Kitchen Cabinets Pasadena, CA | Replacement or Refacing

Kitchen Cabinet Replacement & Refacing in Pasadena, CA

Kitchen cabinet work in Pasadena, CA means either replacing the cabinets, which the City treats as permit work, or refacing the existing boxes with new doors, drawer fronts and veneer, which needs no permit. Pasadena Bath & Kitchen replaces and refaces kitchen cabinets and installs the counters that sit on them.

Cabinet replacement

Refacing, no permit

Stock to custom

Craftsman built-ins

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Replace, reface or paint

The choice turns on the cabinet boxes. If they're solid, square and laid out the way you cook, refacing or painting keeps them and changes what you see. If the sink base has swollen from leaks, the layout fights you or new appliances won't fit, replacement is the honest answer.

Three ways to change kitchen cabinets

Option	What changes	Pasadena permit	Typical cost
Paint	Doors and boxes painted, new hardware	No	$2,500 to $6,500 (Fixr, national)
Reface	New doors and drawer fronts, veneer over the boxes	No (City kitchen handout)	Between painting and new stock cabinets
Replace, stock	New boxes and doors in standard sizes	Yes	$100 to $300 per linear ft
Replace, semi-custom	Standard boxes, more sizes, finishes and inserts	Yes	$200 to $600 per linear ft
Replace, custom	Built to the room, any size or species	Yes	$500 to $1,500 per linear ft

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Per-foot prices: NailThePrice, Pasadena, updated June 2026. Painting: Fixr, updated January 2026. Refacing pricing varies by door style; ask for it itemized.

White shaker cabinets with under-cabinet lighting, a subway tile backsplash and a range under a hood.

What changes when cabinets come out

Replacing cabinets is the point where a kitchen's hidden work becomes permit work. With the boxes out, the walls behind them are open, and Pasadena's kitchen handout applies: receptacles every few feet along the counter on GFCI protection, two 20-amp small-appliance circuits, AFCI protection, and high-efficacy under-cabinet lights switched on their own. Exterior walls that end up exposed get insulated to R-13 (2x4) or R-19 (2x6).

Clearances to plan around

Upper cabinets at least 30 inches above the cooktop, or the hood maker's clearance if larger
A hood vented outdoors through smooth metal duct, which has to fit through or above the uppers
Dishwasher and disposal circuits as the appliances require
A receptacle at an island or peninsula, mounted no more than 12 inches below the counter

Carpenter cutting trim on a miter saw set up inside a house during a remodel.

Cabinet construction worth asking about

Two cabinets with the same door can be very different underneath. Ask about the box material (plywood or particleboard), how the drawers are joined, whether the sink base has a water-resistant bottom, and the hinge and slide hardware. California's CALGreen code, as Pasadena's handout notes, caps formaldehyde in composite wood used in the remodel, so a compliant cabinet line will say so.

Built-ins in Pasadena's older kitchens

Many Craftsman and 1920s kitchens in Pasadena kept a butler's pantry with glass-front uppers or a built-in china cabinet in the dining room. Those are often worth more restored than replaced, and new cabinets can be built to match their proportions. See Craftsman and historic kitchen remodels.

Built-in wood cabinets with glass doors over a black-and-white checkered floor inside the Gamble House, Pasadena.

Installing kitchen cabinets

1
Measure and confirm the appliances
Cabinet sizes follow the range, refrigerator, dishwasher and sink base, so appliance models are fixed before the order.
2
Order and wait
Stock cabinets ship quickly; semi-custom and custom lines take longer and usually set the project schedule.
3
Permit, removal and rough-in
Replacing cabinets needs a Pasadena permit; old boxes come out and any new circuits or plumbing are roughed in and inspected.
4
Set, level and fasten
Base cabinets are leveled off the high point of the floor and fastened to studs; uppers hang at least 30 inches above the cooktop.
5
Counters, then doors and trim
Counters are templated off the installed bases, then doors, hardware, crown and toe kicks finish the job.

Counters follow the cabinets: see countertops in Pasadena. For the whole room, the kitchen remodel in Pasadena page and the kitchen remodel cost page cover the rest, and the permit guide covers the City steps.

Kitchen Cabinets in Pasadena, CA: Questions

Compact U-shaped kitchen with white shaker cabinets, under-cabinet lights and a farmhouse sink under the window.

Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Pasadena?

Yes. The City's kitchen handout lists removing and replacing, or relocating, kitchen cabinets and countertops as permit work. Refacing the existing cabinets, or replacing only the countertops, does not need a permit.

How much do new kitchen cabinets cost?

NailThePrice's Pasadena rates are $100 to $300 per linear foot for stock, $200 to $600 for semi-custom and $500 to $1,500 for custom. Fixr puts the national average for new cabinets at about $7,000 and painting existing ones at $2,500 to $6,500.

Should I reface or replace my cabinets?

Reface when the boxes are sound, the layout works and you're keeping the sink and appliances where they are. Replace when the boxes are water-damaged at the sink, the layout is wrong, or new appliances won't fit the old openings.

Are old kitchen cabinets worth anything?

Original built-ins in a Craftsman or Spanish revival house often are, mostly to the house itself: they're part of what buyers pay for. Ordinary 1970s and later boxes have little resale value but can sometimes be donated or reused in a garage.

Are stained kitchen cabinets outdated?

In a Pasadena Craftsman, stained wood is the original look and fits the house; painted shaker cabinets are the common choice in later ranches. Choose for the house rather than the year.

What are cabinet boxes made of?

Usually plywood or particleboard and MDF. California's CALGreen code, cited in Pasadena's kitchen handout, limits formaldehyde in the hardwood plywood, particleboard and MDF used inside a remodel, so compliant products carry that certification.