Custom vs. Stock Cabinets

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Custom Cabinets vs. Stock Cabinets: What’s the Real Cost Difference in Central Florida?

If you’re redoing a kitchen, closet, or bathroom in Central Florida, you’ve probably priced cabinets at a big-box store and then gotten a quote from a custom shop. The numbers can look miles apart. Here’s what actually drives that gap, and how to decide which one makes sense for your home.

We’re Crafted In Florida, a custom woodworking and cabinet shop in Tavares. We build custom, but we’ll also tell you straight when stock is the better call.

What “stock” really means

Stock cabinets are mass-produced in fixed sizes, usually in 3-inch increments. You pick from what’s on the shelf or in the catalog, and the installer fills the leftover space with filler strips.

That works fine in a new build with square walls and standard dimensions. It works a lot less well in a 1950s Mount Dora bungalow with a wall that’s an inch out of plumb, or a kitchen with an odd 41-inch gap next to the fridge.

What drives the cost of custom

Custom cabinets cost more for three reasons:

1. Every box is built to your space. No filler strips, no wasted inches, no “close enough.” Cabinets run wall to wall and floor to ceiling if you want them to.
2. Better materials. We build our boxes from plywood, not particle board. Plywood holds screws better, stands up to Florida humidity, and won’t swell and crumble the first time a sink leaks.
3. Labor and design. A custom job includes measuring, layout, building, finishing, and installing. You’re paying for a craftsman’s time, not just a box.
4. Limitless Options. Custom means, you can choose the color you want and the style you want.

What the numbers look like

	Stock (big-box)	Custom (Crafted In Florida)
Box material	Usually particle board or MDF	Plywood, and hardwood doors.
Sizes	Fixed, 3″ increments	Built to the inch
Drawer slides	Often basic side-mount	Soft-close undermount
Typical price	$150 per linear foot	$750 per linear foot
Lead time	Days to weeks	4-6 weeks
Installed by	You or a separate installer	Us, start to finish

For most kitchens, custom runs roughly 4 times the cost of stock, but there are finishes and options you can choose to close the gap. The difference shrinks on small projects and on spaces where stock would need a lot of fillers and workarounds.

When stock is the smarter buy

We’ll be honest: custom isn’t always the right answer. Stock makes sense when:

• You’re updating a rental or flipping a house
• Your space is a not seen or used often
• Budget matters more than an exact fit

We can even install stock cabinets and build custom pieces around them, like a custom island, pantry wall, or range hood, so the kitchen still looks one of a kind.

When custom pays for itself

Custom is worth it when:

• Your space is odd-sized, out of square, or has angled walls
• You want cabinets to the ceiling with no wasted space
• You’re staying in the home for years and want it built to last
• You want something you can’t find in a catalog: a hidden pet feeding station, a coffee bar, built-in storage under the stairs

Get a real number for your space

The only way to know the real difference is to price your actual room. Crafted In Florida serves Tavares, Mount Dora, Eustis, Leesburg, Winter Garden, Clermont, Orlando, and the rest of Central Florida.

Call 386-848-0723 or request a free estimate and we’ll give you an honest price, and an honest opinion on whether custom is worth it for your project.