Kitchen Cabinets in Portland: Replacement and Installation
New cabinets mean new boxes and fronts, usually with new countertops. Here is how the three lines differ, what installation involves, and when permits come in.
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Replacing kitchen cabinets means new boxes and new fronts, usually with new countertops on top. The first choice is the line: stock, semi-custom or custom. Then comes installation, and the question of whether the layout stays or moves, which decides the permits. New cabinets are one of four kitchen jobs we pass requests for; the full remodel is on our page about kitchen remodeling in Portland.
Stock, semi-custom and custom cabinets
The cabinet makers’ association does not define these grades on its public pages, so here is how a major cabinet manufacturer, MasterBrand, describes them in its annual report to the SEC (Form 10-K, fiscal 2025):
- Stock cabinets offer entry-level pricing, with low design complexity, standardized components and shorter lead times.
- Semi-custom cabinets offer more styles and features than stock, for a more personalized kitchen at a lower price point than premium lines.
- Custom cabinets, which the filing calls premium, are highly customized to the buyer’s exact specifications.
The table further down sets the three side by side.
What the KCMA seal tests
The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) awards its A161.1 Quality Certification Seal to a cabinet design only after its structure, drawers, doors and finish are tested to simulate a lifetime of use. KCMA says certified cabinets have passed 14 tests, including a 600-pound load test, and that they are available at every price point, from builder-grade units to custom designs. Ask whether the line you are offered carries the seal.
What installation involves
The sink, dishwasher and range are disconnected and the old cabinets come out. The new base cabinets are set level and fastened to each other and to the wall, the wall cabinets are hung above them, and the countertops are templated and installed on the finished run. Then the sink, faucet and appliances are reconnected. New counters usually come with new cabinets, so countertop material is one of the choices to talk through at the consultation. If the boxes are sound and only the finish is tired, cabinet painting may be all the kitchen needs.
Planning the layout
New cabinets are the moment to fix a layout that does not work. The National Kitchen & Bath Association’s public Kitchen Planning Guidelines, whose code references are based on the 2015 International Residential Code, give a starting point:
- a work aisle of at least 42 inches for one cook and at least 48 inches for several, and a walkway of at least 36 inches;
- in a kitchen with three work centers (cooking surface, sink and refrigerator), the three distances between them totalling no more than 26 feet, with no single leg under 4 feet or over 9 feet;
- no major traffic route through that triangle;
- in a U-shaped kitchen, at least 60 inches between the opposing arms.
They are guidelines, not code, and NKBA’s newer fifth edition is not public. If you want a designer, NKBA’s find-a-designer directory lists its certified designers (its current certifications are CKBD and CMKBD), and NARI, the remodelers’ association, certifies kitchen and bath remodelers (CKBR) and runs a Find A Remodeler search. We do not know whether the remodeler we pass your request to holds any of these credentials, so ask.
Permits for new cabinets
In Oregon, cabinets on their own need no building permit. The state’s permit list exempts cabinets, countertops and similar finish work, Portland Permitting & Development needs no permit to install cabinets and shelving, and Tigard’s permit guide puts it plainly: shelving and cabinets, no building permit required.
The permits start when the layout moves. Under Oregon’s state list, adding, moving or removing walls needs a building permit; a remodel that relocates existing plumbing needs a plumbing permit; running additional wiring or installing a new outlet or light fixture needs an electrical permit; and installing a kitchen range exhaust needs a mechanical permit. Portland also needs a plumbing permit to install new fixtures such as a sink or dishwasher. For a kitchen in Washington, where the rules differ, see kitchen remodeling in Vancouver, WA.
New cabinets or refacing?
If the boxes are solid and the layout works, cabinet refacing replaces the doors, drawer fronts and hardware and keeps the boxes. New cabinets are the job when the boxes have failed, when you need more storage, or when the layout has to change.
We publish no cabinet price, because no source we can cite gives one for this area; the remodeler prices the job after the consultation. The nearest published figures, for whole-kitchen projects with new semi-custom or custom cabinets, are on our page about kitchen remodel costs in Portland.
When new cabinets are the job
Refacing keeps the boxes you have. These are the signs that the boxes themselves need to change.
The floor of the sink cabinet is swollen, stained or soft, or other cabinet boxes are coming apart.
New fronts do not repair a box that has failed. When the boxes themselves are damaged, replacing the cabinets is the job, not refacing them.
There is nowhere to put things: too few cabinets, shallow drawers, counters covered in what has no home.
Refacing keeps the cabinets you have, so it cannot add storage. More storage means new cabinets, and often a new plan for where they go.
Two people cannot pass, the fridge door blocks the walkway, or the sink, range and refrigerator sit too far apart.
A layout problem is solved by moving cabinets, and sometimes walls, plumbing or wiring, which brings permits into the job. NKBA planning guidelines give a starting point: a work aisle of at least 42 inches for one cook and 48 inches for several.
The house was built before 1978, and the work will disturb painted cabinets, walls or trim.
In Oregon, only contractors licensed by the CCB for Lead-Based Paint Renovation may bid or work on pre-1978 homes. In Washington, renovation, repair or painting work on pre-1978 homes needs RRP certification from the Department of Commerce.
From request to free consultation
We pass your request on; the remodeler takes it from there, starting with a free consultation.
Tell us about your kitchen
Answer a few questions: your ZIP code, the kind of job and when you hope to start. Sending a request costs nothing.
We pass it to a local remodeler
Your request goes to an independent remodeler who works in your area and holds the Oregon CCB license or Washington L&I registration the job needs. We do not remodel kitchens ourselves.
The remodeler contacts you
They get in touch to talk through the kitchen and offer a free consultation. Any design or estimate fees after that are their terms, agreed with you.
You decide
Check their Oregon CCB license or Washington L&I registration, read the proposal, and hire only if it suits you. You are under no obligation.
Stock, semi-custom and custom cabinets
| Attribute | Stock | Semi-custom | Custom (premium) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price position | Entry-level pricing | Lower than premium | Above semi-custom |
| Design choice | Low design complexity and standardized components | More styles and features than stock, for a more personalized kitchen | Highly customized, designed to the buyer's exact specifications |
| Lead time | Shorter lead times | Not stated in the filing | Not stated in the filing |
| KCMA-certified lines exist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
New cabinets across Portland and Vancouver
We pass cabinet requests from all four counties. Each city page names that city's permit office and the age of its homes.
More services
Related services
Cabinet Refacing
Keep the cabinet boxes and the layout; replace what you see: doors, drawer fronts, a veneer or laminate over the face frames and sides, and the hardware.
Cabinet Painting
Keep the boxes, the doors and the layout, and give the cabinets a new finish. Nothing is replaced, so it suits doors whose style you still like.
Questions, answered
Kitchen cabinet questions
What are the three grades of kitchen cabinets?
Stock, semi-custom and custom, which the cabinet maker MasterBrand calls premium. In its Form 10-K, stock cabinets offer entry-level pricing with low design complexity, standardized components and shorter lead times; semi-custom cabinets offer more styles and features than stock at a lower price point than premium; and premium cabinets are highly customized to the buyer's exact specifications.
Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets?
In Oregon, not for the cabinets themselves. The state's permit list exempts cabinets and similar finish work from a building permit, Portland needs no permit to install cabinets and shelving, and Tigard's permit guide says shelving and cabinets need no building permit. Permits start when the job moves walls, relocates plumbing, adds wiring or installs a range exhaust. In Vancouver, the city requires its Residential Building Permit for alterations and repairs.
What does the KCMA seal mean?
The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association awards its A161.1 Quality Certification Seal to a cabinet design whose structure, drawers, doors and finish pass tests that simulate a lifetime of use. KCMA says certified cabinets have passed 14 tests, including a 600-pound load test, and that certified cabinets are available at every price point, from builder-grade to custom.
How wide should the aisle be in a new kitchen layout?
NKBA's public Kitchen Planning Guidelines recommend a work aisle of at least 42 inches for one cook and at least 48 inches for several, and a walkway of at least 36 inches. They are planning guidelines whose code references are based on the 2015 International Residential Code, not the code itself.
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