Cabinet installation: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering cabinet installation
Cabinet installs are judged on level runs, straight doors and how tight the cabinets sit to the walls. Win the job by checking the walls, planning the anchor points and showing the scribe and filler plan before the boxes go up.
What customers ask
- Will the doors line up and stay aligned?
- How do you handle a wall that is not straight?
- Will the wall cabinets hold the weight of full dishes?
- Do you set the countertop support, and who levels the top?
- How long will the install take, and what do I need to have ready?
How to win the job
- Check the walls, floor and ceiling with a level and a laser on the first visit, and write the out-of-level and out-of-square readings into the proposal.
- Mark the stud locations on the wall and show the anchor points on a sketch, so the customer sees how the wall cabinets will be held.
- Quote the scribe and filler work as its own line, with the material and the number of pieces named.
- Name the hinge and slide brands in the quote, with the soft-close and the full-extension options marked separately.
- Put the countertop support and the leveling method in the quote, so the customer knows the top will sit flat.
- Schedule the install with the countertop templating and the plumbing hookups, so the sink and range dates are clear.
- Walk the finished run with the customer and check each door and drawer for alignment before you leave.
What to put on your profile
- Before and after photos of cabinet runs with the doors, the reveals and the scribe visible
- Close-up photos of the wall anchors, the ledger and the studs before the cabinets go up
- Photos of the countertop support and the leveling before the top is templated
- A list of the cabinet lines you install and the hardware options you offer
Follow-up that helps the customer
- A care and adjustment sheet for the hinges and drawer slides, with the first adjustment date
- A check visit after the first few months to look at door alignment and any settling
- A quote for a pantry, a tall unit or a matching vanity, offered only if the customer asks
Licenses and permits
Cabinet installation commonly does not need a license, but plumbing and electrical hookups often require licensed trades and a permit is often needed for a kitchen remodel. Confirm your business registration and insurance in your state and locality, and refer the hookups to licensed trades.
Questions
Should I warranty the install?
Warranty your install work, such as the alignment, the anchoring and the hinge adjustment. Pass through the cabinet manufacturer's warranty for the boxes, doors and hardware.
What do I do when the walls are far out of square?
Show the customer the measurements and quote the scribing, filler and trim work that the walls require. Do not force the cabinets into a wall that is not square.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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