Kitchen cabinets

[Pigeon]

We are planning a do it yourself kitchen remodel this summer, and went looking at cabinets yesterday. This being the budget board, we need to keep it relatively inexpensive.

I don't care about fancy. I don't need glazes and I don't need a lot of specialty parts. What I do care about is well constructed, meaning solid wood and plywood, with no particleboard. All the lines we looked at Lowes and HD had particleboard shelves. Yuck.

Is anyone aware of a manufacturer who avoids particleboard? I found Kitchen Cabinet Depot online and they look good, but I'm a little nervous about spending that much money without seeing the product or knowing people who've used them, so if anyone has any experience with them (or other non-particleboard manufacturers, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Bren's Mom]

We just did our kitchen ourselves and ended up with Merillat maple cabinets in Toffee (I think that was the name of the color). They are beautiful, very high end looking and extremely well constructed. We spent less than we would have at HD or Lowe's (I did price cabinets there too)...even the ready made ones in a box were more than what I paid. We got ours from a local lumber company that has a kitchen department. They have several kitchen designers on staff who come out (for free) to measure and then help you through the process of designing the kitchen (free also!). They were awesome. Oh, and local delivery was free too!

Check out your phone book or local paper for ads for some local places that do kitchens. You might be surprised to find a better deal!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

We just did our kitchen cabinets last year. Are you planning to install yourself, or having someone do it for you?

One idea is to look at Home Depot or Lowes whenever they are re-doing their demo cabinets. sometimes they sell the ones they had on demo. If you don't need really particular sizes, this could work.

They also have some that are solid wood, that ou have to assemble yourself. We used them for our pantry cabinets. They look good, but DH said they were a pain in the butt to put together (and he's fairly good at this sort of thing)

Good luck!

 

[Pigeon]

We will be installing. The stuff at HD and Lowes all had particleboard shelves, so that's a non-starter.

 

[luvthatdisney]

We were in the same place you are last year at this time. We shopped and shopped all avenues of new cabinets even went to thrift stores looking for used ones (ours looked really bad!).

We stumbled across a local man who refaces cabinets and had him look at ours to see if that would be an option. Our bases were solid wood but the doors and the stain were in bad shape. We decided to let him reface them. They turned out better than we could have afforded buying new and we still have the solid wood bases and now have solid wood doors. We totally changed the color so the insides are no longer the same, but we do not keep the doors open so who will know? I could paint the inside a lighter shade, but as of now it does not bother me. If we ever go to sell the house I might do that.

This saved us over half the price of new cheaper made particle board cabinets and I am so glad we went that route. We were on a really tight budget and only splurged on the silestone countertops (which were on sale at the time - Home Depot).

Just wanted to give you an alternative to new cabinets! Good Luck!

Now if anyone knows where to get inexpensive ceramic tile (1" x 1") please let me know. I still have not found the right tile for my backsplash!

 

[Pigeon]

Alas, our cabinets really do need to be replaced, so refacing isn't an option.

 

[allison443]

We will be installing. The stuff at HD and Lowes all had particleboard shelves, so that's a non-starter.

We got Kraftmaid cabinets through Home Depot. We "upgraded" to all wood construction--so no particleboard shelves, they are plywood. I cannot recall how much it cost to upgrade though, sorry. I believe Kraftmaid is considered a mid-priced line of cabinets. I am happy with them, they are well-made and have held up well (installed in 2004).

Good luck to you!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I'm actually going out this afternoon to place my cabinet order at Home Depot. They have a sale going on until tomorrow (10% off your total order of cabinets).

We're getting Kraft Maid and the price was a shocker but everyone that I talk to who has replaced their old cabinets with these is very pleased with the quality and workmanship. And the shelves can be solid wood if that's what you want. Everything comes with a price tag, including the 3 or 4 different drawer types, the choice of solid wood or a combination of solid wood and plywood or solid wood and particle board.

Heaven help me, in 3-4 weeks, my kitchen is going to be a wreck but I'll finally be getting rid of the cheap, builders-grade cabinets that came with the house!

 

[Bren's Mom]

FYI, forgot to post the link for Merillat that you can use to find a local dealer...

http://www.merillat.com/buy/index.aspx

 

[crjack]

Do you have an IKEA near you? Their cabinets get very good reviews and they are very affordable. When we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago, the gardenweb kitchen forum was very helpful and they have lots of info on IKEA.

We have Candlelight Cabinets that we are very pleased with but they dont sell them at Lowes of HD.

Don't rule out local shops or cabinet makers. I always assumed they would be higher price but that's definitely not always the case.

 

[MrsPete]

Alas, our cabinets really do need to be replaced, so refacing isn't an option.

I was going to suggest this very thing. My cabinets are good, solid wood, but they were quite worn and dated. I removed the doors, sanded everything down, and refinished them. It was LOTS AND LOTS of work -- we're talking weeks and a huge mess -- but it only cost me $30.

It's also not as perfect as having it done professionally. My cabinets are still flat-faced, while I'd really like to have raised trim, but I couldn't argue with the price.

I also replaced the old 1960s style bullseye pulls with a newer style. I have a BIG kitchen, and the pulls at Lowe's were going to cost around $450. My smart husband found the identical pulls on a website (Knobby Needs?) for about $200. They really went a long way towards upgrading the look!

When I replaced the pulls, I stuck with the antique brass finish so that I didn't need to replace the hinges; that saved quite a bit of money.

My mother, on the other hand, had old, old, falling to piece cabinets -- they really did need replacing. She priced what she wanted at Lowes and Home Depot, then she looked at the cost of having a custom cabinet place make them -- the custom place did it for MUCH LESS. She told me the numbers back then, and I've forgotten them now, but it was staggering.

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

We used IKEA for our kitchen remodel in our old home and will use them again, they are very easy and inexpensive. I would put them together before work DH would hang them while I was gone, they are good quality and you can get glass if you want

 

[piratelady]

My DH has his own business and here are the facts about cabinets. Most of the time you can get custom solid wood cabinets for less than you think from a local craft person. Ask some local home builders (reputable) who they use for high end cabinets that does not cost a fortune. They will know the ones that use quality materials, get the job done on time, and have insurance. Most cabinet builders do not use solid wood construction unless you specifically ask. If you go with someone that does not have a lot of overhead in advertising, showroms and lots of employees you can get great cabinets for much less in cost. pm me your e-mail and I will give you as much info as you need on how to get the most for your money.

 

[Pigeon]

they are good quality and you can get glass if you want

I read this the first time as "you can get a glass of wine if you want." I guess cabinet shopping is getting to me.

 

[brota]

sign up for the lowes or home depot new mover coupons
you can save 10%

 

[4forthemouse]

I don't know where you live, but if going to the Kraftmaid warehouse in Lordstown OH is an option for you it is a BARGAIN!! We went there and rented a uhaul from there to drive home. We live 8 hours away and it was worth the time and drive. We got a very upgraded wood/plywood set of glazed Maple for a song. If you are not set on a certain color/stain there can be a lot of options. Good Luck! We did our kitchen over the fall and are so happy with our Kraftmaid cabinets.