Cabinet Installation

Cabinet installation timeline within a kitchen remodel.

So you are wondering how long it takes to install cabinets in a kitchen remodel. Well, it usually takes around 5 to 10 business days. That is just one part of the whole project. A full kitchen remodel can run anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks. The cabinet work does not happen on its own, either. It comes after the demolition, the rough-in, the drywall, and the subfloor inspection are all done. That is just how it works. Cabinets are never the first step in a kitchen remodel.

The cabinet phase breaks down like this:

1. 01.Delivery and inspection (1 day)
2. 02.Base cabinet placement and leveling (1 to 2 days)
3. 03.Wall cabinet hanging (1 to 2 days)
4. 04.Tall cabinet and pantry installation (1 day)
5. 05.Hardware, trim, and final adjustment (1 to 2 days)

When you are putting in cabinets, the order you do things in really matters. Each step relies on the one before it. The base cabinets are like the foundation. They set the height for everything else. If they are not quite right, you will see it in the wall cabinets and the countertop. That is why the crew always checks the floor first. The subfloor needs to be pretty level. It cannot be off by more than 1/8 inch over 10 feet. If it is not level, they will shim it or re-level it before they even think about setting a cabinet. Skip that step and you can end up with doors that do not hang right and counters with gaps. It is about getting the basics right so everything else falls into place.

Cabinet installation cost drivers and the tier ladder.

When you are remodeling your kitchen, the cost of the cabinets can vary quite a bit. A few things drive the price. Door style is a big one. If you want inset doors, which fit inside the frame, that runs about 15 to 30 percent more than doors that overlay the frame. Inset doors have to be fitted precisely, which takes more skill and time, and the cabinetry itself costs more too. The material the boxes are built from is another factor. Plywood boxes cost more than particleboard, but they are stronger and hold screws and weight better over time.

These drivers map onto the same tier ladder as the full remodel. You can see the full kitchen tier pricing breakdown to place your cabinet choice inside the wider budget. As a rule, the cabinets and countertops together make up the single largest share of a kitchen remodel budget, so the cabinet decision drives the tier more than almost any other choice.

Custom vs. semi-custom cabinets — when each makes sense.

When it comes to kitchens in Miami, you have a couple of options. You can go with semi-custom cabinets, which come in standard sizes that step up in 3-inch increments. They have a lot of styles, finishes, and storage options, so you can find something that fits your kitchen and your budget. They work well in most Miami kitchens and are a good choice if you want to keep costs down. On the other hand, you can go with custom cabinets, which are built to fit your kitchen exactly. They can be any size you need, in any finish. Custom is the way to go if your kitchen has some unusual features, like odd angles or a ceiling that is not a standard height, or a layout that would leave dead space with stock sizes.

When you are choosing between the two, the room’s layout is usually the deciding factor, not taste. A galley kitchen with square walls is a great fit for semi-custom. But a kitchen with a bumped-out window wall, a soffit to work around, or a ceiling higher than 9 feet often needs custom to avoid filler panels and wasted space. We spec cabinet lines that meet the planning standards from the National Kitchen and Bath Association, which is what most kitchen designers work from.

Why licensed cabinet installation matters in a kitchen remodel.

When you are remodeling a kitchen, it is easy to think installing cabinets is just carpentry. The truth is there is a lot of important work that has to happen before the cabinets go in, and a good bit of it is electrical and code work. Take the outlets, for example. Have you ever thought about where they go along a kitchen counter? The National Electrical Code has a rule for it: no point along a kitchen counter wall can be more than 24 inches from a receptacle. That means the outlet spacing has to be planned before the cabinets go in, because the cabinet layout and the outlet layout have to agree. Someone installing cabinets as a standalone job has no control over that, and that is where problems start.

Anchoring is the other piece. Under the Florida Building Code, you cannot just screw tall and pantry cabinets into the drywall. They have to be fastened into the wall studs. A loaded pantry can weigh hundreds of pounds, which is far too much for drywall anchors to hold. If you want to read the code, it is at floridabuilding.org. Because Gaven runs the entire kitchen remodel under license GCG1524886, the electrical, the framing, and the cabinet anchoring are all coordinated as one job, rather than having three separate contractors blaming each other when something does not line up.

How cabinet sizing is planned during the kitchen design phase.

When you are designing your kitchen, the cabinet sizes get locked in before anything is ordered. That makes sense, because you need to know exactly how much space you have. The crew does not measure the room until after the demolition, when they can see the real walls and ceiling. They do not rely on the old floor plans, because those are often off. At the same time, they confirm the appliance sizes, like the range, the refrigerator, and the dishwasher. Those need set openings, and the cabinets get built around them. If you have a 30-inch range, you need a 30-inch opening, and the cabinet run is designed to fit it.

It is also really important to think about the space between things. That means how wide the walkways are, how the oven and dishwasher doors swing open, and how much room someone needs to stand comfortably at the sink. Get those details right from the start and you avoid the expensive surprise later, like a cabinet that blocks an appliance door. It is the little things like this that make the difference between a kitchen that works and one that just looks good but fights you every time you cook.