How Much Do New Kitchen Cabinets Cost in Arizona?

Let’s take a quick look at the differences between each type of cabinet…

• Stock cabinets: Stock cabinets are a premade cabinet solution that are popular among DIY aficionados and low-cost cabinet installers. Companies like Home Depot, Lowes and other big box DIY stores carry a wide variety of stock cabinets for purchase.
• Custom cabinets: Unlike stock cabinets, custom cabinets are not premade. They’re built to fit into one kitchen. Experienced home decorators will often guide a homeowner with designing a custom cabinet set from scratch. The materials are hand selected and the size of each cabinet is built to order. Because of the work that goes into custom jobs, they can become very expensive very fast, and take significantly longer to complete than a stock cabinet job.
• Stock/custom combination: Some homeowners opt for a combination of stock and custom cabinets to give the appearance of a custom project without the cost of all-custom cabinetry. These projects tend to be around the low end of a full custom cabinet project and the high end of a stock-cabinet-only project.

New cabinets come in a huge assortment of materials. Some of these materials are more expensive than others. The more expensive the material, the more each linear foot of cabinet will cost.

Materials for cabinets can be divided into two types: engineered materials and natural materials. Natural materials tend to cost more than engineered materials, and may require additional protections (protective finishes) to resist scratches and water.

• Engineered materials include wood composite products like particleboard, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and combination plywood/solid wood. These options can save homeowners money, but they don’t always hold up as well as hardwood does.
• Natural materials are exclusively hardwood. Within this category, different types of wood will cost more based on their attractiveness, durability, water-resistance and functionality. Hickory, maple and white oak are more expensive hardwood options, whereas red oak, birch and beech tend to cost less.

In addition to the type of material used in the cabinets themselves, new hardware such as soft-close drawer tracks, hinges, pulls, etc., will also increase the total cost of an install.

Every cabinet installer will include the cost of labor in their estimates. If the installer’s been around for a while, they’re usually pretty good at gauging how long a project will take.

For larger projects with bigger kitchens and more cabinets, the labor cost will increase. The cost of labor may also increase depending on which contractor you choose for the project.

Some contractors charge more than others, usually because:

• They’re reliable. A company who has completed hundreds of jobs has proven itself reliable. That reliability adds value to their work.
• They’re experienced. More experienced contractors work more efficiently and make fewer mistakes. Many customers are willing to pay extra for that expertise.
• They’re well-established. A company has been a part of the Arizona community for years and has the reviews to prove it. That trustworthiness adds value to all of their projects.

It goes without saying, but always get estimates from at least two contractors before starting a new cabinet installation job. When comparing these contractors, judge their labor costs on the value you’ll receive during the project, not on the total dollar amount. Like everything else in life, cheaper isn’t always better.

The bottom line is, even the most expensive refacing or refinishing projects are typically cheaper than installing brand new kitchen cabinets.

Most important of all, the refinished/refaced cabinets share the same new look and appearance as a brand-new cabinet box set.

Why is that? There are a number of reasons:

• Modern refinishing products come in a huge assortment of colors, deliver a striking like-new appearance, and are highly resistant to water damage and normal wear and tear.
• Cabinet doors account for 90% of a cabinet set’s appearance. Replacing the doors alone (rather than the entire set) impacts a kitchen’s appearance in much the same way as buying new for a fraction of the cost.
• Custom remodels are available for homeowners who want to tweak the layout of their kitchen cabinets. They can have their current cabinet set modified and reconfigured for a brand new look and layout.

Want to learn more about cabinet refinishing, refacing and remodeling? You can read more about these services here.