Replacing Kitchen Cabinets in San Antonio: Cost, Timing, and What Stays

Most kitchens we work on are not gut remodels. The walls stay, the sink stays under the window, the range stays on its gas line. What is worn out is the cabinets: a sink base gone soft from a slow leak, drawers that drag, doors that never closed right. Swapping those boxes is the job we do most from our Isom Rd showroom. Here is what it involves.

What a replacement includes, and what usually stays

A replacement keeps your footprint: same walls, same plumbing and gas points, same outlets. Inside it, the pieces usually shake out like this.

Can you keep your countertops?

Sometimes, but we would not plan a budget around it. Granite and quartz tops are glued to the cabinets underneath. Lifting a slab risks cracking it, most often at the sink cutout and the seams, and it only goes back if the new cabinets match the old footprint almost exactly. Our standard installation removes and disposes of the old tops on install day, and new tops are templated once the cabinets are set and level, so seams and cutouts land where they should. If your top is newer and the layout is not changing at all, bring it up at the measure. New tops run $45 to $95 per sq ft for granite, $55 to $110 for quartz and $70 to $140 for quartzite, installed.

The floor question nobody asks until demo day

In a lot of houses, especially where the floor was replaced at some point, the tile or wood stops at the toe kick. Pull the old boxes and you find bare slab or an older floor. Keep the same footprint and that strip stays hidden. Move anything, like a wider sink base, a new pantry or an island, and the gap shows. You can patch with spare tile if you kept some, or replace the floor in the same project so floor and cabinets are planned together. Tile goes down before the cabinets and needs time to cure. Our installed flooring starts at $3.99 per sq ft for luxury vinyl plank, $5.99 for porcelain and ceramic tile, and $8.99 for engineered hardwood.

One local quirk: our clay soil leaves plenty of kitchen floors half an inch out of level across a 12-foot run. New bases get shimmed dead level on install day, which matters most for the countertop seams.

What it costs to replace kitchen cabinets in San Antonio

Our published starting points for a standard 10×10 layout, about 10 cabinets. Your real number comes from the itemized quote after the measure.

A larger kitchen, premium finishes, a bigger island or a stone upgrade can push a complete project into the $6,000 to $20,000+ range. Tear-out of the old cabinets is quoted with the installation, and delivery shows as its own line. Our cabinet cost guide covers what moves the price, and Affirm monthly financing is available on the whole project, with a soft credit check to pre-qualify.

Will new cabinets fit where the old ones were?

Almost always. Cabinets come in standard sizes, and leftover inches get closed with filler strips from 3 to 48 inches. The standard sizes on our style pages:

• Walls that are not true. In the 1970s and 80s ranch homes inside Loop 410 and on the Northeast and Northwest sides, walls are rarely square and ceiling height can change by ¾ inch across one wall. Old boxes are often nailed straight through the drywall, so expect some patching.
• Eight-foot ceilings. Most local tract homes give you 96 inches. Over a 36-inch counter and an 18-inch backsplash, 42-inch uppers reach the ceiling and kill the dust shelf that 30-inch uppers leave. A replacement is the right moment to make that change.

Our designers measure to a 1/16-inch tolerance, including soffits, plumbing rough-ins and appliance specs, and non-standard widths can be ordered when a run needs one.

Paint, reface or replace?

When the boxes are sound, painting or refacing can be the better use of money. The question is what is failing.

The two-minute test: open the sink base and press on its floor. If it is swollen, soft or flaking, that box is done, because particleboard that has taken on water never recovers. A swollen sink-base floor is the most common cabinet failure we see in older kitchens. Then pull out a drawer: stapled sides and rough glides tell the same story. If both pass and you like the layout, paint or reface. If not, replace with plywood boxes. Ours are ½-inch select birch plywood with ¾-inch plywood shelves, ⅝-inch solid birch dovetail drawers and soft-close hinges and glides (why plywood matters here).

How long it takes, and the holiday math

1. Free in-home measurement: 60 to 90 minutes, no trip charge.
2. 3D design and itemized quote: within 48 hours.
3. Order and build after you approve: about 2 to 6 weeks. In-stock styles move fastest; special-order colors and sizes add weeks.
4. Tear-out and cabinet install: 1 to 2 days.
5. Countertops: templated once the cabinets are level, installed about 5 to 10 business days later.
6. Backsplash, hardware, punch list: the last few days.

You will be without a sink for 10 to 14 days, so set up a fridge, microwave and coffee maker in the dining room. Our day-by-day install timeline has the detail: a realistic door-to-door, from tear-out to the punch list, is two and a half to four weeks. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, and Christmas is on a Friday. Counting from the day you approve your design:

These are estimates from the ranges above, not promises; your quote comes with a real schedule. If you are counting on the year-end offer, 25% off the list price of select participating in-stock cabinet styles through December 31, 2026, while in-stock supplies last, the discount is locked at your in-home measurement. It applies to cabinet box and door pricing only. Excluded: labor and installation; countertops and slabs; hardware (knobs, pulls, organizers); delivery; sales tax; and design upgrades and special-order finishes. It cannot be combined with other offers, coupons, or contractor/dealer pricing. See the full terms or our explainer.

Permits, HOAs and historic districts

Cabinets in the same locations, on the same plumbing and electrical points, with new countertops on the existing supply and drain, are generally treated as maintenance in San Antonio. Moving a drain into an island, adding circuits, moving a gas line or removing a wall needs permits, normally pulled by the licensed trade doing that work. Historic districts and HOAs can add rules. Confirm your scope with the City of San Antonio Development Services Department; our permit guide has the list.

Before your measure: a quick checklist

• Decide whether the footprint stays. It drives the floor, plumbing and permit questions.
• Press on the floor of your sink base.
• List the appliances you are keeping, with model numbers if you have them.
• Check where your floor stops, and decide whether flooring is part of the job.
• Pick your sink and faucet early; they must be on site for the template.
• Note the date that matters, then sketch your layout in our free 3D kitchen designer if you like.

Frequently asked questions

Can you replace kitchen cabinets without replacing the countertops?

Sometimes, but it is risky. Stone tops are glued to the old cabinets, can crack when lifted, and only go back on if the new cabinets match the old footprint almost exactly. Our standard installation removes the old tops and templates new ones after the cabinets are set.

How much does it cost to replace kitchen cabinets in San Antonio?

For a standard 10×10 kitchen at WoodArt, cabinets only start at $1,750, cabinets with a quartz countertop at $4,250, and a turn-key installed kitchen at $5,500. With countertops and labor, most 10×10 replacements fall between $5,000 and $10,000.

How long does it take to replace kitchen cabinets?

Ordering and building take about 2 to 6 weeks after you approve the design. The install takes 1 to 2 days, and new countertops follow about 5 to 10 business days after the cabinets are set.

Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in San Antonio?

Usually not for a same-footprint swap on the existing plumbing and electrical points. Moving a drain, adding a circuit, moving a gas line or removing a wall generally needs permits. Confirm with the City of San Antonio Development Services Department.

Can I keep my appliances?

Usually, yes. We measure the openings and appliance specs at the in-home visit so the new cabinets fit around your range, refrigerator and dishwasher.

Do the new cabinets come assembled?

Yes. Homeowner orders arrive fully assembled, glued, screwed and squared in our San Antonio shop. Ready-to-assemble cabinets are only for approved contractor accounts.

Your next step

Book a free in-home measurement. We will measure every wall and opening, flag the out-of-square and out-of-level spots, and send a 3D design with a line-by-line quote within 48 hours. Or sketch your layout in the 3D designer, or see full-size doors and slabs at 431 Isom Rd: open 7 days (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, weekends 10am to 3pm), walk-ins welcome, se habla español.