Best Cabinets
Service guide

Kitchen Cabinets

Layouts, storage, construction and finishes for the largest cabinet project in most homes.

Published: January 27, 2026

kitchen with new base and wall cabinets

Planning a Kitchen Cabinet Project

Kitchen cabinets set the layout of the room, so the first decisions are about where things go: sink, range, refrigerator, and the counter space between them. Storage comes next. Drawers in base cabinets hold more usable space than shelves behind doors, and a tall pantry cabinet often replaces several wall cabinets. Settle appliance models before ordering, because cabinet sizes depend on them.

Custom kitchen cabinets are useful when the room needs sizes or storage that a standard line cannot provide. Semi-custom kitchen cabinets may suit a layout that works with a manufacturer's available sizes and options. Compare the plan, construction and installation scope before deciding.

Replace, Reface or Repaint

If the layout works and the boxes are solid, refacing or repainting can change the look of a kitchen for less than new cabinets. If the layout is changing, or the boxes are sagging, water-damaged or poorly built, replacement is the better investment.

Construction, Doors and Finish

Ask what the boxes are made of, how the drawers are built, and what hinges and slides are used. Door style and finish set the character of the room. Our guides to cabinet materials, styles and finishes cover the choices.

Compare the specification for each part by reviewing the cabinet materials, door construction and finish sample together.

What to Expect

A typical project runs from measure and design, through ordering or building, to installation, countertops and final adjustments. Countertops are measured only after the base cabinets are installed, so plan for a gap between the two.

Confirm installation planning, delivery access and responsibility for final measurements before work begins.

Find Cabinet Companies Near You

Each company in our city rankings lists the services it offers. Browse all states and cities, or start with Huntsville, Nashville, Atlanta or Tampa.

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How cabinet layouts are planned, and what a good designer will ask you. Design turns a room's measurements into a cabinet plan: which cabinets go where, in what sizes, with what storage inside. A good plan accounts for appliance clearances, door swings, walkways and how the kitchen is actually used. Many cabinet dealers and custom shops include design in their service; independent kitchen designers charge separately. Expect questions about how you cook, what you store, and what frustrates you about the current room. You should receive a floor plan and elevations before ordering.

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Pull-outs, drawer organizers and pantry fittings that make cabinets easier to use. Roll-out trays, pull-out trash and recycling bins, tray dividers, spice pull-outs, corner systems and drawer organizers are the most common. Deep drawers with pegs or dividers hold pots and dishes; tall pantry cabinets take roll-out shelves. Fittings are easiest to include when cabinets are ordered, because box sizes can be planned around them. Many can also be retrofitted into existing cabinets if the opening sizes are right.

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Custom Cabinets

Cabinetry designed and built for your home alone: what it is, how the process works, and why it fits any space. Custom cabinets are designed for a specific room and built to order. Nothing is pulled from a warehouse. The cabinetmaker measures the space, draws each cabinet, and builds it to those drawings, usually in a local shop. Because every dimension is open, custom cabinets can fit rooms that standard sizes cannot, and can be made in almost any wood, door style or finish. Because nothing is a standard size, custom cabinetry works where stock cabinets leave gaps: kitchens with odd corners, bathrooms with short walls, mudrooms, laundry rooms, home offices, closets, and the space under a staircase or a sloped ceiling. The same shop can build all of it to match, so the house reads as one design.

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Cabinet Styles

Shaker, raised-panel and slab doors, and the difference between traditional, transitional and modern. The door does most of the work. A Shaker door has a flat center panel in a square frame and suits almost any house. Raised-panel doors have a profiled center panel. Slab doors are a single flat panel with no frame. Traditional kitchens use raised-panel or detailed doors, crown molding and furniture-style details. Modern kitchens use slab doors, minimal hardware and clean lines. Transitional kitchens sit between the two, typically with a Shaker door and simple molding.

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Cabinet Installation

What professional installers do, and what to have ready before they arrive. Installers find the high point of the floor, set a level line, and work from there. Boxes are shimmed, fastened to the wall studs and to each other, and filler strips are scribed to uneven walls. Doors and drawers are adjusted at the end, and hardware is fitted. On a well-run job the difference shows in even gaps and doors that line up across a run. The room should be empty, with rough plumbing and electrical complete and walls repaired. Flooring may go in before or after the cabinets depending on the type; ask your installer which they prefer. Check the delivery against the order before anything is installed.

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Cabinet Refacing

New doors, drawer fronts and veneer over existing boxes: how it works and when it makes sense. The existing doors and drawer fronts are removed. Exposed box surfaces and face frames are covered with matching wood veneer or laminate, and new doors, drawer fronts and hardware are installed. Hinges are usually replaced, and drawer boxes and slides can be upgraded at the same time. Refacing suits kitchens with a layout you are happy with and boxes that are structurally sound. It does not fix a poor layout, damaged boxes or worn-out drawers unless those are replaced too. Countertops can usually stay in place, which is a large part of the savings.

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