Buying Cabinets Only? How to Hire an Installer

Buying cabinets only: how to hire your own installer

When you buy cabinets only, hire someone who sets cabinets regularly, check their contractor license with your state board, in California the CSLB, confirm liability and workers’ compensation insurance, and get a written bid that lists exactly what they will and will not do. Fully assembled cabinets and clear drawings make their job faster.

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What to check before you hire a cabinet installer
Check	How	Why it matters
Experience	Recent photos, or a visit to a job they finished	Setting a full kitchen is a different job from hanging a shelf
License	Look up the number on your state board’s website; in California, the CSLB	Most states require one above a small-job threshold
Insurance	A certificate sent by the insurer, with current dates	Liability for your home; workers’ compensation for their crew
Written bid	Scope, exclusions, price, schedule and payments in writing	What is not written down is not in the price
Payments	Tied to milestones, the last after completion	Keeps the finish line worth reaching

When do I need to hire my own installer?

In the Bay Area, we install. Outside it, our cabinets ship fully assembled, labelled and wrapped, with freight included anywhere in the continental US, and your installer or contractor fits them. Some Bay Area homeowners also bring their own, usually because a general contractor is already running the remodel.

Buying the two separately has real advantages. You choose someone you trust, you can compare installation bids directly, and the cabinet quote shows exactly what the cabinets cost.

Who installs kitchen cabinets?

Your general contractor, if you are doing a full remodel. Many have a cabinet installer they work with.
A cabinet installation specialist, someone who sets cabinets every week.
A finish carpenter with real cabinet experience.
A handyman, for a single vanity or a short run, within what your state allows without a license.

For a full kitchen with an island, tall cabinets and appliance panels, look for someone who sets cabinets regularly.

How do I check an installer’s license?

Most states require a contractor license above a small-job threshold, and a full kitchen is usually well above it. In California the board is the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Before you hire:

Ask for the license number.
Look it up on your state board’s website.
Confirm it is active and the name matches the person or company you are hiring.
Check the classification fits the work.
Look for complaints or disciplinary actions.

If you are not sure whether your job needs a licensed contractor, ask the board.

What insurance should a cabinet installer carry?

Ask for proof of liability insurance, in case your home is damaged, and workers’ compensation if they have employees. Ask the insurer or agent to send the certificate directly, and check the dates. If someone is hurt on your property and the right cover is missing, it can become your problem.

Some cabinet projects also need a permit, especially when plumbing, electrical, gas or walls change. Your contractor should know, but confirm with your city or county building department.

Long runs and open shelving show every uneven gap. Ask how an installer scribes to the wall.

Get a fixed-price quote See recent kitchens

What should I ask a cabinet installer?

How many kitchens have you installed in the last year? Can I see photos or a recent job?
Are you licensed and insured? Then verify it.
Who actually does the work: you or a crew?
How do you level and fasten base and wall cabinets?
Do you scribe fillers and panels to the wall?
Do you fit crown, light rail and appliance panels?
Do you cut for plumbing and electrical, or is that another trade?
Will you hook up the sink, dishwasher or appliances, or is that a plumber or electrician?
Do you install the knobs and pulls?
Who takes away the packaging?
When can you start, and how long will it take?

What should the installation bid include?

License number and business name
The scope: base, wall and tall cabinets, island, panels, fillers, crown, light rail, hardware
What is excluded, such as plumbing, electrical, countertops and demolition
The price and what it is based on
Payments tied to milestones, with the last one after completion
Start date and expected duration
How changes are handled
Clean-up and disposal

How do you work with my installer?

Our cabinets arrive fully assembled, labelled and wrapped, so your installer’s time goes on setting, levelling and scribing rather than building boxes. They work from the final drawings, which show every cabinet, filler and panel, and your designer is on hand through the job for measurement and layout questions. Assembled cabinets are one reason the labour side of the bid stays down; see RTA against assembled cabinets.

How do I line up the timing?

Book the installer before the cabinets are finished, so delivery and installation meet. Have a dry, covered space ready for delivery, such as a garage. Countertops are templated after the cabinets are set, so tell your fabricator the install date. Our cabinets take about eight weeks in the shop after design approval; here is the full timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Do you install cabinets?

In the Bay Area, yes. Elsewhere the cabinets arrive fully assembled and labelled, with freight included, for your installer or contractor to fit.

Can I install the cabinets myself?

Many homeowners do, especially a vanity or a short run. A full kitchen takes patience, a good level and a second pair of hands for the lifting.

What if something doesn’t fit?

Call us straight away with photos and measurements, and we will work through it with you and your installer.

Do I need a permit just to replace cabinets?

It depends on the scope, especially if plumbing, electrical or walls change. Check with your city or county building department.