Cabinets start at $3,000. Here is what actually moves the number from there — plainly, and with no quote form in the way.
The number.
Cabinets start at $3,000.
We do not bury that, and we do not gate it behind a form. $3,000 is the floor — a small kitchen in a standard door style and a standard finish begins there. Bigger kitchens and more detailed choices move the number up from that floor, and the rest of this page is about what moves it and why.
Why everyone else refuses to answer this.
“How much do kitchen cabinets cost” is one of the most-searched questions in this trade, and almost every cabinet company answers it with a quote form. They do that because they cannot quote cabinets alone. A company that bundles cabinets with installation has one price for the whole job, and the cabinets inside it are not a number they can pull out and hand you. So they send you to a form, and a salesperson calls you back.
We sell cabinets. We do not install. So we can say what cabinets cost, on their own, without a labor number welded to them. That is the entire reason this page can exist — and the reason it will answer the question instead of asking you for your email first.
Six things that move the number.
From the $3,000 floor, six things push the number up. Here they are in the order that usually matters most.
1.Size
Cabinets are priced by the box. More linear feet of wall means more boxes, and more boxes means more money. The size of your kitchen is the biggest driver and the one you have the least control over — the room is what it is. The measurement visit settles this number exactly.
2.Door style
Slab is the simplest front, so it sits at the bottom of the range. Shaker is the middle. Raised panel and inset cost more because there is more work in the door and in the frame, and inset is the most exacting of all — the door has to fit inside the frame with a hairline gap. The door style is the single biggest choice you make after size.
Painted costs more than stained, consistently, because of the preparation — priming, sanding, multiple coats, and the time it takes to do it clean. Glazed and distressed finishes add hand work on top of that, and you can see it in the price.
4.Drawers versus doors
A deep drawer costs more than a door with a shelf behind it, because the drawer box, the slides, and the extra hardware are real material. Below the counter, drawers are worth it — pots, pans, and dishes live better in a drawer than behind a door. You pay for it, and most people who do are glad they did.
5.Storage extras
Pull-outs, corner solutions, dividers, pantry systems. Each one is a choice that adds to the box, and each one is a lot cheaper to build in when the cabinets are ordered than to wish for after they arrive.
The smallest line that people underestimate most. Forty handles across a kitchen adds up, and the jump from a basic pull to something heavier is multiplied by every door and drawer in the room. It is also the easiest place to hold the number down if you need to.
What is not in the $3,000.
Be clear about this, because it is where people get surprised and it is the most honest thing on the page. Installation is not included, because we do not install. Countertops are separate. Appliances, the sink, the faucet, the backsplash, the flooring, the plumbing, and the electrical are all separate — none of them are ours.
The cabinet number is the cabinet number. Everything around it is someone else’s line. Keeping them separate is what lets you see each one. A bundled quote hides all of them inside one figure and tells you none of them.
Two quotes for “a kitchen” are frequently not quoting the same thing. Before you compare the numbers, compare what is in them.
The box. Is it plywood or particle core? Plywood costs more and holds up longer. Particle core is fine in the right line, but it is not the same box, and a lower quote can be a cheaper box.
The drawers. Are the joints dovetailed? Are the glides soft-close and full-extension? A drawer that stops short and slams is not the same drawer as one that rolls out all the way and closes itself.
The trim. Does the quote include the mouldings, the toe kick, and the filler strips — or do those appear later, after you have committed? The extras are where a low quote grows.
The door. Is it the same door style in both? A slab quote against an inset quote is not a comparison; it is two different products.
Once those four things match, the price comparison means something. Before they match, a lower number is just a lower number, not a better deal.
How to get a real number for your kitchen.
Two ways, both simple. Walk into the showroom on Route 22, no appointment, and we look at doors with you and talk real numbers. Or book the free measurement and we come out to your house. Either way, you leave with a layout and a price — not a callback.