5-Day Cabinet Door Turnaround: How It Works

The First Time I Needed Rush Doors (And Couldn't Get Them)

Six years ago, I was finishing a kitchen in Lakewood Ranch when I dropped a door. Right on the corner. Chipped it bad enough that touch-up wasn't going to cut it. You could feel the divot with your finger. Paint wasn't going to hide that.

I called my supplier. "Two weeks minimum." I explained the situation: client was moving in Friday, everything else was done, I just needed one door. "Sorry, that's the best we can do. We don't expedite single door orders."

Two weeks. For one door. The homeowner was living in a hotel because their house was "almost done." The GC was furious. My reputation was taking a hit over something that wasn't even my fault. But of course it was my fault. I dropped the door. I was the one who had to make it right.

I spent the next two weeks eating the cost of that delay. Apologizing to the homeowner. Watching my schedule for other projects cascade because this one wouldn't close. I swore that if I ever had a say in how doors got made, nobody would have to go through that again.

That's why our 5-day cabinet door turnaround exists. It's not a marketing gimmick. It came from a specific painful experience. Here's exactly how it works.

When Rush Makes Sense

Let me be clear about what rush is for. It's an emergency service, not a convenience service. I'll actually talk you out of paying the rush fee if you don't need it.

Rush is right when:

Situation	Why Rush Makes Sense
Damaged door discovered at install	Timeline is set, client is expecting completion
Measurement error on critical door	Everything else is ready, waiting costs more than rush
Supplier failed to deliver	You need to complete the job, original order is MIA
Client moved up the timeline	The date changed, not your planning
Builder or GC pressure	Closing date is non-negotiable
Insurance or emergency situation	Time-sensitive repair needed

Rush is probably not right when:

Situation	Better Option
You just want doors faster	Standard 21-day is already fast
Planning ahead for normal project	Order earlier instead
Trying to compress your timeline	Build realistic schedules
Price shopping at the last minute	Standard shipping still arrives quickly

I've had contractors call for rush and, after we talk through the situation, realize they can wait three more days and save the rush fee. I'd rather have a customer who trusts me than a customer who paid for something they didn't need.

Step 1: Call the Emergency Line

The first step is simple: call 941-417-0202. No forms. No email chains. No "submit a ticket and someone will get back to you."

When you call, we determine:

• What doors you need (sizes, profile, quantity)
• When you need them by
• Whether we have production capacity available
• What shipping or pickup option works

Within 2 hours (usually much faster), we confirm availability and lock your production slot. If we can't do it in 5 days, we tell you that immediately so you can find another solution.

Why phone instead of forms?

Emergencies require real-time communication. Email introduces delay. Forms sit in queues. When your project is on fire, you need to know right now whether we can help.

I answer the phone personally during business hours. After hours, you'll get a voicemail that gets returned within an hour. That's not a promise written on a website. That's how I run my business.

Step 2: Jump the Queue

Once we confirm your rush order, your doors move to the front of our CNC queue. Standard orders shift to make room. That's the trade-off that rush pricing covers.

Same quality, different priority:

Standard Order	Rush Order
Enters queue behind existing orders	Moves to front of queue
Production starts when slot opens	Production starts immediately
21-day guaranteed ship	5-day guaranteed ship
Standard pricing	Rush premium applies

The premium isn't markup for profit. It's compensation for the disruption to our standard schedule. Other customers' orders shift slightly to accommodate your emergency. The premium covers that operational cost.

Limited rush capacity:

We limit how many rush orders we take per week. If we took unlimited rush orders, we'd blow our regular customers' timelines. That's not fair to people who planned ahead and ordered at standard lead times.

When rush capacity is full, we tell you immediately. We don't take the order and then miss the date. If we can't do 5 days, we'll tell you what we can do and let you decide.

Step 3: Quality Checkpoints (We Don't Skip Them)

Here's what separates "rushed" from "fast."

Some shops, when pressured, cut corners. They skip the final inspection. They package before the finish cures. They ship doors that aren't quite right because time pressure overrides quality control.

We don't do that. Every rush door goes through our standard quality process:

Checkpoint	What We Verify
Post-machining	Dimensions within tolerance, clean edges
Surface inspection	No mill marks, consistent texture
Edge quality	Sealed, no chips or defects
Profile verification	Correct profile, proper proportions
Final inspection	Paint-ready surface, no issues

The difference is we run these checkpoints back-to-back instead of batched. A standard order might sit between checkpoints while we process other work. A rush order moves immediately from one checkpoint to the next.

What if quality check reveals a problem?

We fix it. Immediately. If a door comes off the CNC with an issue, we remake it on the spot. That's why we build a few hours of buffer into even rush orders. Problems caught and fixed on Day 2 don't blow the Day 3 ship date.

I've seen shops ship defective doors because they were out of time. Then the customer waits longer for replacements than if the shop had just done it right the first time. We don't operate that way.

Step 4: Same-Day Packaging

Standard orders might sit on the production floor for a day or two before packaging. We batch packaging to be efficient. Rush orders don't wait.

The day production completes, doors are packaged:

• Corner guards on all exposed edges
• Blanket wrap for surface protection
• Crating for larger orders or fragile situations
• Labeling with your order info and door sizes

Nothing sits on a shelf waiting for the packaging crew. Rush means rush at every stage, including this one.

Step 5: Ship or Pick Up

You have options for getting your doors:

Local Pickup (Fastest for Sarasota Area)

Drive to our Sarasota facility and load them yourself. For Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice contractors, this is often the fastest option. We can sometimes get doors on your truck the same day they finish production.

Pickup hours are flexible for rush orders. If you need to pick up at 6 AM before heading to a jobsite, we can arrange that.

Overnight/Express Freight (Anywhere in the US)

We coordinate with carriers who specialize in fast delivery. Options include:

• Next-day air for critical single doors
• 2-day ground for regional deliveries
• Freight carriers for larger orders

Shipping costs are in addition to the rush fee. We'll quote you the total before you commit so there are no surprises.

Our Carrier vs Yours

You can use your own freight account if you prefer. Some contractors have negotiated rates with specific carriers. We're flexible on logistics as long as the doors get to you.

The Cost of Waiting vs Rush

Most contractors hesitate at rush fees. I understand. Nobody likes paying extra for something that could have been avoided with better planning.

But here's the math that often gets overlooked:

Cost Category	Waiting 2 Weeks	Rushing
Rush fee	$0	$X (varies)
Crew idle time	$40-60/hr × hours waiting	$0
Delayed final payment	Interest on receivables	Collected on time
Customer frustration	Potential bad review	Maintained relationship
Cascade to next project	Delayed start = delayed payment	On schedule
Reputation	"They couldn't finish on time"	"They handled the problem"

For a deeper analysis, read our piece on the true cost of rushing vs waiting.

The rush fee often pays for itself in avoided costs. A crew of three sitting idle for two days costs more than most rush fees. A bad Google review costs you indefinitely.

What the Rush Fee Covers

Let me be transparent about what you're paying for:

Cost Component	Why It Exists
Production disruption	Other orders shift to accommodate yours
Priority materials	We pull from stock immediately
Overtime if needed	Staff may work extended hours
Express packaging	Same-day packaging labor
Administrative priority	Your order gets immediate attention
Rush shipping coordination	Expedited carrier arrangements

The fee isn't arbitrary. It reflects the real costs of prioritizing your order above standard workflow. It also limits demand for rush service, which protects standard order timelines.

Our Guarantee

If we confirm a 5-day turnaround and miss the date, we refund your rush fee. No questions. No hassle. No forms to fill out.

We've never had to issue that refund. Our 5-day promise is real because we only take rush orders we know we can fulfill.

What "miss the date" means:

If we commit to ship on Tuesday and doors ship on Wednesday, you get the rush fee back. Even if Wednesday delivery still meets your needs. The commitment is the commitment.

What's not covered:

Carrier delays after the package leaves our dock are outside our control. If we ship on time but the carrier is delayed by weather, accidents, or terminal issues, that's not a missed commitment on our part. We will, however, help you file claims and work with the carrier to expedite.

Real Rush Stories

Let me share some actual situations where rush saved projects:

The Dropped Door (Yes, Someone Else Did It Too)

A painter in Bradenton dropped a door off his spray rack. Chipped the corner badly. Install was in 4 days. He called us Friday afternoon. We confirmed rush, produced over the weekend, and he picked up Monday morning. Installed Tuesday, client never knew there was a problem.

The Measurement Error

A contractor measured wrong on a pantry door. 2" too narrow. Discovered it when they tried to install. Everything else was in. Countertops done. Appliances in. We rushed a replacement. Shipped overnight. Arrived the next afternoon. Project closed on schedule.

The Supplier Failure

A GC's original door supplier had been promising "next week" for three weeks. Client was about to walk. GC found us, ordered rush, and we delivered the entire order in 5 days. Different supplier, different result.

The Insurance Repair

Water damage required cabinet repairs on a condo. Insurance adjuster had a deadline. Property manager needed doors to complete the claim. We rushed the order, property manager documented the repair, insurance paid out on time.

How to Request Rush

The process is simple:

1. Call 941-417-0202
2. Tell us it's a rush situation
3. Provide door specs: sizes, profile, quantity
4. Confirm timeline: when do you need them?
5. Get confirmation: we'll tell you if we can do it
6. Provide payment: rush orders are prepaid
7. Receive confirmation with ship date

Don't email for rush orders. Email is too slow. Call.

FAQ

How much does rush cost?

Rush fees vary based on order size and current capacity. Call for a quote. We're transparent about pricing.

Can I rush a large order (20+ doors)?

Possibly. It depends on current capacity. We've rushed orders as large as 40 doors when capacity allowed.

Do rush doors look different from standard orders?

No. Same materials, same machining, same quality control. The difference is priority and timeline, not product.

What if rush capacity is full?

We'll tell you immediately and offer the fastest alternative we can. Sometimes that's 7 days instead of 5.

Can I combine rush with other services?

Yes. Rush doors can include hinge boring, custom sizes, and any other standard options.

Learn More

Explore our full emergency cabinet replacement program.

Understand the cost analysis of rushing vs waiting.

Ready to Rush?

Call 941-417-0202 now. We answer during business hours and return calls within an hour after hours.

I built this process because I've been the guy with the dropped door and the "two weeks minimum" answer. That experience cost me money, reputation, and sleep. You shouldn't have to go through that.

When your project is on fire, we're the firefighters. Call us.