How Much Are Kitchen Cabinets Worth?

Kitchen cabinets are not the home’s hero heroes. Not only do they put away the plates, pots, pans, cutlery and food that you use in your kitchen but they also can create the atmosphere.

Whether you want to renovate or change out your cabinets, the price is often very high. Here are the key cabinet prices.

Material
Choosing the right type of material for your kitchen cabinets can be one of the most important ones you’ll make. The tradeoff when selecting a material is important, which must be equal in terms of appearance, durability, and your budget and design intentions.

Particle board is a cheaper alternative, comprised of wood chips and sawdust resinsewn together. Particle board is customizable and available in many different colors but will rot with age from the heat or moisture damage that causes warping.

The cabinetry made from solid woods is beautiful and durable; maple and cherry are a favorite. Alas, however, such natural materials are often more expensive and more upkeep-and-maintenance prone than other materials.

Design
Cabinet design, HomeAdvisor tells us, costs anywhere from quarter to half of a project’s total cost, depending on its size and complexity. It’s best to go with prefabricated particle board or plywood cabinets that are inexpensive but solid wood, acrylic, and stainless steel are pricier. Cabinet doors also differ quite a bit: the more framed, the cheaper they’re going to be than the unframed.

Semi-custom cabinets are a cheap middle ground between stock and custom, with more colors, finishes, and designs than their lower priced counterparts. But customization is a bit limited and it is usually more expensive than the stock or custom version.

Hardware
For the quickest and most inexpensive method of quickly updating and modernizing your home, change its cabinet hardware. Such a small modification can totally change a room, be it to make it farmhouse-y or even make your kitchen old-school again.

Cabinet hardware consists of hardware such as hinges, backplates and specialty hardware that makes your cabinets unique. All these elements are important in how it looks and functions your cabinets.

The cabinetry design contributes to the final price, too. Framed cabinets have face frames and frameless are more contemporary with no rails and European. Framed cabinets will be pricier but will last longer as they’re built to last. There’s also Inset or Overlay Doors as inset doors go in their frames and overlay doors extend over it for a seamless integration.

Installation
The installation of cabinets is an extra cost of any kitchen upgrade and should be left to the experts so that your cabinets can be correctly put together and safe. NYC is bursting with qualified cabinet installers – check the neighborhood or look online, such as our free project matchmaking service, to hire one!

Prices vary depending on style and materials, but generally stock cabinets in the standard size are the cheapest and then there’s semi-custom and custom. Also a matter of material – wood veneer and laminate are generally cheaper than solid wood, acrylic or stainless steel.

The other factors to consider when buying kitchen hardware and cabinets is the amount and kind of accessories you will need – lights, drawers etc can cost more to install; custom hardware also comes with a higher price tag than just knobs and pulls so be sure to include that when making any final decisions.