How Much are Custom Kitchen Cabinets?

Custom kitchen cabinets in Phoenix can range anywhere from $10,000 to over $50,000.

The exact cost you’ll pay to customize your kitchen cabinets depends on the cabinet:

1. Size and length
2. Base material
3. Finish
4. Hardware upgrades

Your kitchen cabinet installation cost will increase with the number of cabinets and their size.

You’ll also pay more for custom cabinet features like:

• Pull-out shelves, racks and drawer organizers. Pull-out shelves and racks are great for easy access to pots, pans, appliances, trash and recycling bins, and more. And with built-in drawer organizers, you don’t have to mess around with cheap plastic ones that don’t quite fit the drawer.
• Glass or mesh cabinet door inserts. If you want cabinets that are a little more decorative, or want to showcase your dinnerware, you can opt for glass or mesh inserts in the cabinet door panels.
• Additional upper cabinets or fillers. Don’t want to try to fill the awkward space above upper cabinets? We don’t blame you. Fortunately, you have the option to install additional cabinets (for extra storage space), nooks (open cubbies with no cabinet doors), or fillers (that look like cabinets but are purely decorative) that extend to the ceiling to give your kitchen a truly custom look.

If you don’t mind the space above upper cabinets, check out our blog for ideas for decorating above kitchen cabinets.

You’ll pay more for a better quality kitchen cabinet base material—but it’s worth the additional cost.

Most prefabricated cabinets are made of some type of engineered wood—like plywood, particle board or MDF (medium-density fiberboard)—which will be cheaper than more durable materials like solid hardwood or stainless steel.

That said, better quality materials will be worth the higher upfront cost in the long run because they last significantly longer. Solid hardwood cabinets can last 30–50 years, compared to engineered wood cabinets that normally last 15—20 years.

Since solid hardwood makes more durable kitchen cabinets, Cabinet Coatings includes new solid hardwood doors and drawer fronts in all kitchen cabinet remodels.

If you’re remodeling your entire kitchen—not only the cabinets—check out our blog “How Much Does it Cost to Remodel a Kitchen in AZ?” to get a general idea of how much the project will cost.

Custom cabinets will cost more if you choose a high-quality cabinet finish.

That said, higher-quality cabinet finishes are always worth the additional cost because they last longer than cheaper cabinet finishes.

We’ll list the most common kitchen cabinet finishes we see in Phoenix from least to most expensive:

• Varnish or lacquer (for natural hardwood): If you’re going with natural or stained solid hardwood cabinets, the cabinets will need a coat of varnish or lacquer to make them water-resistant. While this type of finish is technically the most affordable, you’ll pay more for the hardwood base than you will an engineered wood that can support the finishes below.
• Laminate: Laminates are thin plastic coatings applied to the cabinet’s base material. While laminates are one of the most affordable cabinet options, they tend to chip or bubble after a few years.
• Veneers: Veneers are thin sheets of wood that are adhered to the cabinet’s base material. Veneers are on par with laminates in terms of cost, but also start chipping or peeling after a few years, which is why we’d never use veneers in your kitchen cabinet remodel.
• Water-borne coating: This type of finish is sprayed onto the cabinet’s base material to create a smooth paint-like finish, but is waterproof and much more durable than paint. The water-borne coating we use at Cabinet Coatings is so durable, we guarantee it won’t chip, crack or fade for 5 years—or we’ll come back and redo them.

While water-borne coatings generally cost more than veneers or laminates, each finish type has a range of low- to high-quality finishes. So, a mid- to high-quality veneer could cost you the same amount as or even more than a low- to mid-quality water-borne coating.

Your kitchen cabinet remodel cost will increase if you decide to install new hardware.

However, cabinet pulls can really tie the look of your kitchen together. That’s why we recommend paying the additional upfront cost to truly customize your kitchen cabinets. Most kitchen cabinet pulls run between a few dollars to over $20 for each handle or knob.

From decorative handles for a traditional kitchen to sleek to minimal knobs for an ultra-modern kitchen, our cabinet experts can help you choose from hundreds of cabinet pulls to help you create cabinets that suit your style and kitchen theme.

Learn more about choosing cabinet hardware in our blog, “How To Choose Kitchen Cabinets.”

Schedule an appointment online or call us at (480) 641-9611 for a no-obligation quote to transform your kitchen cabinets. One of our Phoenix cabinet experts will discuss what you want in terms of kitchen cabinet layout and design, and then give you an upfront quote that same day.