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Wellborn Kitchen Remodeling: The San Antonio Owner’s Guide
Wellborn kitchen remodeling in San Antonio typically runs $14,000 to $45,000 installed, depending on cabinet line, layout changes, countertop material, and whether we’re swapping a single failed component or rebuilding the whole run. We stock Wellborn-compatible hinges, drawer glides, door fronts, and trim on the truck, and we can usually match your existing finish within a week. Most owners discover their Wellborn part has failed the same way: a drawer that no longer closes flush, a door that sags on its hinge, or a face frame that’s started pulling away from the box after years of San Antonio humidity swings.
Here’s the thing about Wellborn cabinets specifically. They’re built in Alabama, they use a specific hinge boring pattern (35mm cup, 1/2″ overlay on most Premier and Estate lines), and their finish codes are stamped on the back of every door and drawer front. That stamp is the key to a seamless match, and it’s the first thing we check on a service call. If the part that failed is a hinge or glide, we usually fix it same visit. If it’s a delaminating door or a water-swollen sink base, we order the replacement and get you scheduled for install.
Key Takeaways:
- Wellborn cabinet parts are matchable if you know the finish code stamped on the back of the component
- Most hinge and glide failures are repairable same-day without replacing the cabinet
- San Antonio humidity attacks MDF and particleboard boxes faster than solid wood faces; the sink base is usually the first casualty
- We write the price before we order parts, so you know exactly what the repair or remodel costs before we start
Which Wellborn Models This Applies To
We work on the full Wellborn lineup that shows up in San Antonio homes: Premier, Estate, Select, and the semi-custom Cabinetry lines. The compatibility gotcha most people hit is that Premier and Estate use a 1/2″ overlay hinge pattern, while some Select and older lines use 3/8″ overlay. Mix those up and the door hangs 1/8″ off, which drives people crazy. We measure before we order, every time.
The OEM versus aftermarket decision for Wellborn is straightforward. For hinges, drawer glides, and shelf pins, quality aftermarket parts from Blum, Salice, or Grass typically match or exceed the OEM spec, and they’re what we stock on the truck. For doors, drawer fronts, and finish-matched trim, OEM is the only way to get a true color match, because Wellborn’s finish codes are proprietary. We order OEM for anything visible and aftermarket for anything functional. That keeps the price down without cutting corners.
If you’re trying to identify your line, look for the Wellborn stamp inside the sink base door or on the back of a drawer front. It’ll have a series code and a finish code. Take a photo of it and send it to us before your estimate, and we can often tell you what you’re working with before we even arrive.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Wellborn Kitchen Remodeling Is Failing
- A drawer that drops or catches when you open it: The undermount or side-mount glides have worn past their detent, or the nylon rollers have flat-spotted. This is the most common failure we see, and it’s a 20-minute fix with the right glide on hand.
- A door that sags or won’t stay closed: The hinge’s cam or cup has loosened, or the hinge is bent from years of kids hanging on the door. We see this constantly in houses with young families, and it’s usually a hinge swap, not a door replacement.
- Swollen or discolored cabinet bottoms under the sink: A slow faucet or disposal leak has been soaking the particleboard base. San Antonio’s hard water accelerates this, and once the box swells, the whole cabinet needs replacing, not just the bottom panel.
- Peeling or bubbling finish on doors near the oven or dishwasher: Heat and steam break down the conversion varnish over time. This is more common on older Wellborn lines that predate their current UV-cured finish, and it usually means refinishing or replacing the affected doors.
- A face frame that’s separating from the cabinet box: This is the big one. It usually means the cabinet was installed with the wrong fasteners or has been carrying too much weight. It’s rarely a simple glue-up, because the box has often twisted out of square by the time you see the gap.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a single component swap, like a hinge set or drawer glide replacement, you’re looking at $200 to $800, including the part, labor, and the service call. For a door or drawer front replacement with finish-matched OEM parts, expect $500 to $2,500, depending on how many pieces and whether we’re refinishing to blend. For a full Wellborn kitchen remodel in San Antonio, the range is $14,000 to $45,000, and that includes tear-out, new boxes where needed, new faces on everything, hardware, and installation.
Here’s how that breaks down:
- Small kitchen remodel: $9,000 to $20,000
- Cabinet installation (new Wellborn run): $4,000 to $13,000
- Countertop installation: $2,000 to $6,500
- Backsplash installation: $800 to $2,500
- Kitchen island installation: $3,000 to $10,000
Every quote includes parts, labor, and our written price before we start. The 365-Day Done Right Promise backs every Wellborn repair and remodel we do: if it’s not done right, we make it right, in writing, no debate.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check a few things yourself before you call: look for the finish code stamp on the back of the failed part, test whether the hinge screws are loose (if so, tighten them with a #2 Phillips), and check whether the drawer glide’s release levers are engaged. Cabinet work is not panel work and it’s not electrical, so the danger is lower than other parts of a remodel, but it’s not zero. A drawer front that falls on a bare foot is a real injury, and a face frame that separates while loaded can come down hard.
Where DIY goes wrong is in the matching. If you order a door front without the finish code, you’ll get a color that’s close but wrong, and you’ll notice it every time you walk into the kitchen. We’d rather save you that frustration. Call (432) 547-6806 and we’ll identify the part, quote the fix, and get it handled.
FAQs
Wellborn cabinets are built to last 20 to 30 years, but San Antonio’s humidity and hard water can shorten that for sink bases and anything near the dishwasher. The boxes that fail first are almost always particleboard or MDF in wet locations. Solid maple and birch boxes hold up much longer. Call (432) 547-6806 if you’re seeing swelling and we’ll tell you whether it’s a repair or a replacement.
Hinges, glides, and shelf clips can be repaired or swapped in one visit. Delaminated doors, swollen boxes, and separated face frames usually cannot be repaired in a way that holds up, and we’ll tell you that straight rather than sell you a patch job. The honest answer saves you money over time. Call (432) 547-6806 for a straight read on your specific part.
Hinge and glide swaps are done same-day, usually within an hour of arrival. Door and drawer front replacements take 2 to 4 weeks because the OEM part has to be finished and shipped to match. We’ll give you a written timeline before we order anything, so you’re never guessing. Call (432) 547-6806 to get your part identified and scheduled.
We stock common aftermarket hinges, glides, and shelf hardware for Wellborn cabinets on the truck, and we can usually match your existing setup same-day. OEM finish-matched doors and drawer fronts are ordered per job using your finish code, because stocking every Wellborn finish in every size would fill a warehouse. We also work with KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone components when a repair crosses into those brands. Call (432) 547-6806 and tell us what’s failed, and we’ll tell you if we have it on hand.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner, Sawyer Remodel San Antonio at Sawyer Remodel San Antonio, serving San Antonio and nearby areas.
