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Custom Cabinet Builders in Yakima, WA

Custom Cabinets Built Step by Step for Yakima Homes

Kitchen cabinetry, vanities, and built-ins measured, milled, and installed to fit your room exactly. Free shop drawings across the Yakima Valley.

Call (509) 626-4417Get a Free Shop Drawing
  • Free shop drawings
  • Plywood box construction
  • Soft-close hardware
Custom cabinets built in Yakima, WA

Build Notes

A behind the scenes look at how a custom cabinet project comes together, step by step.

How a Custom Cabinet Project Comes Together, Step by Step

July 1, 2026

A custom cabinet project taking shape in the shop

Homeowners often picture a custom cabinet job as one big event, but in the shop it is really a chain of smaller steps. Each step feeds the next, and getting the early ones right is what makes install day short and clean. Here is how a project moves from an empty kitchen to finished cabinets in a Yakima home.

Step One: The Field Measure

Everything starts with an accurate measure. We record every wall, outlet, window, and appliance gap, and we note where an older house near Nob Hill Boulevard has settled out of square. These numbers are the foundation for the entire build, so we take the real conditions rather than the ideal ones. A measure that is off by a quarter inch turns into a filler you can see later.

Step Two: Shop Drawings You Approve

Those measurements become shop drawings that show the door style, drawer layout, overlay, and finish. This is the step where you make decisions on paper, when changes cost nothing. Nobody cuts a panel of maple until you sign off on the drawing. If you want a bank of drawers instead of a door, or a different species, now is the moment. Our custom kitchen cabinets all begin from a drawing you have approved.

Step Three: Milling and Assembly

With the drawing signed, the plywood gets nested and cut, drawer boxes get dovetailed, and door parts are machined to the 32mm layout that keeps hinges and slides consistent. Boxes are assembled, squared, and checked before the doors are hung. This is the busiest stretch, and a typical kitchen spends about three to five weeks moving through it.

Step Four: Finishing

Before anything leaves the shop, the cabinets are sprayed with a catalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish and left to cure. Finishing in a controlled shop, not in your house, means no dust in the coat and no fumes in your kitchen. The finish is also tougher, which matters for cabinets that face steam and daily wear for years.

Step Five: Install Day

The last step is the fastest because the hard thinking is already done. We set the boxes level, shim to the real floor, scribe the fillers to the wall, and mount the soft-close hardware. We protect your floors, haul the old boxes, and leave the room ready for the countertop template. Most installs wrap in one to two days.

If you are planning a kitchen, bath, or built-in and want to see your project drawn before anything is cut, contact us to set up a free measure. Call Telex-music at (509) 626-4417 and we will get you on the calendar anywhere in the Yakima Valley.

Read the full article
  • Shop drawings firstYou approve a measured drawing showing door style, layout, and overlay before we cut a single panel of plywood.
  • Plywood boxes, dovetail drawersCabinet-grade birch or maple boxes and dovetailed solid-wood drawer boxes on undermount slides, not stapled particleboard.
  • Sprayed, durable finishCatalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish sprayed in the shop, cured before install, and built to shrug off kitchen steam.
  • Timeline you can plan aroundMost kitchens run three to five weeks from measure to install, and we give you the dates up front.

Telex-music provides custom cabinets in Yakima, WA, and the whole job runs as a clear sequence of steps rather than a guessing game. We build custom kitchen cabinetry, bathroom vanities, built-in cabinetry and millwork, closet and pantry systems, cabinet refacing, and home office storage, each one cut and assembled to fit a single room. Every project opens the same way, with a field measure and a set of shop drawings you approve before one panel of maple gets cut. From there the work moves through the shop in order. Homes from Nob Hill to West Valley and out to the 98908 ZIP all follow that same build.

The first step is the field measure. We come to your kitchen, bath, or office, record every wall, outlet, and window, and note the spots where an older Yakima house has drifted out of square. Those numbers become shop drawings that show door style, drawer layout, and the exact overlay before anyone commits to material. You sign off on that drawing, so the cabinet you picture and the cabinet we mill are the same thing. Nothing gets cut on a maybe.

Next comes the shop. We nest and cut cabinet-grade birch or maple plywood for the boxes, build dovetailed drawer boxes, and machine the door parts to the 32mm layout that keeps hinges and slides consistent. Boxes get assembled and squared, doors get hung, and then the whole run moves to finish, where we spray a catalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish that holds up to steam and daily use. Only after the finish cures do we schedule the install date. A typical kitchen run spends about three to five weeks moving through those stations.

Install day is the last step, and it is the shortest. We set the boxes level, shim to the real floor, scribe the fillers to the wall, and mount the doors and Blum soft-close hardware so every drawer lands quiet. We protect your floors, haul the old boxes, and leave the room ready for the countertop template. Because the work is planned on paper first, the crew on Tieton Drive or out in Selah is installing a job that already fits. That is why the process delivers a clean result instead of a pile of on-site surprises.

Serving Yakima and the Valley

We build and install custom cabinets across Yakima and the surrounding Yakima County towns, from the city neighborhoods to the orchard communities up the valley.

Not sure we reach your town? Call (509) 626-4417 and we will tell you straight.

  • Yakima, WA (98901, 98902, 98908)
  • Selah, WA
  • Union Gap, WA
  • Naches, WA
  • Moxee, WA
  • Terrace Heights, WA
  • Tieton, WA
  • Cowiche, WA

Rooms and Projects We Cabinet Out

One local shop for the whole house, each project milled to fit the room instead of forced from a stock size.

  • Custom Kitchen Cabinetry

    Base cabinets, wall cabinets, and tall pantry units built to your exact room in maple, oak, cherry, hickory, or painted MDF, with shaker, slab, or raised-panel doors.

  • Bathroom Vanities and Storage

    Vanities, medicine cabinets, and linen towers sized to the footprint, with plumbing cutouts and moisture-resistant materials for Yakima baths.

  • Built-In Cabinetry and Millwork

    Entertainment centers, bookcases, window seats, mudroom lockers, and fireplace surrounds scribed and fitted tight to your walls and floors.

  • Closet and Pantry Systems

    Walk-in and reach-in organizers with adjustable shelving, drawers, and hanging components laid out for how you actually store things.

  • Cabinet Refacing and Refinishing

    New doors, drawer fronts, and veneer over sound boxes, or a stripped and sprayed refinish when the carcasses are solid but tired.

  • Home Office and Built-In Desks

    Desks, credenzas, file storage, and floor-to-ceiling shelving that hide wiring and fit a spare bedroom or study exactly.

Before You Schedule Your Build

How much do custom cabinets cost in Yakima?
It depends on how much is custom. Semi-custom runs roughly $150 to $650 per linear foot, and fully custom runs $500 to $1,200 and up, with wood species and door style driving the number. Refacing a sound kitchen is often $4,000 to $10,000. We put a firm price on your shop drawing after a free measure.
How long does the whole build take?
A typical kitchen spends about three to five weeks in the shop between the approved drawing and install day. The install itself is usually one to two days. We hand you the calendar dates once the drawing is signed, so you can plan the rest of the remodel around it.
What happens at each step of the process?
We field measure your room, turn it into shop drawings you approve, then mill the plywood boxes, build dovetail drawers, hang doors, and spray the finish. Only after the finish cures do we install. Planning it on paper first is what keeps install day short and clean.
Should I reface, refinish, or fully replace?
If the boxes are solid and the layout works, refacing or refinishing saves money and time. If you want a new layout, different sizes, or better storage, a full custom build is the better spend. We look at your boxes during the measure and tell you honestly which way to go.
What are the boxes and drawers actually made of?
Boxes are cabinet-grade birch or maple plywood, not stapled particleboard, and drawer boxes are dovetailed solid wood on undermount soft-close slides. Painted doors are MDF for a crack-free surface, and stained doors use solid hardwood like maple, oak, or hickory.
Do you offer a free measure and drawing?
Yes. We come out, measure your kitchen, bath, or office, and produce a shop drawing at no charge so you can see the layout and the firm price before you commit. Call (509) 626-4417 to set up a visit anywhere in the Yakima Valley.

Budgeting for Your Cabinet Build

Cabinet pricing tracks the level of customization, the wood species, and the door style you choose. Stock sizes are the budget baseline, semi-custom adds sizing and finish options, and fully custom is built to your exact walls in the species and joinery you want. Refacing and refinishing sit lower because they reuse the boxes. The ranges below are typical for the Yakima area, and we put a firm number in writing on your shop drawing after a free measure.

Refacing or Refinishing$4,000 to $10,000 per kitchen
  • Reuses sound boxes
  • New doors, fronts, or sprayed finish
Get estimate
Semi-Custom Cabinets$150 to $650 per linear foot
  • Sized and finished to your room
  • Wide door and color choice
Get estimate
Fully Custom Cabinets$500 to $1,200 per linear foot
  • Built to your exact walls
  • Any species, joinery, and finish
Get estimate

Start With a Free Shop Drawing

Ready to see your cabinets on paper? We will measure your room, walk you through species, door styles, and hardware, and hand you a shop drawing with a firm written price and no pressure. Most Yakima builds run three to five weeks from a signed drawing to a clean install. Call and we will get your measure on the calendar.

Call (509) 626-4417