinetmakers build with solid hardwood face frames, dovetailed drawer boxes, and furniture-grade plywood boxes, before the cabinets are finished with a catalyzed topcoat that can be refinished again in twenty years.
We'll look at your kitchen and tell you which of the three we'd do if it were our own.
Planning Storage Around How You Cook
Replacing cabinetry is the only way to fix the storage, so it's worth thinking past the door style. When we measure, we'll ask you a series of questions, like: Where do you actually stand when you prep? Where does the trash need to be? Which pots do you use every day, and which come out twice a year? Do you bake? Do you have a coffee setup that's taking over a counter?
Your answers turn into specific, custom cabinets. We'll suggest a trash pull-out beside the prep sink, deep drawers for pots near the range, a lazy Susan or blind-corner pull-out instead of a dead corner, or divided drawers for utensils. Our Willow Street kitchen shows how much a simple footprint can hold when every drawer is planned with features like corner lazy Susans, a double-stack silverware divider, and a pull-out cutting board that adds prep space.
Opening the Kitchen to the Family Room
A lot of Exton homes from the 1980s and early '90s have a kitchen that's walled off from the family room. Taking that wall down is a common request, and it changes the cabinet design. When the cabinets that used to be on that wall are taken down, the storage has to move elsewhere, typically to a new island or peninsula that becomes the new divider between the two rooms.
We design and build the cabinetry. Removing a wall is structural and electrical work, so we coordinate a trusted contractor and sequence the process so the room is framed, patched, and ready before our cabinets arrive. If the wall turns out to be load-bearing, we will explain that at our first visit, before you fall in love with the layout.
What It Costs in Exton
Custom cabinetry in this market generally runs $600 to $1,200 per linear foot. In an Exton replacement, where the layout mostly remains, the main cost drivers are wood species, door style, the finish, and how much specialty storage goes in. Opening a wall or adding an island adds more linear feet and more trade work. Most projects take 2 to 6 months from first contact to finished kitchen. The tear-out and install is usually completed in a matter of days, so your kitchen can be used for the majority of that timeframe.
Request an EstimateFrequently Asked Questions
My kitchen is from the '90s and looks fine except for the doors. Can I just reface?
Possibly. If the boxes are dry, square and solid, refacing can be a good value. We'll check the sink base and the uppers over the dishwasher first, as hidden damage usually shows up in these areas.
Why does my sink cabinet floor feel soft?
This is almost always a result of water soaking into the particleboard over time. It doesn't recover once it swells. That base, at minimum, needs replacing.
Can you keep my existing countertops?
Sometimes, depending on the material and how it was installed. Stone set with adhesive often doesn't come off in one piece. After the examination, we'll provide an honest opinion.
Do you handle the whole project if we're taking out a wall?
We design, build, and install the cabinetry, and run the schedule. The wall removal, electrical, and patching are coordinated with trade partners we've worked with for years, so you still have one point of contact.
Do you serve all of West Whiteland Township, not just the Exton area?
Yes, along with Lionville, Uwchlan and the rest of the surrounding area.
Kitchen Cabinets in Nearby Towns
We also build kitchens in Downingtown, Malvern, West Chester and Frazer. See our Downingtown kitchen remodel for a full project nearby, or our main Exton page for other cabinetry. Full list on our Kitchen Cabinets page.
Start Your Kitchen
We offer free in-home consultation and measure. Call 717-692-1200 or request an estimate.
353 Pequea Ave, Honey Brook, PA 19344 · Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Replace the builder-grade cabinets in your Exton kitchen with solid-wood cabinetry built to order. Honest advice on replace vs. reface. Call 717-692-1200.
Cities We Frequently Service
- Ardmore, PA
- Aston, PA
- Audubon, PA
- Berwyn, PA
- Broomall, PA
- Chadds Ford, PA
- Chester County, PA
- Chester Springs, PA
- Chesterbrook, PA
- Coatesville, PA
- Delaware County, PA
- Devon, PA
- Downingtown, PA
- Drexel Hill, PA
- Elverson, PA
- Frazer, PA
- Glen Mills, PA
- Glenmoore, PA
- Haverford, PA
- Honey Brook, PA
- Kennett Square, PA
- King of Prussia, PA
- Lionville, PA
- Malvern, PA
- Media, PA
- Morgantown, PA
- Newtown Square, PA
- Paoli, PA
- Parkesburg, PA
- Phoenixville, PA
- Pottstown, PA
- Radnor, PA
- Royersford, PA
- Spring City, PA
- Swarthmore, PA
- Thorndale, PA
- Unionville, PA
- Villanova, PA
- Wayne, PA
- West Chester, PA
- West Grove, PA
- Wynnewood, PA