Kitchen Cabinets near you

The box is the part that carries weight and holds square, and it is usually plywood, particleboard or medium-density fiberboard, sometimes with a melamine or laminated surface. Plywood holds screws well and tolerates damp better; particleboard is dimensionally stable and flat; MDF machines cleanly and is the usual substrate for painted doors because it has no grain to telegraph through the finish. None of the three is automatically the right answer, and a well-built particleboard box with good hardware outlasts a poorly assembled plywood one.

Doors and drawer fronts are where species and finish matter. Solid hardwood frames with a panel of hardwood or MDF, full slab doors, thermally fused laminate and painted MDF all behave differently as humidity swings through the year, and a painted solid-wood five-piece door will show fine lines at its joints in a way a painted MDF door will not. Drawer boxes with solid sides, dovetail or dowel joinery and full-extension undermount slides are the components that determine how the kitchen feels in daily use.

Formaldehyde is used widely in the adhesives that bind composite wood products, and the EPA describes it as a colorless, flammable gas with a strong odor that can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat, noting that high levels of exposure may cause some types of cancers. Because cabinets put a large area of composite wood into a room people live in, this is a reasonable thing to ask about.

The federal answer is TSCA Title VI. The EPA's formaldehyde emission standards cover hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard and particleboard, as well as household and other finished goods containing those panels, at limits identical to California's CARB ATCM Phase II. Manufacturers and importers must use an EPA-recognized third-party certifier for laboratory testing and oversight, and products carry labels identifying compliance. Panels manufactured or imported have had to be certified compliant since June 1, 2018, labeling transitioned to TSCA Title VI alone as of March 22, 2019, and laminated product producers had a compliance deadline of March 22, 2024.

The EPA's practical advice for homeowners is to choose composite wood products certified to formaldehyde emission limits, to increase ventilation in the home particularly after bringing new sources of formaldehyde in, and to keep temperature and humidity moderate with air conditioning or a dehumidifier, since heat speeds the release of the gas. New cabinets are a good reason to run the kitchen exhaust and open windows for the first weeks.

If the boxes are sound, square and laid out the way you want the kitchen to work, replacing doors, drawer fronts and hardware while keeping the boxes changes the look for far less disruption. If the layout itself is the problem, if the boxes are swollen from a leak or sagging under stone countertops, or if you want different sizes and interior fittings, new cabinets are the only route that actually fixes it.

Refinishing existing doors sits between the two and depends on the material. A solid wood or MDF door takes paint well when properly prepared; a thermofoil or laminate face generally does not. In a house built before 1978, stripping or sanding painted cabinetry and the surrounding trim disturbs painted surfaces, which brings the EPA's lead renovation rule into a job most people think of as decorating.

It begins with a field measure, not a sketch: walls checked for square and bow, floors checked for level, ceiling height verified in several places, and appliance specifications collected, because a range or a refrigerator dictates the openings around it. Cabinets are ordered from those measurements, and lead times for semi-custom and custom lines are typically the longest item in the schedule.

On install day the old kitchen comes out, walls get patched and the layout is laid out level from a high point on the floor. Uppers usually go first so the installer is not reaching over base cabinets, then bases are set, shimmed and screwed together and to the framing behind the drywall. The countertop is templated only after the bases are locked in, which is why a template visit is a separate appointment. Doors, drawer fronts, filler pieces, toe kicks and moldings follow, then plumbing and appliances are reconnected.

The last stage is adjustment, and it is what separates a good installation from a mediocre one: every hinge tuned so the gaps between doors are even, every drawer aligned, every soft-close checked. Ask for a walkthrough and a punch list, and expect to need one more visit after the doors settle.

Who may install cabinets for pay is decided by the state. California's CSLB has a classification specifically for this work, C-6 Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry, alongside B General Building. Virginia's Board for Contractors licenses by a class of A, B or C that sets the contract value a firm may take, plus a classification or specialty for the type of work. Nevada requires a State Contractors Board license and says directly that contracting without one is a crime. Verify any license on the issuing board's own lookup, and check the local building department too, since cities and counties may add their own registration.

Cabinets alone often need no permit, but kitchens rarely stay that simple. Moving a sink, relocating a gas line, adding circuits for an island or a new range, or changing ventilation generally requires permits and licensed trades, and those inspections happen before walls close up. And in a pre-1978 home, tearing out old cabinetry and trim that disturbs lead-based paint puts the job under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, which requires a certified firm, certified renovators and lead-safe work practices.

Two warranties apply, and they are separate. The manufacturer covers the cabinets themselves, frequently with different terms for the boxes, the finish and the hardware, and that coverage usually depends on the cabinets being installed according to their instructions. The installer covers workmanship. Get both in writing, and keep the order acknowledgment, the finished drawings and the door and finish codes, because they are what you will need when one door has to be replaced years later.

To get quotes you can actually compare, describe the kitchen once on LokalMatch, with your ZIP code, the rough size, and whether you are keeping the existing layout or changing it. Cabinet installers and kitchen carpenters who work in that area then get in touch with you, and those professionals pay for the requests they receive. LokalMatch does not do the work, does not set or suggest prices, and does not vet, rank or recommend the professionals who respond; comparing what is included in each quote, and confirming licenses and insurance, remains your job.