Is Cabinetry a Good Field to Get Into?

If you are considering becoming a cabinetry maker, it’s a good idea to think twice. Although the field will get you a nice pay check after many years of learning the trade, entry level positions do not pay well.

A carrier in the medical field would pay much more and chances are that you would get to work in the air conditioning during summer months.

If you are considering opening your own company, then join the ten other cabinet companies around the corner from you. Just about anyone can open a cabinet shop. There are no requirements for schooling or even trade licensing.


Basically all you need is some equipment, insurance, customers and a place to fabricate kitchens, office furniture or vanity cupboards. It’s that simple. This is why there are cabinet companies around every corner and the competition is so great in many medium to large sized cities.

It would be different if cabinetry shop owners had formal business training prior to opening shop. Because many new owners do not understand how to estimate or even set a decent wage for themselves, the cost of getting custom cabinets can be cheap. Because of owners not being educated as to the proper way to estimate their low bids set the standard in the industry.

What this means is that when you give an estimate wanting to make $65 per hour, some business owner around the corner from you is willing to work for $13 per hour. How can you compete with that? You can’t. This is why it’s not such a great idea to get into the cabinetry field.

Here’s what I’ve always told my son, if you decide to have a carrier in cabinetry, then become an installer. That’s where the best money is.

Back in the nineteen seventies there was an article published by a nationally know kitchen and bath magazine that researched the pay levels in the cabinet industry. The article showed statistics that cabinet installers made more money than the company owners in many instances.

I’ve been in the cabinet industry for a long time and to be honest with you, there are not any filthy rich people who own cabinet companies. The field just doesn’t produce large amounts of money for company owners.

If you are already a cabinet shop apprentice and you know the trade well, then it’s OK to give it a try and start your own company. If that’s all you know and you do not want to invest time or money getting an education to go into a different field then make sure to have a great marketing plan. Making a cabinet shop business plan would be a good idea.

All I’m saying is that having a carrier in the cabinetry industry will not produce a decent living for the majority of business owners out there. Only a select few will make great wages in the field of cabinet making.