Overview: Custom Cabinet Makers
A custom cabinet shop builds boxes, doors and drawers to a drawing made for your room, finishes them in its own shop and installs them. Kitchens are most of the work, along with vanities, mudroom lockers, pantry walls and built-ins for a finished basement.
Cabinetmaker is a Red Seal trade, and certification is voluntary in every province, so a certificate is a plus rather than a legal must. Quebec adds a rule on the install side. Installing cabinets for pay there is construction work, and the contractor generally needs a Régie du bâtiment licence with the right subclass.
Ask what the boxes are made of. Federal rules cap formaldehyde emissions from particleboard, MDF and hardwood plywood, including panels built into cabinets, and those panels have to be certified and labelled. Ask about the dry season too. Forced-air heat pulls moisture out of wood all winter, and a shop that builds for our climate leaves solid panels room to shrink.
Our listings show what each shop states on its own website. Choose your province, then your city, to find cabinet makers with a workshop or showroom you can visit.
Custom cabinetry costs in Canada
Cabinet dimensions, interiors and finish matter as much as length. Compare a drawing and specification, not only a per-foot price.
| Service | Planning budget | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Standard custom kitchen cabinetry | C$25,000–C$45,000per defined kitchen cabinetry project | Custom kitchen cabinets fabricated and installed to an agreed cabinet schedule, finish and hardware specification.Cabinetry only. Confirm design, delivery, old-cabinet removal and installation in the total; counters and other renovation trades are separate.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Custom cabinetry fabrication and installation Budget separately or confirm: Countertops, appliances and plumbing; Structural alterations and unrelated renovation work |
| Standard custom walk-in storage | C$4,000–C$10,000per defined closet installed | Custom walk-in shelving and hanging storage, with the wall coverage, drawers, material and finish agreed.Compare the length of cabinetry and drawer count, not just the room size. Confirm measurement, design and installation charges.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Cabinetry fabrication and installation Budget separately or confirm: Room construction, electrical work and island cabinetry; Separate design fees and premium accessories unless listed |
| Custom vanity cabinet, without countertop | C$1,500–C$6,500per specified vanity cabinet installed | One custom vanity cabinet, with its width, drawer layout, finish and mounting method specified.This is the installed cabinet only. A larger double vanity costs more than a compact single; the top, fixtures and plumbing are extra. Request the cabinet, countertop, fixtures and plumbing as separate quote lines.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Cabinet fabrication and specified finish; Cabinet installation Budget separately or confirm: Countertop, sink, faucet and plumbing; Wall reinforcement and unlisted removal or design work |
| Custom floor-to-ceiling bookshelf wall | C$5,000–C$14,000per specified bookshelf wall installed | One floor-to-ceiling bookshelf wall, with width, height, cupboards, material and finish defined.Specify the wall width, cupboards and finish. Confirm whether design and shop drawings are included before comparing installed totals.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Custom fabrication, finishing and installation Budget separately or confirm: Separate design or shop-drawing fees and premium hardware unless listed; Electrical work, audiovisual equipment and structural changes |
| Cabinet refacing | C$4,500–C$15,000per defined kitchen cabinet package | Sound kitchen cabinet boxes retained; door count, drawer fronts, matching exposed surfaces and finish specified.The boxes and layout stay. Compare the same door and drawer-front count, exposed panels and hardware; refacing is different from repainting.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: New specified doors and drawer fronts; Matching exposed cabinet surfaces and installation Budget separately or confirm: New cabinet boxes or layout changes; Countertop replacement and unlisted hardware upgrades |
What changes the price
- Cabinet count, wall coverage, drawer banks and internal storage
- Box material, door profile and finishing process
- Scribing to uneven walls, installation access and separately billed design
Ask before accepting a quote
- Does the cabinet schedule specify every box, drawer, exposed panel, finish and hardware item?
- Are measurement, design, delivery, fitting and old-cabinet removal included in the installed total?
- For a vanity, what are the separate totals for the cabinet, top, fixtures and plumbing?
Choose the right cabinet scope
- Refacing keeps sound boxes and the existing layout; new custom cabinetry changes the boxes, dimensions and storage arrangement.
- Approve appliance and sink specifications before fabrication so openings and drawer clearances match the items you will install.
Canadian context
Ask whether quoted materials and hardware are locally stocked or imported, and confirm the Canadian-dollar price validity period.
Planning amounts in Canadian dollars. Published tax treatment varies; confirm applicable taxes and the final total in your written quote. Rows can be different services, alternative packages or separately priced extras. Add only work that is needed and not already included in your quote.
Frequently asked questions
Does my cabinet installer need a licence?
In Quebec, generally yes. Installing cabinets and counters for pay counts as construction work, and the contractor needs a Régie du bâtiment licence with the matching subclass. You can check both in the RBQ's online register. In Ontario, cabinetmaking is a voluntary trade, but Toronto licenses renovation businesses. Moving a sink, a gas line or a circuit brings in licensed trades in most provinces.
What should the boxes be made of?
Plywood holds screws and survives a slow leak under the sink. Particleboard and MDF stay flatter and cost less, but swell for good once they get wet. Particleboard, MDF and hardwood plywood all fall under Canada's formaldehyde emission limits, and panels sold here must be certified. Ask to see the compliance label for the shop's sheet goods. In a basement, also ask what goes against the outside wall.
How long does a custom order take?
Weeks at the very least, and often months. Design and approval come first, then the shop's queue, then finishing and curing. Nothing gets cut until you sign the drawing, so slow choices on doors and colour push the install back. In Ontario, a firm delivery date in the contract matters. If the supplier misses it by more than the grace period the law allows, you can cancel any time before delivery.
Can I cancel a kitchen contract I signed at home?
In Ontario, yes, within ten days. A contract you sign in your own home, often right after an in-home design visit, comes with a ten-day cooling-off period that starts when you get your written copy. Cancel in writing, in a way that proves the date. That window covers contracts signed at your door or in your home, so take your time over anything you sign in a showroom.
How do cabinets fit walls that are not straight?
By scribing. The installer holds a filler strip or an oversized end panel against the wall, traces the wall's real shape onto it and cuts to that line. Old plaster walls and basement floors that slope toward a drain need it most. It's skilled work, and a shop may not stand behind cabinets that someone else installed, so ask who does the install before you sign.
