Boise Custom Cabinets — Kitchen Cabinet Installation Cost Guide for Boise, ID

Boise Custom Cabinets handles kitchen cabinets installation cost for homeowners and property managers in Boise, ID. Boise Custom Cabinets provides custom cabinet installation, semi-custom cabinet installation, and kitchen cabinet removal and disposal across Boise, ID. We price kitchen cabinet installation by linear foot, material tier, and labor complexity. A standard 10x10 kitchen typically requires 25–30 linear feet of cabinet runs, and installation labor alone ranges from $1,500 to $4,500 depending on whether you’re installing stock cabinets or custom work that requires precise shimming, hardware adjustment, and crown molding fitting.

Kitchen Cabinet Installation Cost Per Linear Foot

Cabinet pricing typically quotes per linear foot of combined base and wall runs. A 10x10 kitchen commonly totals 25–30 linear feet when you measure the full length of base cabinets along walls plus the wall cabinet footage above countertops.

Stock cabinets run lowest per linear foot—typically $75 to $150 per linear foot for materials plus $40 to $80 per linear foot for labor. Semi-custom cabinets, which allow you to resize boxes and choose finishes within a manufacturer’s library, run $150 to $300 per linear foot for materials and $50 to $100 per linear foot for labor. Full custom cabinets, built to your exact dimensions and specifications, cost $300 to $600 per linear foot for materials and $60 to $120 per linear foot for labor.

Linear foot measurement runs the perimeter of cabinet wall space, not floor area. One wall of base cabinets 12 feet long counts as 12 linear feet. If a second wall runs 8 feet, that’s 8 more linear feet. Wall cabinets above the counters on both walls then add their own footage. An L-shaped kitchen with 12 feet of base on one wall, 10 feet on the adjacent wall, and 10 feet of wall cabinets above those same runs totals roughly 42 linear feet of box footage, though installers may quote this differently if the layout includes islands, peninsulas, or corner units that break the continuous run.

Per-cabinet pricing tends to run higher on kitchens with lots of narrow fillers and corner units because each box—even a 9-inch filler or a 45-degree lazy Susan corner cabinet—requires leveling, fastening, and hardware adjustment. A kitchen with six tall cabinets and two base runs billed per-cabinet might cost more in labor than the same footage quoted as linear-foot pricing. Always ask whether a quote is per linear foot or per cabinet and what the labor rate would be for your specific layout.

Stock, Semi-Custom, And Custom Cabinet Pricing

The three tiers of cabinet construction differ in lead time, construction tolerance, and price. Stock cabinets ship off a distributor shelf within days and cost least per box because they are manufactured at high volume in standard widths (24, 30, 36, 42 inches) with one or two finish options. You select a style, finish, and hardware from what’s in stock, and the cabinet arrives built and ready to hang. Semi-custom cabinets allow you to specify width, depth, and finish from a broader palette—perhaps a 33-inch base cabinet instead of 30 or 36, or a stained oak option unavailable in stock lines. Lead time stretches to 2–4 weeks because the manufacturer builds to your specification. Custom cabinets are designed and built from scratch to match your exact kitchen dimensions, material requirements, and aesthetic. Lead times run 6–10 weeks.

RTA cabinets (ready-to-assemble) sit below stock on price but add complexity to installation labor. RTA units ship flat-packed with pre-drilled holes and loose hardware, requiring on-site assembly before installation. A professional installer spends roughly 20–30 minutes assembling each cabinet—drilling pocket holes, driving fasteners, installing adjustable shelf pins, and fitting drawer boxes. That assembly labor gets billed separately and typically costs $25 to $50 per cabinet depending on complexity. For a 12-cabinet kitchen, RTA assembly can add $300 to $600 in labor, even though the cabinet box itself costs less upfront.

Pre-assembled cabinets (stock and semi-custom lines that arrive fully built) skip that assembly step. You hang them straight off the truck, level them, shim them, and secure them to the studs. That’s still labor-intensive, but the crew isn’t drilling, driving fasteners, or assembling internal components. The time savings are real: a pre-assembled cabinet job typically finishes one day faster than an equivalent RTA installation on a standard kitchen.

Full Kitchen Cabinet Installation Project Cost Breakdown

A realistic estimate for a 10x10 kitchen with semi-custom cabinets runs something like this: cabinet materials (roughly 25–30 linear feet at $200 per linear foot) cost $5,000 to $6,000; hardware (hinges, pulls, shelf pins, adjustable shelf supports) adds $400 to $600; installation labor for hanging, leveling, and hardware adjustment (roughly 3–4 days for a two-person crew) costs $2,400 to $3,200 at typical hourly rates. Crown molding to finish the top adds $300 to $600 depending on ceiling height and trim complexity. Disposal of old cabinets runs $300 to $500. Drywall patching and surface preparation might add another $200 to $400. The full project lands in the $8,600 to $11,100 range before countertops or plumbing cutouts.

Countertops and backsplash significantly impact the total project cost and timeline, but they are not cabinet installation costs per se. If you are keeping your existing countertops, the installer must shim the new cabinets to match the countertop height (typically 36 inches for base cabinets). If the old countertop sat at 35.5 inches and new cabinets are designed for 36, shims under the base runs absorb the difference. If you are installing new countertops, that work happens after cabinets are hung and fastened, and the countertop installer takes measurements from the installed cabinet tops. Removing a backsplash before cabinet installation saves time—the installer doesn’t need to cut around existing tile or trim fasteners. Leaving a backsplash in place means the cabinet installer must make precise cutouts or work around it, adding 2–4 hours of labor.

Bids should itemize cabinet boxes, adjustable hinges and hardware, crown molding, demolition of old cabinetry, drywall repair, and labor as separate line items. That breakdown lets you see where money goes and compare quotes fairly. One installer’s quote might include disposal in the labor line while another lists it separately; seeing it clearly lets you adjust for apples-to-apples comparison.

Cabinet Removal, Drywall Repair, And Surface Preparation

Old cabinet removal typically takes 1–2 hours per continuous run. The crew disconnects supply lines or drain tailpieces that pass through cabinet openings, unscrews fasteners holding the cabinet to the wall studs, and carefully lifts boxes away (old cabinets are often heavier than modern ones because they used solid wood and full-depth drawer boxes). Disposal of the old cabinetry costs $300 to $500 depending on how much material goes to the landfill and whether salvageable wood gets separated for recycling.

Behind removed wall cabinets, the drywall surface shows screw holes and often a horizontal ledger board mark where the old cabinet hung. The installer must patch these holes and the ledger line so walls are smooth before new cabinets install. Small holes get spackling; larger patches require small drywall medallions or patch kits glued in place, sanded smooth, and primed. A ledger line—a horizontal shadow or indentation across 10 feet of wall—requires caulk or joint compound applied, sanded, and painted to blend with the wall. That drywall repair typically runs $200 to $400 in labor.

New cabinets must be fastened into wall studs, which are typically 16 inches on-center in residential framing. The installer locates studs using a stud finder, marks them, and screws the cabinet back rail directly through shims into the stud with fasteners sized for the material. Cabinets screwed only to drywall will sag and eventually crack or pull away. The back rail is the horizontal member running the full width of the cabinet box at mid-height; fasteners driven through this rail into studs distribute load safely. Typically two fasteners per stud location ensures secure mounting.

Base And Wall Cabinet Installation Labor

Cabinet installation labor typically bills either hourly or per linear foot, and rates vary by crew experience and job complexity. Hourly rates for professional cabinet installation crews in Boise run $85 to $150 per hour for a two-person team (one experienced installer plus an assistant). A straightforward 10x10 kitchen with pre-assembled stock cabinets and minimal drywall repair might take 3–4 days (24–32 hours), landing in the $2,000–$4,800 range in labor alone. Per-linear-foot pricing for labor runs $40 to $100 per linear foot depending on the cabinet tier and site conditions.

Base cabinet installation starts with setting the first cabinet, leveling it front-to-back and side-to-side using cabinet shims (plastic or wood wedges slipped behind the cabinet), and securing it to studs. A level base cabinet sits perfectly horizontal; any tilt causes doors and drawers to swing open or closed on their own. The installer sets the first cabinet, checks level in multiple places, adds shims under the front and rear rails until perfect, then fastens through the back rail into studs. Fasteners must be screws (not nails) because they lock the shim in place and won’t back out from vibration.

Adjacent base cabinets are set, shimmed, and fastened to studs individually, then the crew clamps them together at the face frame (the solid frame visible from the front) and fastens them through the connecting frame to create a solid run. Once the full base run is shimmed, leveled, fastened to studs, and connected, the doors and drawers are tested for movement and adjusted.

Wall cabinets hang from a ledger board—a 1x2 or 1x4 board screwed horizontally to wall studs at the correct height to support the cabinet. The crew marks the stud locations, screws the ledger into studs, then sits the wall cabinet on the ledger and fastens it through the back rail into studs above the ledger. Once all wall cabinets are in place, the ledger board is removed, and the top of the wall cabinet hides the ledger location. Wall cabinet height is critical because it must align with base cabinet height plus countertop thickness plus the distance desired between countertop and wall cabinet (typically 15–18 inches). An error of half an inch in ledger placement ruins the sight line across all wall cabinets.

Choosing A Cabinet Installer And Vetting Quotes

When you receive quotes from installers, ask whether the price includes disposal of old cabinetry, drywall patching behind removed cabinets, cabinet hardware installation (hinges, pulls, shelf pins), and crown molding. Some installers roll all labor into one line item; others list demolition, labor, hardware, and trim separately. Get the scope of work in writing so there’s no ambiguity later about what’s included.

Ask who supplies the fasteners and connectors. Your cabinet supplier usually includes shelf pins and adjustable shelf supports, but some quotes assume you provide fasteners for cabinet-to-stud connection or don’t include lag bolts for wide spans. Clarify whether the installer supplies fasteners or charges you extra.

Ask what happens if a cabinet is damaged during delivery or install. A cracked plywood panel or a dented door frame discovered mid-job can delay installation 1–2 weeks waiting for replacement. Get clarity on who contacts the supplier, who pays for expedited shipping if needed, and whether the installer holds the original timeline or re-quotes if material delay occurs.

Ask about warranty and guarantees on labor. Professional cabinet installers typically stand behind their work, meaning if a fastener pulls out or a door binding failure occurs within a reasonable period, they return and fix it at no charge. Get that guarantee in writing and confirm what’s covered—hardware adjustment is usually included; replacement of damaged cabinetry is usually the supplier’s responsibility, not the installer’s.

Ask for references from Boise-area customers where the installer completed a similar kitchen size and cabinet tier. A reference who chose stock cabinets with a two-person crew might have a different experience than one who selected full custom work on a complex island layout.

Cabinet Materials And Installation Requirements

Cabinet construction materials drive weight, fastening requirements, and durability, all of which affect installation labor and long-term cost. A solid wood face frame with plywood drawer box is heavier than MDF (medium-density fiberboard) equivalents, requiring heavier-duty fasteners and potentially more shimming labor to account for weight distribution. Solid wood holds fasteners better than particleboard carcasses, which can strip screw holes if you overload a shelf or over-tighten a fastener.

Thermofoil and laminate cabinet finishes need careful clamp pressure during installation to avoid delamination at seams where two boxes meet. If a laminate edge chips or a thermofoil edge starts peeling during rough handling in the truck or during installation, the finish is compromised and the cabinet must be replaced. Pre-assembled cabinets with these finishes arrive wrapped and padded; RTA cabinets with laminate finishes require extra care during assembly to avoid clamping too hard and cracking the veneer.

Plywood drawer boxes on self-closing metal drawer guides are heavier and more durable than MDF equivalents, but they require more precision during shimming and leveling because the extra weight can cause the guide to bind if the drawer isn’t perfectly level side-to-side. A plywood box on a guide that’s off by 1/16 inch will stick or squeak; an MDF box might forgive minor misalignment because of lighter weight.

Shaker style cabinets with solid wood frame-and-panel door construction are susceptible to wood movement in Boise’s dry climate and seasonal humidity shifts. If a cabinet is installed in a tight space or clamped against an adjacent cabinet before the wood fully acclimates, the panels can later shrink and gaps can form. Professional installers account for this by letting full-wood cabinets acclimate to the home’s humidity for 24 hours before final fastening.

Particleboard cabinets—the least expensive stock option—are lightweight and easy to move, but they require careful fastening because particleboard doesn’t hold fasteners as securely as plywood. A screw driven into particleboard creates a fairly loose connection; if that screw is removed and re-driven in the same hole multiple times (during adjustment and re-adjustment), the hole enlarges and the fastener no longer grips. Many installers use larger-diameter washers or threaded inserts on particleboard cabinetry to prevent fastener pull-through.

Cabinet Hardware, Molding, And Final Adjustments

Cabinet hardware installation (hinges, pulls, knobs, and shelf supports) is typically the last step in cabinet installation, after all boxes are secured and leveled. Adjustable hinges allow fine-tuning of door alignment after installation. Once doors are hung, the installer checks reveal gaps—the space between the door edge and the cabinet edge—which should be consistent (typically 1/8 inch) all around. If the gap is tight on the top and loose on the bottom, the hinge is adjusted by loosening fasteners and shifting the hinge mounting to correct the slope.

Crown molding finishes the top of wall cabinets and hides the gap between the cabinet top and the ceiling. Ceiling height varies across most kitchens, so crown molding is scribed to the ceiling profile before installation. Scribing means tracing the ceiling irregularities (slopes, bumps, texture) onto the back of the molding with a special scribe tool, then cutting the molding to that profile so it fits tight against the ceiling. Once scribed and cut, the molding is nailed to the cabinet top and caulked to hide fastener holes and gaps.

Pulls and knobs are drilled and installed last, using a template to keep hole placement consistent across all doors and drawers. A template ensures all holes are centered vertically on the door face and positioned the same distance from the top or bottom, so the kitchen hardware looks intentional and uniform rather than hand-drilled and inconsistent.

Drawer assembly and installation depend on the cabinet type. Pre-assembled cabinets have drawer boxes and slides already installed at the factory; the installer just tests them for smooth operation and adjusts if needed. RTA cabinets require the drawer box to be assembled (sides, front, back, and bottom glued or screwed together), the metal guides to be screwed to the inside of the cabinet sides, and the drawer box to be slid onto those guides. That assembly work adds time and cost to RTA installations.

Plumbing Cutouts And Clearances

Cabinets around a kitchen sink or dishwasher require cutouts in the back panels and sometimes in the base or top to accommodate supply lines, drain tailpieces, and appliance discharge hoses. If plumbing is already in place when the cabinet installer arrives, the installer measures the location of these lines and cuts openings in the cabinet back panel to clear them. A sink cabinet typically has a 2–4 inch opening in the back for the drain tailpiece and two 1 inch holes for hot and cold supply lines.

If plumbing will be rough-in’d after cabinet installation (as is common in new construction or major remodels), the installer coordinates with the plumber to confirm locations, then cuts openings once lines are set. This requires precision—cutting too large creates gaps that let air through and look sloppy; cutting too small binds the line and creates pressure points that can crack PVC or copper over time.

Dishwasher cabinets require a cutout for the discharge hose (typically 3/4 inch diameter) and an electrical outlet knock-out in the cabinet frame where the dishwasher plug will reach. The installer either coordinates with the electrician to install the outlet before cabinet installation or leaves an opening for the electrician to work after. Most codes allow the dishwasher electrical connection to be made accessible behind the adjacent cabinet door or under-counter for safety and service access.

Cabinet Installation Timeline

A straightforward 10x10 kitchen installation with pre-assembled stock or semi-custom cabinets typically takes 3–5 business days for a two-person crew. Day one includes demolition of old cabinets, disposal, and drywall patching. Day two begins with base cabinet installation—setting the first cabinet, leveling, shimming, fastening, and connecting runs. Wall cabinet installation follows on the same day if time permits; it often stretches into day three on complex layouts with islands or peninsula cabinets. Days three and four handle crown molding, hardware installation, final adjustments, and any drywall or paint touch-up. A complex kitchen with custom cabinetry, extensive plumbing cutouts, or significant drywall repair can stretch to 6–8 days.

Full custom cabinet projects run longer because material lead times add 6–10 weeks before the installer even begins on-site work. Once custom cabinets arrive, installation itself doesn’t take longer than semi-custom work—a full custom cabinet installs just as quickly as a stock cabinet once it’s in the kitchen. The timeline impact is entirely on the front end while the cabinet maker builds.

Permits and inspections for cabinet installation are rare in Idaho residential work but may be required in some jurisdictions as part of a broader kitchen remodel involving electrical or plumbing changes. Confirm with your local building department whether cabinet installation alone requires a permit or if a permit is triggered only by sink relocation, appliance changes, or electrical work. Most cabinet-only projects proceed without formal inspection, though conscientious installers follow code-equivalent practices (fastening to studs, proper ledger installation for wall cabinets) as standard practice.

Cabinet Refacing vs Replacement and Kitchen Remodel Budget

Refacing keeps your existing cabinet boxes in place and wraps them with new veneer, stain, or paint—plus new doors and drawer fronts. It costs less than full replacement because you’re not pulling out the old structure, disposing of it, or building new boxes from scratch. The labor is also faster: a refacing job on a 10-by-12 kitchen typically takes a few days instead of a week. You pay for materials—veneer sheets, new doors, stain or finish—and labor to strip, prep, and apply the facing. What you don’t pay for is the demolition crew time, dumpster fees, or the structural rebuild. Refacing works well if your cabinet boxes are solid, your layout is fine, and you just want a fresh look.

Full replacement pulls everything out, disposes of the old cabinets, and installs new boxes. It costs more upfront but gives you better functionality: new interiors, updated hardware mounts, shelving that matches modern expectations, and the chance to reconfigure your layout. If your cabinets have water damage, structural rot, or loose joints, replacement is the right call—refacing just covers the problem. If you want to change the footprint, add an island, or shift where appliances sit, you need replacement.

Your kitchen remodel budget depends on which route you choose. A refacing project might run 30 to 40 percent of what full replacement costs in your area. Replacement lets you also budget for new countertops, backsplash, hardware, and appliances as one coordinated job. Many homeowners in Boise combine cabinet replacement with flooring or paint to get a cohesive refresh. Work with your installer to scope the full project upfront so you know whether you’re looking at a surface-level refresh or a structural overhaul—that changes your timeline, your labor costs, and your material spend.