Most kitchen repairs come back to three things: water, heat, and things that get opened and closed several hundred times a year. Here's what fails most often and how to address it.
01Leaky faucet
A dripping faucet is almost always a worn cartridge or O-ring. Turn off the supply valves under the sink, remove the handle, pull the cartridge, and take it to a hardware store to match it. A replacement cartridge runs $10–$30. The whole repair takes under an hour. Leaving it dripping costs more in water over six months than the fix costs today.
02Cabinet hinges and drawer slides
Hinges that sag or doors that won't close fully have loose screws or worn hinge cups. Tighten the screws first. If the screw holes are stripped, remove the hinge, fill the holes with wooden toothpicks and wood glue, let it cure, and reinstall. Drawer slides that stick or pull away from the cabinet are usually misaligned — loosen the mounting screws, realign the slide, and retighten.
03Garbage disposal
A disposal that hums but won't turn has a jammed impeller. Use the hex key that came with the unit (stored under the sink, or a standard 1/4-inch Allen wrench) in the port on the underside of the unit to manually turn the impeller free. Press the reset button on the bottom of the unit before restoring power. A disposal that's completely dead and won't reset has a failed motor — replacement is typically $150–$300 for the unit.
04Grout cracking and missing caulk
Grout cracks at countertop corners and the joint where the counter meets the backsplash. This joint is supposed to be caulk, not grout — it's a movement joint and grout will always crack there. Remove cracked grout with a grout saw or oscillating tool, clean the joint, and replace with silicone caulk matched to the grout color. Silicone is flexible and won't crack.
Marcus Webb is a general contractor and home maintenance writer based in Columbus, Ohio. He writes about the repairs and installs that come up every year in every house — the practical, repeating work that keeps a home livable.