How To Become A Cabinet Installer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cabinet installer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Who doesn't want more storage in their home or office? As a cabinet installer, you get to be the one who brings more storage to your customers. Cabinet installers build storage into people's lives by fitting cupboards into kitchens, bathrooms, closets, garages, pantries, and other spaces. To do this, cabinet installers must measure rooms and spaces to determine the materials needed, prepare spaces, build custom and ready-made cabinets, handle the installation of parts, and apply finish such as paint or stain.

To be a successful cabinet installer, you'll need to be highly skilled at using hand and power tools. You'll also need to know how to follow blueprints precisely and ensure quality of installation. Cabinet installers generally do not need additional education beyond a high school diploma. However, when looking to get hired for cabinet installation, experience with common carpentry and construction tools is very helpful. Since the primary clientele for installers of residential property owners, most employers will require you to have a valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and a clean driving record.

ScoreCabinet InstallerUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $41,193

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.6

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.12%

Asian 1.60%

Black or African American 7.10%

Hispanic or Latino 23.30%

Unknown 4.65%

White 62.22%

Gender

female 4.52%

male 95.48%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cabinet installer

Explore cabinet installer education requirements

Most common cabinet installer degrees

High School Diploma

51.2 %

Associate

18.7 %

Bachelor's

17.2 %

Start to develop specific cabinet installer skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	23.18%
Hand Tools	20.03%
Work Ethic	16.54%
Custom Cabinets	10.83%
Customer Satisfaction	9.96%

Complete relevant cabinet installer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cabinet installers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cabinet installer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cabinet installer resumes.

Research cabinet installer duties and responsibilities

Manage telecommunications, data and CCTV equipment.
Smooth and sand surfaces to remove ridges, tool marks, glue, or caulking.
Operate all power tools, saws, drills, jigs, jointers, plainer, sanders, etc.
Measure, cut and hang Sheetrock.

Prepare your cabinet installer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cabinet installer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cabinet installer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable cabinet installer resume templates

Build a professional cabinet installer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your cabinet installer resume.