You paid AED 6,000 for a "custom" wardrobe.
Six weeks later the doors don't close, the soft-close hinges were never soft-close, and the carpenter who quoted you on WhatsApp has stopped replying.
This is the quiet tax homeowners pay across Dubai every single week — not because good carpenters don't exist here, but because the great ones are buried under a wall of copy-paste "carpenter Dubai" websites, faceless call-centre numbers, and directory listings that will send whoever answers the phone first.
So let's fix that. This is the honest, no-spin guide to finding a genuinely skilled carpenter in Dubai — what the work actually costs in 2026, how to separate a real joiner from a man with a drill, the exact questions that expose a cowboy in 30 seconds, and where to get quotes from carpenters who have already been verified so you don't have to gamble.
What a "carpenter" in Dubai actually covers
The word does a lot of heavy lifting here. In Dubai, "carpenter" is used for everything from a 20-minute door fix to a AED 40,000 fitted kitchen. Before you compare quotes, you need to know which of these you're actually buying — because the right specialist for one is the wrong one for another.
The four jobs people search for
- Custom furniture & joinery — built-in wardrobes, walk-in closets, TV/media units, bookshelves, bed frames, storage benches. This is joinery: precision work, cut and assembled to your exact space.
- Kitchen cabinets — a specialist niche. A kitchen cabinet maker deals with moisture-rated boards, hardware, worktop coordination and appliance cut-outs. Not every furniture carpenter does kitchens well.
- Wardrobes & closets — the single most-requested custom job in Dubai apartments and villas, where built-in storage is expected but rarely enough.
- Repairs & small jobs — sticking doors, broken drawer runners, wobbly furniture, flat-pack assembly, re-hanging cabinets, fixing water-damaged wood.
Get this right and everything else gets easier. A homeowner who says "I need a carpenter" gets a vague quote. A homeowner who says "I need a built-in wardrobe, 3.2 metres, melamine finish, soft-close" gets a real one.
Honest carpenter prices in Dubai (2026)
Here's what the "call for a quote" websites won't put in writing. These are realistic 2026 market ranges for Dubai and across the UAE. Custom work is priced per linear metre or per project, not per hour — anyone quoting a custom wardrobe "by the hour" is guessing.
Three things move these numbers more than anything: the board (cheap MDF vs moisture-resistant HMR vs solid wood or veneer), the hardware (a no-name hinge vs Blum or Hettich), and the finish (raw melamine vs lacquer vs real veneer). When one quote is half the price of another, this is almost always why — not because someone is being generous.
How to spot a skilled carpenter (and dodge the cowboys)
Anyone can print "20 years experience — best carpenter in Dubai" on a website. The homeowners who get burned are the ones who stop at the website. Here's what actually separates a craftsman from a chancer.
- A valid UAE trade licence (DET / DED for mainland, or a free-zone equivalent) — real businesses have one and will show it.
- Photos of their own finished jobs, ideally with the messy in-progress shots too, not stock images.
- A written, itemised quote naming materials, hardware brands, finish and timeline.
- A site visit and measurement before quoting custom work — no serious joiner quotes a wardrobe blind.
- A clear warranty on workmanship (6–12 months is normal for good joinery).
- Wants a large cash deposit up front (over 50%) before any drawing or measurement.
- Refuses to put the quote, materials or timeline in writing.
- No trade licence, no company name — just a mobile number and a "trust me".
- A price that's far below everyone else for "the same" work (the difference is hiding in the board and hinges).
- Pressure to decide "today only" or a discount that vanishes if you ask questions.
- Vague on who actually shows up — many listing sites sub-contract to whoever's free.
The 6 questions that expose a cowboy in 30 seconds
Copy these into your first message. How a carpenter answers tells you more than any five-star badge on their homepage.
- "What board and hardware will you use?" — A pro answers instantly and specifically. A cowboy says "good quality, don't worry."
- "Can you send photos of a similar job you did yourself?" — Real portfolios exist. Stolen ones fall apart when you ask for a second angle.
- "Do you have a trade licence I can see?" — Legitimate businesses share it without hesitation.
- "What's the payment schedule?" — Reasonable is a modest deposit, a stage payment, and the balance on satisfactory completion. Not everything up front.
- "What warranty do you give on the workmanship?" — Silence here is your answer.
- "Will you come and measure before quoting?" — For custom work, "I'll quote from your photo" is a red flag.
Carpenter vs joiner — does it matter in Dubai?
You'll see both words used interchangeably here, but there's a real distinction worth knowing. A joiner makes the woodwork — cutting, shaping and assembling furniture, doors and cabinets, often in a workshop. A carpenter traditionally installs and fits on site, and handles structural and repair work. In practice, most Dubai firms do both under the "carpentry" banner.
What matters for you: for a bespoke wardrobe or kitchen, you want someone with strong joinery skill and a workshop. For door fixes, assembly and repairs, general carpentry is exactly right. Match the person to the job and you rarely overpay.
Do carpentry jobs need permits in Dubai?
Most carpentry — furniture, wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, repairs — needs no permit. It's non-structural work inside your home. The moment it changes stops being simple, though:
- If work is part of a wider renovation or fit-out that touches walls, plumbing or electrics, that project needs approval — from Dubai Municipality, or Trakhees for Nakheel/PCFC areas like Palm Jumeirah, Jebel Ali (JAFZA) and Discovery Gardens, or the DDA for many free-zone communities.
- Apartment buildings and villa communities usually require a move-in / NOC and fit-out approval from your developer or owners' association before contractors start — check before booking, not after.
- The carpentry business itself should hold a valid DET/DED trade licence. Carpentry isn't a separately regulated safety trade the way electrical work is with DEWA, so the licence and their portfolio are your main proof of legitimacy.
The honest shortlist: TaskRight verified RightPro carpenters
Here's the problem with every "best carpenter in Dubai" list you'll read: it's usually just the companies that paid to be on it. We're not going to invent names or star ratings to fill a table. What we'll do instead is give you a cleaner way to find the good ones.
TaskRight is a UAE home-services marketplace built on one simple idea: verify the provider, then get out of the way. Every carpenter listed carries the RightPro badge — meaning their trade licence and identity have been checked before they can quote you. It's earned, not bought.
- Verified RightPro carpenters only — real, licence-checked businesses, not a random number off a directory.
- Free quotes — describe your job once, get quotes back from carpenters who actually do that type of work.
- You hire direct — no middleman deciding who calls you. You choose.
- 0% commission — carpenters keep 100% of what you pay, so your quote isn't padded to cover a platform's cut. That's rare, and it's the whole point.
Most listing sites charge the provider a fat commission or a "lead fee" on every job — and guess whose quote that ends up on. TaskRight doesn't. The carpenter competes on the work, not on who paid the most to reach you.
How to brief a carpenter so the quote comes back right
A vague brief gets a vague price and a disappointing result. Send these five things up front and you'll get sharper, faster, more comparable quotes:
- Measurements — width, height, depth of the space (even rough ones help).
- Photos — the wall, corner or room where it's going.
- A reference image — a Pinterest or Instagram shot of the look you want.
- Finish preference — colour, matte or gloss, handles or handleless.
- Your deadline — moving in, guests coming, Ramadan, whatever it is.
Do this once and every carpenter is quoting the same job — which is the only way a price comparison actually means anything.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a carpenter cost in Dubai?
Small jobs and repairs run roughly AED 80–150 per hour, with door repairs around AED 150–350 and flat-pack assembly AED 100–250 per item. Custom work is priced per project or per linear metre: built-in wardrobes typically AED 1,200–2,800 per linear metre and custom kitchen cabinets AED 1,500–4,500 per linear metre. The material grade, hardware brand and finish are what move the price most.
How much do carpenters make in Dubai?
As an employee, a carpenter's salary in Dubai commonly ranges from about AED 1,900 to AED 5,000 per month depending on skill and experience, with many roles clustering around AED 2,500–3,500. Skilled independent joiners and small carpentry business owners can earn considerably more — which is exactly why keeping 100% of each job (with no platform commission) matters so much to the good ones.
What do carpenters do?
Carpenters cut, shape, assemble and install wood and board products. In a Dubai home that means custom furniture, built-in wardrobes and closets, kitchen cabinets, TV and media units, doors, shelving, and repairs to anything wooden — from a sticking drawer to water-damaged panels.
What is the difference between a carpenter and a joiner?
A joiner mainly makes the woodwork — furniture, cabinets and doors, often built in a workshop. A carpenter traditionally installs and fits on site and handles structural and repair work. In Dubai most firms do both under "carpentry," but for a bespoke wardrobe or kitchen you specifically want strong joinery skill.
What is the highest paid type of carpenter?
Finish and cabinet carpenters — the ones doing precise custom furniture, kitchens and high-end joinery — typically earn the most, because the work demands the most skill and the smallest tolerances. General framing and repair carpentry sits lower on the scale.
How do I find a good carpenter near me in Dubai?
Skip the random directory numbers. Describe your job on TaskRight and get free quotes from verified RightPro carpenters who actually do that type of work, then hire the one you like direct — with zero commission padding their price. Always ask for their trade licence, real job photos, and a written quote naming the materials and finish.
Do I need a permit for a custom wardrobe or kitchen in Dubai?
Standalone furniture, wardrobes and cabinets almost never need a government permit. But if it's part of a wider renovation touching walls, plumbing or electrics, you'll need approval from Dubai Municipality, Trakhees or the DDA depending on your area — and most buildings and communities require a fit-out NOC from management before any contractor starts on site.
