I’m a DIY homeowner and I’m looking to do a major kitchen remodel. I’m trying to plan what work I can do myself, and so far pulling the old cabinets and installing new ones seems to be something that I could do.
I’m looking for some recomendations for a kitchen cabinet supplier that would
1. Sell cabinets retail
2. Offer good value for the money
I’m looking for some good wood cabinets, that would be painted white or in a finished maple. I’ve looked at the home stores but when dropping that much money looking around to save some money or get some better quality seems like a good idea. The expo design centers have some very nice products with a lot of extras but the price is bit richer than I like.
Replies
but when dropping that much money looking around to save some money or get some better quality seems like a good idea.
You'll first need to decide which goal you're going for, saving money, or increasing quality. They are almost mutually exclusive.
If you want to save money over the big box stores, good luck. Maybe a local cabinet maker could point you towards something used? Other than that, lower prices are likely hard to find.
If you want to get better quality, go to a local cabinet maker. Find one who has been in the business for a while, and follow his/her advice.
Around here, we can get Merrilat cabinets through a distributor. They are middle of the road stock cabs. The price is good and the quality is better than some more expensive lines. Check out the nearest big city's phone book. Good luck.
EliphIno!
We use a lot of Merrilat also, Quality seems good, but there customer service is what has impressed me...
Go here. http://www.scherrs.com I just finished putting together and installing a whole house full of cabs. Big kitchen, three baths, custom built-ins in living room, dining room, den, office, mud room, breakfast room. Saved $7K versus local cabinet house.
Not one problem. Not one.
Ships all knocked down. Each set of cab box parts is carefully wrapped in a flat pack, and boxes are assembled in minutes with a minimum of tools. Hinge installation for doors is all tool-free. Best Euro hardware available. All fronts screw-adjustable for up, down, in, out, tilt. Dial in those margins so everything looks crisp and right.
Upgrades, downgrades, finishes, species, hardware, trashbin rollouts, knife-drawer inserts, you name it, all is available from them.
Sells retail, takes MC, Visa, etc., no sales tax.
Most wonderful people I have ever worked with regarding cabinets.
You should contact a couple of local cabinet shops and I'm sure you'll find their quality much better than anything in the same price range. Also, installation is usually done by the same people that made them and that's a major plus.
Just to give you a rough ballpark on my pricing, expect to pay at least $200 per lineal foot of cabinet, including installation and moldings. (Euro cases and hardware, solid raised panel doors, wood drawers, unfinished)
DO NOT, go to a cabinet shop with your Home Depot rendering of some KraftMaid line and ask if he can make it for less. When I'm approched like that I make it a point not to even look at the drawing. I keep eye contact with the person and simply tell them that I don't try and compete with home centers. Then, I ask them what kind of budget they're working with. If they tell me they can buy cabinets from HD for $1,500 for a small kitchen, I tell them to go ahead- that wouldn't even cover my material costs.
Good luck!
I'd recommend Legacy.
Very nice lower end cab's.
Less selection as far as options and upgrades go ... but a nice basic cabinet with good fit and finish.
I'd track them down on the web and find a distributor ...
But realise ... you may find an installer that'll get close on materials and install ... close to your purchasing the cabs as a home owner. If he works closely with a distributor .. his dicsount maight help close the gap ...
and your time and elbow grease might be better off spent elsewhere ...
OR ... like my Dad would say when someone wanted to do a little sweat equity to help with the costs ...
Go sweat at work and make more money to pay for the professional remodel!
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
It would be nice if I could sweat a bit more to pay a pro, but that is hard for me to do. I've got a masters of finance, and I get some consulting and temp work now and then but getting a steady stream of work has been hard. (know any energy trading jobs that are open?)
I've got time, I have a good eye and hands and am very good at building things. My grandfather and his brothers were in the trades (carpenter, plumber, mason) and made it pretty clear to me that I should go to college and get a "good" job. I'm not so sure they were right,
However, if as someone here sugested that with a good discount someone could get me the product and install it for the same price... SOLD!
I would answer you as your hypothetical contractor and ask you the following questions:
1. How long are you going to live in the house? Over 10 years?
2. How necessary are new cabinets, e.g., what condition are they in now? You may be able to reface the existing cabinets, especially if you are going to paint the new ones. Practically any paint grade cabinet can be refaced and repaired to look almost new. Add nice new handles and Accuride slides.
3. What maintenance do you want to do on them? Water damage, bad slides, new hinges, busted shelves in the future? Bad cabinets will have more maintenance issues. You may be replacing slides in 3 years. Buy a good cabinet with Accuride slides, and they will last 20 years.
4. What portion of the kitchen remodel do the cabinets represent, e.g., what percentage? Cabinets might be a fairly small portion of the total job, like 20%? If the cabinet budget is less than 20%, your savings by buying bargain cabinets from Home Depot will be minimal.
5. How many base and wall cabinets are you installing? More than 10? This is a different way of asking question No. 4.
6. What is the countertop going to be? Tile, formica, granite, corian? No sense buying good cabinets and then putting formica on them, and if you buy really high end ones, will you have the budget left to finish them out correctly?
My experience has demonstrated to me that since labor generally is 80% of the overall cost, skimping on materials makes no sense. It is better to a quality job, and if budget is an issue, scale down the scope of work.
I know you didn't want to hear this. You wanted a secret cabinet supplier that sells incredible cabinets for less than Home Depot. Ain't happening, guy. Since you can install your own, and save a bucket of dough, why not get the good stuff?
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
we did an expenisve addition that included bumping out and remodeling the kitchen,as well as adding a new family room and master bath. the homeowner wanting to save $$ went to HD and got some low line cabinet and then had HD sub install corian, all of course against our advice, but we were in at time and materils and he was acting as GC. so it was his call
Speaking of his call, 3 years later a cabinet maker friend of mine got a"his" call to replace the cabintets
(note this isnt knocking HD, but knocking any cheap cabinet)
I am doing the same thing right now. HD was crap and the people trained monkeys. I am saving my money GCing the project and doing my own electrical and plumbing; I have found a good demo crew, good rockers, and a great floor refinisher as well. Have the kitchen sink on Wheels to move in and out as needed before the cabinets come. (With the walls down and copper replacing the galvanized as well as the electrical work and flooring, I sometimes need to move it.)
With the money I saved I went to a good cabinet place. About $2000 more then HD but way better product and way better service and advise. With the money I am saving on everything else and not having a contractor the 2 gs is not much to pay, I am still way ahead. So far so good as this also encompasses two other rooms adjoining the kitchen. Get the crow bar out and find someone good for cabinets. I thought about the Mail order listed and seriously considered it but I am on a pretty hard deadline and the added time for assembly and planning was not available. (I do plan to use them for a couple of other projects down the road, but maybe not as the shop I am working with has been really accommodating both in price and service ) Time is money and the shop I dealt with did a lot of work on making everything fit and look right, and ready for install. I decided it was worth the cost for their work. I have built my own cabinets and they look great but the time it took was over the top. Now I know I can do it but I have learned it is sometimes better to use the check book. Wish I was independently wealthy and could pay myself to work on my own place as well as having a 40 X 40 shop. Not in this life yet.
Another vote here for Merrilat cabs here. I have them in my house & have seen them in homes in the $750k range. Finished 200 townhomes that we used them in . I am sure they have a web site. IMHO a good value for the $$$
I'll shill for Scherr's again.
You want plywood carcases instead of melamine-faced particleboard? No problem.
Drawerboxes melamine with Blum Solo slides? OK. Upgrade to dovetail boxes, any species, say, with Blum Tandem full-extension slides? You bet. How 'bout Blum Metabox slides? Yep.
Fronts in VG doug fir? Got 'em. Select cherry? Sure. How about heavy fronts from 5/4 stock? Can do.
Cabs maybe 19 3/8 wide, due to a funky site condition? OK Wall cabs 13 deep, instead of everyone's standard 11-1/4 or so, that don't hold large dishes? Bring it on.
You can order from these guys down and dirty, all the way up to very high end, and anywhere in between. Everything done custom, to your specs.
I built a big heavy Stickley-inspired library table for a friend. Scherr's made me the dovetailed drawer boxes and equipped them with Blum Tandem slides for this ultra-heavy, very sophisticated piece.
Mr. Micro,
I've seen your posts before mentioning Scheers cab's. Any pictures you care to share? I'm thinking about cherry for my upcoming project. Thanks.
wood-mode.
My pictures would not tell you anything. For one thing, my job is painted, and I'm sure you don't want to paint that cherry.
Give them a call, ask for their catalogs, choose your door and drawerfront styles, then call them back and order a sample door. You may wish to get one in their standard cherry, and another in their select cherry.
They will credit you what you spend on the samples, when you order your kitchen.
cheap cabinets ?
see my post "price vs value"
Your specs will determine price. Melamine carcases, 230m slides, paint-grade doors, will be at the low end, and your eyes will pop when you price up plywood boxes, Tandem slides with full extension, honduras mahogany faces, dovetailed walnut drawers, all finished.