How Much Does It Cost to Replace Kitchen Cabinets in Melbourne, FL?

Based on our Florida planning ranges, replacing kitchen cabinets in Melbourne is estimated at about $100–$300 per linear foot for stock cabinets, $150–$650 for semi-custom and $500–$1,200 for custom, installed. For a kitchen with 20 linear feet of cabinets, that's roughly $2,000–$6,000 for stock and $3,000–$13,000 for semi-custom, before new countertops, which usually go in at the same time. We didn't find cabinet prices published for Melbourne or Brevard County, so treat these as statewide estimates and let written quotes for your kitchen narrow them.

This page is about cabinets only: replacing, refacing or painting them, what a cabinet quote should include, and worked budgets for a 20-foot kitchen. If you're planning a full remodel, start with our Brevard County kitchen remodel cost guide or the statewide Florida kitchen remodel cost guide.

Kitchen cabinet cost per linear foot

The four cabinet rows, including refacing, are priced per linear foot of cabinet run. The last row is countertops, priced per square foot, because new cabinets and new counters usually go together.

A linear foot is measured along the wall where the cabinets sit. Base and upper cabinets on the same wall count once, so a 10-foot wall with both is 10 linear feet. Islands, tall pantry units and corner cabinets can be counted in different ways, so ask each contractor how they count them.

Stock, semi-custom and custom in plain terms

• Stock (low-cost). Cabinets come in a fixed set of standard sizes and finishes. Gaps at the ends of a run are closed with filler strips. It's the cheapest way to get new boxes, doors and drawers.
• Semi-custom (standard). More sizes, finishes and storage options, such as pull-out trash bins, deep drawers and organizers.
• Custom (premium). Built to the exact dimensions of your kitchen, in the material and finish you choose. High-end custom work can cost more than our range.

Where these numbers come from

We didn't find cabinet prices published for Melbourne, Brevard County or the Space Coast. The only Melbourne kitchen figure we found covers whole remodels, and it's discussed in the Brevard kitchen remodel guide. Our stock, semi-custom and custom rows are statewide planning ranges built from published Florida kitchen pricing, mostly for Tampa and Orlando, and they line up with national cost guides. Our refacing row comes from national cost guides, because we found no Florida refacing figures. Whether Space Coast installers usually price above or below these ranges, we can't say. How we estimate costs explains how our ranges are built.

What national cost guides publish for installed cabinets:

• One national cost guide puts stock cabinets at about $100–$300 per linear foot, semi-custom at $150–$650 and custom at $500–$1,200, the same as our rows.
• Two others also give $100–$300 per linear foot for installed stock cabinets. One puts semi-custom at $150–$400 (average about $275); the other says custom cabinets raise costs by 50% to 100%.
• A fourth gives a much wider $400–$3,500 per linear foot for replacement, not counting other remodeling costs. We couldn't see exactly what that figure includes, which shows how much scope definitions vary between sources.

None of these are quotes, and none are specific to Florida. Use them to sense-check a bid, not to set a price.

Replace, reface or paint?

If the cabinet boxes are sound and the layout works, refacing or painting disrupts the kitchen less. Here's how the three compare for 20 linear feet of cabinets.

The replacement and refacing figures are estimates from our planning ranges (20 linear feet × the low and high rate). We don't have a planning range for cabinet painting, so that column uses a national cost guide's published figure.

Refacing

Refacing keeps the existing cabinet boxes and covers them with new doors, drawer fronts and a matching veneer on the frames. National cost-guide figures we found:

• One national guide puts refacing at about $210–$750 per linear foot and about $7,000–$12,000 for a 30-linear-foot kitchen. It notes that laminate costs much less than real-wood veneer.
• Another gives an average of about $200 per linear foot.

Our refacing row, $200–$750 per linear foot, is based on these, and it runs well above our stock replacement range at the high end. If you're considering real-wood veneer, price new stock or semi-custom cabinets too.

Painting

Painting avoids most of the extra costs that come with replacement. One national cost guide's 2026 page puts most professional kitchen cabinet painting jobs at about $2,500–$6,500. Another national guide puts refinishing a whole kitchen's cabinets at about $3,000–$5,000. Neither figure is specific to Florida.

Painting changes only the color and finish. Ask the painter how they'll prepare the surfaces, whether doors and drawers are finished off site or in place, what primer and finish they'll use, and how long to wait before normal use.

Check the boxes before you choose

Refacing and painting keep the existing boxes, so they only make sense if the boxes are in good shape. Look first at the sink base, where a past leak can leave a soft, stained or swollen cabinet floor. Check that drawers run smoothly and that the face frames are solid. If the sink base or several boxes are damaged, replacement is likely the better choice. If you do replace, ask what the new sink base is made of and what the warranty says about water damage, and make sure the shutoff valves will still be easy to reach.

What a cabinet replacement quote should include

The cabinet price is only part of the job. We don't have planning ranges for removal or reconnection work, so ask for each of these as its own line, or confirm in writing that it's excluded.

• Removal and disposal of the old cabinets and countertops, including hauling.
• Delivery and installation: leveling and shimming, fastening to the wall, filler strips, toe kicks, crown molding or trim, and hardware.
• Countertops. New cabinet sizes or a new layout means a new top. Countertops are templated after the new cabinets go in, which adds time. Compare materials in quartz vs. granite countertops.
• Plumbing reconnection. The sink, faucet, disposal and dishwasher have to be disconnected and reconnected. Moving any of them is plumbing work for a licensed plumbing contractor and generally needs a permit.
• Electrical. New circuits, for under-cabinet lighting, an island or a new appliance, are electrical work that generally needs a permit.
• Backsplash. Tile that sits on the old countertop can be damaged when the counters come out. Ask whether the quote patches or replaces it.
• Floors. If the new cabinets have a different footprint, check whether your floor runs under the old cabinets. If it doesn't, you may need flooring work too. See flooring installation costs.
• Appliance fit. If you're replacing the range, refrigerator or dishwasher, choose them before the cabinets are ordered so the openings fit.
• Permit and paperwork, if your job needs a permit. When the direct contract is over $5,000, Florida also requires a recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection.

Example budgets for a 20-foot kitchen

These scenarios are illustrations, not quotes. Each one uses only the planning rates in the table above, multiplied at the low and high end, then rounded.

Assumptions for all four: an L-shaped kitchen with 20 linear feet of cabinet run, measured along the walls with base and upper cabinets counted once; 40 sq. ft. of countertop; the sink, dishwasher and range stay where they are; no new circuits. The totals leave out removal, plumbing reconnection, backsplash, appliances, flooring and permits.

Reface and keep the counters

• Refacing: 20 lin. ft. × $200–$750 = $4,000–$15,000
• Estimated cabinets total: about $4,000–$15,000

This assumes the existing counters are in good shape and stay in place. Laminate tends toward the low end, and real-wood veneer costs more.

New stock cabinets and quartz

• Stock cabinets: 20 lin. ft. × $100–$300 = $2,000–$6,000
• Quartz or granite: 40 sq. ft. × $55–$130 = $2,200–$5,200
• Estimated cabinets and counters: about $4,200–$11,000

New semi-custom cabinets and quartz

• Semi-custom cabinets: 20 lin. ft. × $150–$650 = $3,000–$13,000
• Quartz or granite: 40 sq. ft. × $55–$130 = $2,200–$5,200
• Estimated cabinets and counters: about $5,200–$18,000

New custom cabinets and quartz

• Custom cabinets: 20 lin. ft. × $500–$1,200 = $10,000–$24,000
• Quartz or granite: 40 sq. ft. × $55–$130 = $2,200–$5,200
• Estimated cabinets and counters: about $12,000–$29,000

Once you add a backsplash, a new sink and faucet, lighting and a floor, a cabinet job becomes a remodel. Our Brevard kitchen remodel guide has budgets for whole kitchens.

Need a contractor for this project?Request a kitchen remodel estimate

Melbourne and Brevard factors

Permits: the cabinets versus the work around them

We didn't find a City of Melbourne or Brevard County rule that addresses a cabinet swap on its own. Some Florida counties don't require a permit for it; Hillsborough County, for example, lists cabinetry among work that typically doesn't need one. The work around the cabinets is clearer: new circuits, a moved sink or dishwasher, gas work and wall removal generally need permits. Ask the office that covers your address about your exact scope before work starts. Our kitchen remodel permit guide explains where the line usually falls.

Which office you ask depends on where your home sits, not on your mailing address:

• City of Melbourne. The city's Building Section issues permits through its online EnerGov system, and says electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas and structural work needs a permit even when the job is under $7,500. Check its current building permit fee schedule before you budget.
• Unincorporated Brevard, including communities such as Viera, Suntree and Merritt Island. Brevard County's Residential Renovation permit covers interior remodels that add no square footage, there's a separate Residential Plumbing permit, and condo units use the Multi-Family Renovation permit. Ask whether a cabinet-only scope needs any of them.
• Other cities and beach towns, such as Palm Bay, West Melbourne, Melbourne Beach and Indian Harbour Beach, issue their own permits. Our Brevard County permit guide covers each office.

When the $7,500 exemption might apply

This matters more for cabinets than for a full remodel, because a cabinet-only job can come in under $7,500: 20 linear feet of stock cabinets is about $2,000–$6,000 in our ranges. Since July 1, 2026, Florida law lets owners or their contractors ask in writing to skip a building permit for some single-family work under $7,500. It never covers electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas or structural work, or homes in a designated flood hazard area, and a project can't be split up to get under the limit. If your building department says your cabinet job needs a permit and it qualifies, Melbourne's process is an "Exemption Request" filed through EnerGov with a notarized request form, a copy of the signed contract and a review fee. Don't start work until the city approves the request in writing. We didn't find a Brevard County page on the exemption, so ask the county how it handles requests. See the $7,500 permit exemption.

Barrier island, flood zones and condos

If you live on the barrier island, in Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Satellite Beach or Indian Harbour Beach, or near the Indian River Lagoon, check your flood zone. A home in a designated flood hazard area can't use the $7,500 exemption. And when a cabinet job is part of a larger renovation in a FEMA flood zone, its cost counts toward the total: when improvements reach 50% of the building's market value, the whole building generally has to meet current flood rules. See the FEMA 50% rule.

Condo associations often set rules on working hours, deliveries and plumbing changes. Get them before you collect quotes. See HOA and condo approval in Florida.

Who can do the work

Installing cabinets by itself generally doesn't need a state contractor's license, and a 2021 state law, HB 735, bars local governments from requiring a license for job scopes such as cabinetry and interior remodeling. The plumbing and electrical parts are different: they need licensed contractors unless you do them yourself under Florida's owner-builder rules. If one company will handle the cabinets, plumbing and wiring, ask who holds which license and who pulls each permit.

Check contractors on MyFloridaLicense.com and on Brevard County's Licensed Contractor Search. The county search lists a contractor only with a current active license, current general liability insurance, and workers' compensation insurance or an exemption.

Estimate your cabinets

Under "What are you pricing?", choose "New cabinets and countertops only." Enter your cabinet length in linear feet and pick a cabinet type, including refacing. If you're refacing and keeping your counters, set the countertop area to 0. The estimate covers cabinets and counters only, not removal, plumbing, electrical, backsplash or appliances.

Common mistakes

• Comparing per-foot prices that count differently. One quote may count an island or tall pantry differently from another. Ask how each contractor measured. See why contractor quotes differ.
• Painting or refacing over damaged boxes. A swollen sink base will still be swollen under new doors.
• Ordering before choosing appliances. A new range or refrigerator that doesn't fit the opening is an expensive fix.
• Starting demolition before the cabinets arrive. Wait until they're on site or have a firm delivery date.
• Treating a sink move as minor. It's plumbing work that generally needs a permit, and in a slab-on-grade home, common in Florida, a new drain location means cutting the floor.
• No contingency. Old plumbing, a damaged subfloor or wiring problems can show up once the cabinets come out. Keep a renovation contingency.

Next steps

1. Measure your cabinet run in linear feet and sketch the layout, including any island or tall units.
2. Inspect the boxes, starting with the sink base, to decide between painting, refacing and replacing.
3. Choose a cabinet grade and countertop material, or set allowances, so every contractor prices the same kitchen.
4. Confirm who issues your permit, the city or Brevard County, and whether your scope needs one.
5. Get itemized written quotes that list removal, installation, countertops, plumbing and electrical work, backsplash, permits and what's excluded.
6. Check licenses and insurance before you sign. Our guide to hiring a contractor in Melbourne walks through it.