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I am trying to get an education on kitchen cabinets. There are so many companies out there. I am trying to get an idea of which ones are less expensive, middle of the road and most expensive. Then I will go from there. Any help is appreciated!
That question is a pretty tall order. It can be answered best with an old post of mine What are some brands of good kitchen cabinet?
which has entered it's place in history earning me about 20% of my REPs.
I don't agree with you that there are lots of cabinet stores because 75% of them went out of business due to the deep deep economic depression. I still survive though.
I need you to stay clear of the big orange or blue who only want your little green. You will pay first class rape or MSRP full retail price. Nearly all small kitchen showrooms discount from list price. Usually 50% off. Plus they employ Certified Kitchen Designers and the big box stores do not. The big box stores employ cabinet sales people who know zero about kitchen design. In fact the grand sum of their home improvement experience is hanging a curtain rod for Grandma.
I know Long Island well, there are hardly no options for you unless you come over to the Jersey side. In LI you have Consumer Kitchens which are top dog with several locations and a first class showroom. I mean really first class. Even if you don't buy there you can learn. You can also learn a real education on how to buy cabinets from my web site which you can find in my profile. Under ABOUT then click on HOW TO BUY. Don't worry, I'm not spamming you, I don't make 3000 mile deliveries. But I do educate people from every country and all states.
Please stay away from those China brand cabinets. Your health will be in great danger. I know the tempt. If you see a whole all cherry wood kitchen advertised for $895 you can be sure of it's origin. These are infested with formaldehyde and sulfur. Enough to kill a young child with weakened immune system. And yes indeed there are documented deaths due to exposure to China cabinets as well as China drywall.
While searching just watch for the magic words 50% off list price. Even 40% is good. Just like with jewelry, the spread between wholesale and retail is big.
Oh and stay away from that IKEA junk. They are not cabinets. They are wooden boxes on legs. Your taste is better then that. At least IKEA is made environmentally safe though.
Thanks so much for your response. I am going to look at your other post now. I will be moving to NJ. I am just started to get an education so I will look at your site as well!
Thanks again!
Well sadly this is one of the many areas in home products where, due to very aggressive marketing and powerful firms driving out competitors, you really DO NOT get what you pay for.
The various trade associations are not as strong an adovocate for consumers as they would have you believe -- they exist to "promote" the industry...
That said I would recommend at least reading about how the KCMA tests kitchen cabinets -- the certification does at least ensure that stuff will be safe and durable.
You can get a pretty decent quality cabinet for a pretty fair price and so long as it has KCMA certification it will last for about 10 years in normal use. Odds are that cabinet will be made with high quality MDF and finished with high pressure laminates / wood veneers / thermofoil / melamine.
If you pay more you might get a cabinet built with high grades of hardware, stronger / more moisture resistant frames, drawers with smoother glides BUT you might also just be paying for FANCIER looking finishes, more extensive storage options, wider range of size options AND a whole lot more promotional materials...
Basically every manufacturer has a WIDE range of "good, better, best, ultimate, OMG don't even ask" type options. The trick is they OFTEN introduce new lines to battle their competitors and shift "standard" features to "optional". This makes cross comparisons VERY difficult...
I would strongly recommend getting referrals from friends, co-workers, neighbors, even other local tradespeople then visiting the various recommended dealers, taking the time to understand what "options" from which manufacturers are on your "must have vs nice to have" list, getting a "rough cut" that matches your budget and then narrowing down which dealer has the best overall service / knowledge / honesty.
I almost hate to mention, but the reality is in most cities of any size there are numerous "custom cabinet makers", some of whom were living high on the hog doing TONS of commercial work for banks and law firms, that now are very much willing to do beautiful work for VERY attractive prices just to keep their shop open. Price wise the tend to fall above "better" and a bit below "best/ ultimate / OMG" BUT they literally can make ANYTHING fit ANYWHERE out of ANY Material in ANY Color so that if you need / desire a "one of kind" option it can really be worth the hassle of someone that typically only works with commercial clients...
Well sadly this is one of the many areas in home products where, due to very aggressive marketing and powerful firms driving out competitors, you really DO NOT get what you pay for.
The various trade associations are not as strong an adovocate for consumers as they would have you believe -- they exist to "promote" the industry...
That said I would recommend at least reading about how the KCMA tests kitchen cabinets -- the certification does at least ensure that stuff will be safe and durable.
You can get a pretty decent quality cabinet for a pretty fair price and so long as it has KCMA certification it will last for about 10 years in normal use. Odds are that cabinet will be made with high quality MDF and finished with high pressure laminates / wood veneers / thermofoil / melamine.
If you pay more you might get a cabinet built with high grades of hardware, stronger / more moisture resistant frames, drawers with smoother glides BUT you might also just be paying for FANCIER looking finishes, more extensive storage options, wider range of size options AND a whole lot more promotional materials...
Basically every manufacturer has a WIDE range of "good, better, best, ultimate, OMG don't even ask" type options. The trick is they OFTEN introduce new lines to battle their competitors and shift "standard" features to "optional". This makes cross comparisons VERY difficult...
I would strongly recommend getting referrals from friends, co-workers, neighbors, even other local tradespeople then visiting the various recommended dealers, taking the time to understand what "options" from which manufacturers are on your "must have vs nice to have" list, getting a "rough cut" that matches your budget and then narrowing down which dealer has the best overall service / knowledge / honesty.
I almost hate to mention, but the reality is in most cities of any size there are numerous "custom cabinet makers", some of whom were living high on the hog doing TONS of commercial work for banks and law firms, that now are very much willing to do beautiful work for VERY attractive prices just to keep their shop open. Price wise the tend to fall above "better" and a bit below "best/ ultimate / OMG" BUT they literally can make ANYTHING fit ANYWHERE out of ANY Material in ANY Color so that if you need / desire a "one of kind" option it can really be worth the hassle of someone that typically only works with commercial clients...
Yup again to everything Chet said. Do you want to work for me? I might even let you be my boss. I never met anyone in my career who knows their business like I do.
Speaking of quality......as Chet mentioned the KCMA. DO NOT EVER BUY ANY CABINET THAT DOES NOT HAVE A KCMA STICKER INSIDE THE DOOR. Further you might like to make sure it has a GREEN KCMA sticker so you know your home is environmentally safe.
Oh lets see now. Lets name some brands. Lowest cost quality brand would be
The following are made in the USA. If they are not made in the USA then they are junk. Period. Too many Americans are out of work. Don't support foreign goods. especially by countries who hate our guts.
Kitchen Kompact. Very inexpensive fully assembled all wood box but only 2 colors, 2 wood species to choose from
Quality Cabinets. Inexpensive, many choices, builders grade.
Merillat. My brand for over 3 decades, fastest lead time on earth, massive selection of choices, great product
American Woodmark. Same quality level as Merillat, long lead time, good selection
Ultracraft. Real nice product, massive selection of choices. Long lead time.
Kraftmaid, Great product, quite expensive, over 2000 color/style choices. long lead time
Woodmode, ultra expensive, very long lead time, thousands of choices of anything you can dream and then some..
Pogganpol, basically this brand cost more then the home most of us live in. Expensive to the ultra extreme. German brand is the only one I would endorse though I would never put it in my house cause it's ugly as sin. A normal $20,000 kitchen would cost in the 6 figure range in this brand.
I left out hundreds of brands but this is a place to start.
I can't speak to high-cost cabinets since I only do budget remodels. But if you find yourself in that category, I would urge you to consider IKEA kitchen cabinets. Many people bad-mouth IKEA as selling low-quality products. But I would dispute that strongly. In a price vs. quality comparison, their kitchen cabinets are a very good value. IKEA sells the most American-style fitted kitchens of any company in all of Europe. If you ever watch House Hunters International on HGTV, you have seen IKEA kitchens.
IKEA cabinets are built to European green standards (more stringent than those of the U.S.) and contain practical and creative features to allow customization on a budget. (For example, you can get pull out baskets instead of shelves and you can get deep drawers for bottom cabinets strong enough to fill with heavy pots or dishes. IKEA has in-stock cabinets in a HUGE array of sizes, including the most styles of pantry cabinets I've seen outside of custom dealers. Another good feature: if you ever decide to remodel, all IKEA's different door styles fit their standard boxes, so you can do an extreme change of style for very little expense.
Many people ask me if I work for IKEA and I do not, although a friend of mine is their transportation manager in Germany. I base my comments on having put IKEA cabinets in three different houses. I lived in one of the houses for 13 years and never had a single issue with the cabinets in that time. Not a single hinge, shelf, door, or pull ever gave me a problem. Each time I sold those houses the kitchen remodel was considered a key selling feature.
There are IKEA showrooms in both Elizabeth and Paramus, NJ, and also one in Hicksville on Long Island.
The OP might look for a custom cabinet maker in his/her state. This would be a good time to keep your local carpenter/woodworker employed. Sometimes custome built when the wood worker is nearby can be less expensive than made to order from a box store.
I used to live in WV and there are a lot of really, really awesome custom cabinet guys. Some of the hickory cabinets that I have seen from this one guy was totally incredible. These were gorgeous cabinets, solid as a tank and chock full of thoughtful design features.
I'm now in Montana and we're mulling over redoing the kitchen, and there are 5 local cabinet makers. I'm definitely checking them all out before I go anywhere else.
I've had Kraftmaid cabinets twice in the past and they were awesome cabinets, but nowhere as nice as the custom stuff I've seen.
Just Cabinets looks like a great place to get cabinets... I looked them up online. Unfortunatly, I called them and they said that I have to physically be in the store to purchase cabinets from them. We are really leaning toward American Woodmark, or Kraft Maid Cabinets and would love to know if you have any ideas where we could get these cabinets in the New England Area? We have priced them out at our local Depot... but after reading all these posts I am hoping to get them at a cheaper price from another store.
Just Cabinets looks like a great place to get cabinets... I looked them up online. Unfortunatly, I called them and they said that I have to physically be in the store to purchase cabinets from them. We are really leaning toward American Woodmark, or Kraft Maid Cabinets and would love to know if you have any ideas where we could get these cabinets in the New England Area? We have priced them out at our local Depot... but after reading all these posts I am hoping to get them at a cheaper price from another store.
THanks!
Michele
Of course you can get Kraftmaid and American Woodmark cheaper then the Home Junkpo. Half cheaper. You can go to the cabinet brand web site and there will be a place to put in your zip code to find your local dealer. You will pay up the kazoo for Kraftmaid though. If you have a high budget then rest assured that Kraftmaid will deliver a first class quality product. American Woodmark is on the same level as Merillat. Don't Just Cabinets in Delaware sell Kraftmaid? I know they carry Quality Cabinets. All the same by the way. All Masco companies. All interchangeable parts.
Not sure why you said you have to be in the store to buy cabinets. Of course you do. Are you saying they wont come to your house? Sometimes cabinet dealers who discount deeply do not offer that service but they should be able to refer you to their own list of qualified designers who do the measuring for them for a few.
Just reread, you are in New England? I thought you were in Delaware. I'd like to be in Boston about now but have no contacts there. But don't ask..........
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Unfortunatly, I called them and they said that I have to physically be in the store to purchase cabinets from them. We are really leaning toward American Woodmark, or Kraft Maid Cabinets and would love to know if you have any ideas where we could get these cabinets in the New England Area? We have priced them out at our local Depot... but after reading all these posts I am hoping to get them at a cheaper price from another store.
