What homeowners look for in a cabinet shop, and how to show it

New cabinets are part of most kitchen remodels. The 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study surveyed 1,780 homeowners in July 2025. It found:

• 87% hired a pro for their kitchen renovation.
• 84% updated their cabinets as part of the project.
• 68% replaced all of their cabinets, and 27% replaced some.
• Wood passed white as the top cabinet color, chosen by 29% of homeowners against 28% for white.

On projects of $50,000 or more, 43% of homeowners hired a cabinetmaker, according to the study’s release.

The work is out there. The question is how a homeowner decides which shop to trust with it.

What they weigh before hiring

In an earlier Houzz survey of 2,866 users, published in January 2025, homeowners named the factors that mattered most when they hired a pro:

Factor	Share naming it
Recommendations or references	64%
Experience with a similar project scope	47%
Pricing that fits their budget	39%
Licensing	26%

Two of the top three are about proof: other people vouching for you, and work that looks like the job they want.

1. Sort your projects the way clients think

A homeowner planning a white oak kitchen wants to see white oak kitchens. Group your past work so they can find it fast:

• By room: kitchens, baths, laundry, built-ins, closets
• By style: shaker, slab, inset, painted, stained
• By wood or finish: white oak, walnut, maple, painted

One project can sit in more than one group. A gallery of 200 mixed photos asks people to dig. Small, sorted groups do the digging for them.

2. Tell a short story for each project

Under each project, write four lines:

1. What the client wanted
2. What you built
3. The wood, finish and hardware
4. How long it took, from design visit to install

That fourth line answers a question almost every client has, and it gives AI tools a true fact to repeat about your shop.

3. Make references easy to find

Recommendations topped the Houzz list. Online, reviews are how strangers recommend you.

In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 74% of consumers said they look for reviews from the last three months. Cabinet jobs take a while, so ask at install, while the client is thrilled. Then:

• Reply to every review.
• Ask permission to post photos of their finished kitchen.
• Never offer a discount or gift in exchange for a review.

4. Show your process and your license

Spell out your steps: design visit, drawings, approval, build, delivery, install. If your state licenses cabinet installers or contractors, show your license. A quarter of the homeowners in the Houzz survey named licensing as a deciding factor.

Your checklist

• Projects grouped by room, style and wood
• A four-line story under every project
• A review request at every install, with no incentives
• Every review has a reply
• Your design-to-install process written out step by step
• Your license shown, if your state requires one