How Much Does It Cost To Install Kitchen Cabinets?

Average Kitchen Cabinets Cost

The average cost of kitchen cabinets is $160 and $380 per linear foot for stock or semi-custom styles, with most homeowners spending between $3,200 to $8,500 for installation and materials. Fully custom kitchen cabinets cost $500 to $1,200 per linear foot with most homeowners spending $12,500 to $18,100.

Table Of Contents

1. Average Kitchen Cabinets Cost
2. Cost To Install Kitchen Cabinets
• Cost Per Linear Foot
• Cost To Replace
• IKEA Kitchen Cabinets Cost
• Labor Cost To Install
3. New Kitchen Cabinets Prices By Type
4. Kitchen Cabinet Cost Calculator by Material
5. Kitchen Cabinetry Estimates by Design
6. Pricing Cabinets by Size
7. Replacing Kitchen Cabinet Doors
8. Kitchen Cabinet Ideas
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Selecting Your Cabinet Installer
11. Kitchen Cabinets Near Me

In a recent study by Houzz, data shows that of the homeowners who did a kitchen renovation, a third said they were living a healthier lifestyle since the renovation. Changes included cooking more meals at home, eating more vegetables and fruit, spending double the family time together, and having more sit-down meals. But how much does it cost?

Cost To Install Kitchen Cabinets

Depending on the size of your kitchen and the type of materials, the average cost to install kitchen cabinets is $3,200 to $8,500 for basic to mid-grade materials, and between $12,500 to $18,100 for high-end custom cabinets.

Cost Of Kitchen Cabinets Per Linear Foot

The average cost of stock kitchen cabinets is $100 to $280 per linear foot, semi-custom cabinets run $200 to $550 per linear foot, and fully custom cabinets cost $500 to $1,200 per linear foot. Your final installation cost depends on the materials chosen and the size of your kitchen.

Cost To Replace Kitchen Cabinets

The average homeowner will spend $3,800 to $5,500 to replace their kitchen cabinets of average quality in a standard size kitchen. Kitchen cabinet installers will either base their quote on the size of the kitchen such as 10x10, or on the linear foot measurements for just the cabinets.

IKEA Kitchen Cabinets Cost

According to IKEA, it costs between $300 and $500 per cabinet for medium grade materials. For installation, pricing is based on the value of the merchandise. For example, spending $3,000–$3,499 on your cabinets will cost $779 for installation while spending $5,000 will cost $1,079 for installation.

Labor Cost To Install Kitchen Cabinets

Usually, the labor cost to install kitchen cabinets including preparation and cleanup is between $80 and $190 per cabinet. This amount is almost equal to the price of basic cabinetry. Also, the cost of supplies at about $30 will add to your contractor's labor fees. Hiring a handyman might be cheaper, but could end up costing a much higher price if work is not up to par and needs to be redone.

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New Kitchen Cabinets Prices By Type

Depending on the style and materials chosen, kitchen cabinet prices are $200 and $350 per cabinet for basic stock cabinetry, $300 to $600 per cabinet for semi-custom medium grade cabinetry, and over $500 per cabinet for high-end custom cabinets.

Preassembled Stock Cabinets Cost

Stock or preassembled cabinets are the most affordable option at an average cost of $100 to $280 per linear foot installed, or between $200 and $350 per cabinet. These cabinets will usually be in stock at local home improvement stores or available for order. They are usually suited to kitchens of a standard 10’ x10’ or 10’ x 12’ and generally available in:

• Increments of 3”
• From 12”–60” wide
• Standard height of 30”–36”
• An above-stove unit height of 12”-18”

Semi-Custom Cabinets Cost

Semi-custom cabinets cost an average of $200 to $550 per linear foot installed or between $300 and $600 per cabinet. Choosing semi-custom cabinets offers more design options and allows for custom sizing and a unique style.

Semi-custom cabinets offer a wide selection of options to the types of finishes, the wood, and the different options for storage beyond shelves and drawers: dividers, shelves that pull out, rotating shelves, and Lazy Susans. Usually, these are produced in the same dimensions as the preassembled or stock cabinets but can also be ordered to fit.

Custom Kitchen Cabinets Cost

Fully custom cabinets cost an average of $500 to $1,200 per linear foot installed and start at $500 or more per cabinet. Custom cabinets are for homeowners who want a unique kitchen design, have an eye for the exquisite, and a budget to match.

Working with a cabinet designer will allow the homeowner to add serious wow factors to their kitchens. The only drawback is the high price. However, with real wood, you can always reface, restain, and refinish to keep your custom wood cabinets looking amazing for a lifetime.

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Kitchen Cabinet Cost Calculator by Material

Cabinets are generally constructed from particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), wood, acrylic, laminate, or stainless steel. Wood cabinets typically come stained, finished and treated to prevent damage from the moisture and scratches. If you are getting unfinished cabinets installed, either you or your installer will have to have a finish applied to all of the cabinet walls. Here's a list of the most popular kitchen cabinets by price:

Cabinet Wood Types Price Comparison

The average cost of wood cabinets is between $6,000 and $12,000 depending on the type of wood selected and the size of the kitchen. In order of low to high cost, the types of wood used for cabinets include:

• Ash – A coarse straight grain that has excellent overall strength and absorbs stains evenly.
• Oak – Oak is unusually strong, and yet its fibers absorb stain perfectly. Oak is an easy wood to clean and an inexpensive and very popular hardwood. White oak has straighter grains than red oak and absorbs stains evenly.
• Birch – Lends itself well to treatments like staining, painting, faux marbling, etc. Often referred to as the poor man’s maple, this durable wood can be finished to look like maple, mahogany, or walnut. White birch can blotch if not prepared for staining.
• Pine – An extremely porous wood that often takes more than the average number of coats when applying a finish. A great environmentally friendly option because of the pace at which pine trees grow. This wood has an affordable price point and also absorbs stains evenly.
• Maple – Maple is a durable, sturdy wood that takes stain well. Prices in all categories depend on hardness and availability. Stain can blotch if not prepared for stain.
• Hickory – A solid wood—to the point that the cabinets can last for decades. Stains remain on the surface instead of soaking into the wood, giving it a longer curing/drying time.
• Bamboo – Environmentally friendly because it grows so fast. Either a horizontal or vertical grain effect. A very sturdy product that doesn’t contract or expand like regular wood. Softer than most woods. Not as cheap as it could be because it’s processed in Asia, so shipping costs are factored in.
• Beech – Beech is an affordable wood with a high density which gives it a hard finish. Beech is a cheap alternative to hard maple and has a fairly straight grain. Beech displays a leaning toward warping from moisture, so it has to be sealed really well. As a result, it is one of the least favorite woods for cabinets.
• Cherry – Cheery is known for its color and looks great with either a gloss or matte finish without stain. While not technically a hardwood, it is solid and durable. This durability and luxury appearance carry a high price though. Choosing cherry will typically reflect about a 7-10% price increase over the cost of oak, pine, birch, or hickory.
• Walnut – Walnut is known for its color and looks better when it's not stained. It’s very durable and can hold up well with the moisture in a kitchen, but it's not considered cheap. Can easily be cleaned with a damp cloth without any concern about damage. Walnut is known for its color and looks better when it's not stained.
• Mahogany – Mahogany is expensive, durable and resistant to rot, yet ages well.

Wood choices like alder, fir, mahogany, redwood, rift cut woods, teak, etc. are generally priced higher than the more common options of pine or oak.

Pine Wood Kitchen Cabinets

When choosing your wood, keep in mind its durability/resistance to dents, the grain of the wood, how well it absorbs stain, and the color it will age to over time. If you think you might want to paint your cabinets down the road, opt for wood with a tighter grain, because loose-grained wood may need filler before painting.

Cherry Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Wood Veneer

Most homeowners spend between $4,000 and $9,000 for wood veneers. Veneers are built to look like real wood and can be sanded, stained, and refinished to any color. For cabinet boxes made from particle board (MDF) and plywood, the parts of the cabinet that face the kitchen and can be seen are made from a range of products including wood veneers, thermofoil, laminates, and melamine. The popular white thermofoil is slightly less expensive than maple.

Stainless Steel Kitchen Cabinets Cost

Stainless steel cabinetry is sleek and modern, but also very expensive. For pre-built stock varieties, you can expect to spend $400 to $600 per cabinet or $800 to $1200 per cabinet for custom built solutions. The average homeowner with 30 cabinets spends $22,000 to $36,000 for stainless steel cabinets.

Laminate Cabinets Cost

Laminate cabinets cost between $5,000 and $8,000 on average for materials and installation. Depending on the quality and grade selected, high-end laminate cabinets can cost up to $15,000. Laminate cabinets are made from HDF (high-density fiber) with a layer of the laminate of top to resemble real wood.

Acrylic Cabinets Prices

Acrylic faced cabinets, similar to laminate, are a less expensive alternative to real wood at an average cost of $5,000 to $8,000 for installation and materials. Acrylic gives the cabinets a high-gloss mirror-like appearance and is available in a wide variety of colors. These cabinets are resistant to scratches and can be easily cleaned. However, they continuously leave fingerprints, and the acrylic finish is known to fade after many years.

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Kitchen Cabinetry Estimates by Design

For the actual construction of kitchen cabinets, the three design styles on the market are framed, frameless, and inset.

Framed Cabinets

Historically, framed cabinets are the most commonly produced type of cabinet. This 1”–1 ½” frame is necessarily like a picture frame that runs around the perimeter’s front face. In this type of cabinet, the doors are attached to the frame, which provides structural integrity to the cabinet. This type of construction allows for a customized look with either traditional or inset door styles.

Framed Mahogany Kitchen Cabinets

Frameless Cabinets

This design is quickly gaining popularity in the US. With a frameless design, the doors are attached to the sides of the cabinet, and you can’t see the hinges as easily because they’re connected to the inside of the cabinet wall. The walls of the cabinet are thicker to provide strength and support to the doors.

Another difference with the frameless design is that there is no vertical center support where the doors close, making it easier to access the cabinet contents and allowing for the storage of wider objects. Generally, another benefit of the frameless construction is that the drawers in a frameless cabinet are wider because there is no frame on either side taking up space.

Modern Frameless Kitchen Cabinets

Inset Cabinets

For homeowners looking to install something unique, inset cabinets, with their original inspiration from Victorian and Georgian times, lend a classic look. What sets the inset cabinets apart is the fact that unlike framed and frameless cabinets, both the drawers and doors are flush with the front face of the cabinets when closed, and there is typically very little spacing between cabinet units. When matched with slab doors, the resulting look is immaculate and elegant.

Shaker Cabinets

Shaker kitchen cabinets are the most popular style of doors that are in a five-piece set with a recessed center panel. With endless customizations, trim and decorative edge detailing can differ, as well as the drawer fronts. The cost still depends on the materials chosen; this is merely a construction design to choose from.

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Pricing Cabinets by Size

10x10 Kitchen Cabinets Cost

Homeowners spend between $2,800 to $6,500 on average to replace their kitchen cabinets of average quality in a standard 10x10 foot kitchen that has 20 linear feet of cabinetry.

12x12 Cabinetry Prices

Homeowners spend between $3,800 to $8,500 on average to replace their kitchen cabinets of average quality in a standard 12x12 foot kitchen that has 25 linear feet of cabinetry.

Standard Kitchen Cabinet Sizes

The three sizes of cabinets in your kitchen are:

• Base Cabinets - Usually between 34 & ½” and 36” and installed on the floor. They will have your countertop mounted on top of them, and your sink will sit in the top of one of them.
• Wall Cabinets - Typically these come in heights of 12”, 15”, 18”, 30”, 36” & 42”; and measure between 12” to 18” deep. They are installed above the counter, over the stove, and over the fridge.
• Tall Cabinets - Ranging between 98” and 94” tall and between 12” to 18” deep, they are installed where there is no countertop, and they are mostly utilized for pantries.

How Wide Are Kitchen Cabinets?

Most manufacturers create kitchen cabinets 12”, 24” 36”, 48”, and 60” wide. Where a cabinet is placed often determines its width. For example, a typical cabinet over your stove is normally the same width as your stove, which also allows it to house a standard microwave or fan vent for your stove. Cabinets between 24”–36” typically have shelves and drawers. The narrower 12” kitchen cabinet is frequently used to fill in space and is used for the storage of small, long items in your kitchen.

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Replacing Kitchen Cabinet Doors

Refacing Kitchen Cabinets Cost

The average cost to reface kitchen cabinet doors is $4,214 to $8,110 for a standard 10x12 foot kitchen. A smaller kitchen costs $1,000 to $3,000 to reface laminate, while a larger kitchen with high-quality veneer costs $8,000 to $10,000 or more.

Cabinet Door Designs

Doors come in a range of designs including the following:

• Arch – Featured on raised and recessed panel doors with an arch on the top of the design feature.
• Cape Cod – Classic, timeless style, and a coastal/farmhouse look.
• Raised Panel – Classic style with a formal appearance from the inset frames.
• Recessed Panel – Simple with minimal embellishment.
• Shaker – Simple with an understated look.
• Slab – Minimal features, contemporary look.

Cabinet Overlays

A cabinet overlay is a term for how the doors and drawers cover a portion of the front face of the cabinet when closed. There are two types of overlay:

• Standard Overlays – The traditional option. Anywhere from ½”–1” of the front faces of the cabinet surface is visible between doors and drawers.
• Full Overlays – None of the front face of the cabinet is visible between doors and drawers. The gap between doors can be as little as ⅛”. Less traditional in appearance, more contemporary look and feel. A more expensive design choice.

Cost To Replace Cabinet Hardware

The interior hinges, drawer rails, handles, pulls, and knobs have a functional task as well as finish out the look of your install. Most exterior hardware is made from ceramic, crystal, plastic, or metal. Ceramics, plastic, and crystal will come in a range of colors, and the metal options include brass, brushed chrome, and stainless steel. Your cabinet installer can advise what works best with the type of cabinets you choose. Prices for these exterior pieces range from $2 to $30 or more each.

Optional Extras In Kitchen Cabinetry

Prices will vary a lot from different manufacturers and cabinet installers. Add some space-efficient and ultra-convenient extras to your cabinet installation:

• Pull out trash/recycling can - an ideal way to remove unsightly trash cans from the kitchen floor
• Built-in fridge - conceal your refrigerator behind a tall cabinet door for a more cohesive look
• Lazy Susan corner storage - uses up that otherwise tricky space, giving easy access to everything
• Divided storage drawers - a great way to neatly organize all your utensils
• Tray storage cabinet - well suited for chopping boards, baking trays, and pizza pans
• Full-extension drawers - Allows for easier access to all items in the drawer
• Deep drawers - useful if you have a range of pots and pans
• Soft-closing hinges - a luxurious option that allows the cabinet doors to close slowly and quietly
• Soft-closing drawer sliders - allows the drawers to close slowly and quietly
• Glass doors - add an element of distinction, especially with interior lighting for prized porcelain or glassware

Concealed trash/recycling cabinets are currently the favorite optional extra followed by tray organizers and Lazy Susans.

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Kitchen Cabinet Ideas

According to a Houzz kitchen trends study for 2018, kitchen remodeling projects have increased by about 25% in the last year with most remodels including cabinet replacement. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Most Popular Cabinet Styles

The particular styles of new kitchen cabinets, after the projects were completed, ranked in order as follows:

1. Contemporary 22%
2. Transitional 16%
3. Traditional 13%
4. Modern 13%
5. Farmhouse 10%
6. Craftsman 7%
7. No particular style 1%

Kitchen color schemes

The most modern look at present is white cabinets with stainless steel appliances, multi-colored countertops, white backsplash, wood-colored flooring, and gray walls. Wood is 60% less popular than white cabinets right now, stainless steel appliances are very much favored over white ones, and multicolored backsplashes are almost as popular as white ones. Beige walls are just as popular as gray.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the lowest cost of kitchen cabinets?

Preassembled or stock kitchen cabinets can cost as low as $60 per linear foot. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for and the average cost for medium-grade cabinets is $250 per linear foot.

How much do high-end custom kitchen cabinets cost?

High-end completely custom cabinets cost between $500 and $1,200 per linear foot installed with most homeowners spending $12,500 to $18,100 depending on the type of material used.

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Selecting Your Cabinet Installer

When narrowing down your list of contractors, look for cabinet makers who stand out from the crowd like below:

• Are A+ rated members of the Better Business Bureau like
• Have years of experience
• Are rated highly on HomeGuide
• Provide a great warranty
• Are licensed, bonded, and insured
• Stand out from the crowd

Once you get detailed bids from your final three options, you’ll have enough useful information to make your final selection. The cheapest contractor will not necessarily do the best work, and then again, neither might the most expensive.

Return On Investment

Many homeowners choose to spend 50%-60% less on a kitchen remodel when the project is done to help sell the home rather than to enjoy it themselves. According to Trulia, if selling, the renovation cost should not exceed 15% of the sale price and not be lower than 5%. Spending more won’t give you a good return on a price increase.

Upgrading your kitchen will do more to sell a home than spending the same money anywhere else in the house since a functional kitchen is one of the top three most essential areas in a house to buyers. On average, you can expect to recoup up to 70% of your investment.

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