Cabinets · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to cabinetry
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any cabinet maker in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Estimate request
Tell us about the job.
It comes straight through to us and we respond immediately.
Warning signs
How to know you need us
If you recognize any of these, it is worth having somebody look before it becomes a larger job.
- Cabinets dated in appearance but structurally sound
- Doors sagging, delaminating or no longer closing square
- A corner or an awkward wall where nothing standard fits
- Not enough storage for the space the room actually has
- Wanting built-ins that look original to the house
- Replacing cabinetry after a leak or water damage
Your options
More than one right answer.
A cabinet maker who only ever recommends the most expensive option is not giving you advice. Here is the honest range.
Refinishing
Degrease, sand, prime and spray. Keeps the boxes and the doors, changes the color entirely, and costs a fraction of replacement.
Refacing
New doors, drawer fronts and veneer on existing boxes. A full visual change including the door style, without a demolition.
Semi-custom replacement
Quality manufactured cabinetry specified properly. The right answer for most kitchens where the layout already works.
Full custom
Built to your dimensions and your storage. Worth it for awkward rooms, unusual ceiling heights and built-ins that need to look original.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
We do not quote cabinetry over the phone, because an honest number needs somebody to look at the job. These are the things that move it.
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Custom, semi-custom or stock
Three genuinely different price tiers. Custom is built to your dimensions; semi-custom adjusts within set sizes; stock is what fits and what does not gets a filler strip.
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Box construction and material
Plywood boxes against particleboard, and solid wood doors against thermofoil, are where the durability difference lives — and neither is visible from across the room.
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Finish
A painted finish costs more than stain because it shows everything underneath. Grain filling for a smooth painted finish is real labor.
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Interior fittings
Soft-close hardware, pull-outs, drawer organizers and pantry systems add up quickly and are the part people use every day.
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Installation and scribing
No wall is straight and no floor is level. Making a run look integral rather than placed is most of the installation skill and none of the visible cost.
Every estimate is free, written and carries no obligation — including the parts we would find only after starting, which are priced up front rather than left open.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Measure and design
Every wall measured, not assumed. Older Nashville homes are rarely square and the design has to account for that rather than discover it.
Build or order
Four to ten weeks for custom, two to six for semi-custom. This is the long pole in almost every cabinet project.
Installation
Boxes hung level and scribed, then doors and drawer fronts aligned. Alignment is the day that decides how the finished run reads.
Finish and hardware
Trim, filler, toe kick and hardware. On refinishing work, doors come off, get sprayed and go back.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
These are the shortcuts that make a quote look cheaper and cost you more later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Painting cabinets without degreasing
Kitchen doors carry years of invisible cooking residue, and no coating will bond through it.
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Wall paint on cabinet doors
Wall paint never fully hardens on a surface that gets handled. It chips at the edges within a year.
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Hanging boxes without finding studs and shimming
Cabinets loaded with dishes are heavy, and a run that was not shimmed level shows in every door gap.
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Ordering before the appliances are chosen
Panel-ready and oversized appliances dictate cabinet sizes. Choosing them afterwards is how filler strips happen.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any cabinet maker.
Including us. If a contractor cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Are you licensed for cabinetry and can I see the certificate?
A licensed and insured contractor will have this to hand and will not be irritated by the question.
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Is the estimate written, itemized and free?
A verbal number is not an estimate. Itemized means you can compare two quotes on the same basis.
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What happens if you find something once you start?
The honest answer names a rate and a process. The answer to worry about is that it never happens.
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Who is actually doing the work?
Employee crew or subcontractor is not a wrong answer either way, but you should know which, and who carries the insurance.
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What is the workmanship warranty, and is it in writing?
Materials carry a manufacturer warranty. Workmanship is the contractor, and it should be written down.
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Will you pull the permit?
For permitted work, a contractor who suggests skipping it is telling you something important about the rest of the job.
FAQ
Choosing a cabinet maker in Nashville
How do I choose a cabinet maker in Nashville?
Check the license and the insurance certificate, get the estimate in writing and itemized so you can compare quotes on the same basis, and ask what happens if something is found once work starts. A contractor who cannot answer those easily has told you what you need to know.
Should I get more than one quote for cabinetry?
Yes, and compare what is in them rather than the number at the bottom. The cheapest quote is often cheapest because it leaves something out, and on cabinetry the thing left out is usually the preparation that decides how long the work lasts.
Is the cheapest cabinetry quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically — but an unusually low number is information. Ask specifically what is included, what grade of material is quoted, who is doing the work and what the workmanship warranty is. If all four answers are good, the low quote is a good quote.
Do I need a permit for cabinetry in Nashville?
It depends on the scope. Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permit and inspect a good deal of this work, and a contractor suggesting you skip a required permit is telling you something about how they approach the rest of the job. We pull the permits our work requires.
How far in advance should I book cabinetry?
A few weeks where you can. Booking in the quiet season usually means better scheduling and sometimes better pricing than booking in the rush, and it gives you time to make the selections properly.
Free estimate
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Tell us what is going on and we will get you a free estimate from a local cabinet maker. No obligation, no pressure.