2018 Kitchen Cabinet Rankings
Below are our kitchen cabinet rankings from 2018 for the top selling cabinet manufacturers in the United States. Cabinet brands are rated for construction quality and for value considering the price point of each cabinet line. Price point is rated from 1 to 6 with 6 being the most expensive cabinetry on the market.
If you are outside our service area, we are happy to answer any questions on this blog’s comment forum. But please do not contact us on our website’s contact page.
READ THE MOST RECENT 2024 RANKINGS HERE
Cabinet Reviews: Ratings for the top 100 cabinet brands.
All the designers that gave us input on the cabinet lines below have greater than 20 years’ experience in our industry. When possible, all construction specifics were double checked on the websites for each cabinet line.
Main Line kitchen design acknowledges that we are dealers for the following cabinet lines: Wellsford, Bishop, Brighton, Fabuwood, Legacy Presidential, and CNC. We could be prejudiced towards ranking these lines more favorably, but we have tried to be impartial. However, since the cabinet lines we carry were chosen specifically for their construction quality and value, our ranking them well should not be a surprise.
FOR PEOPLE OUTSIDE OUR SERVICE AREA OF WITHIN A TWO-HOUR DRIVE OF OUR BALA CYNWYD, PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE, BELOW IS A LINK TO RECOMMENDED DEALERS IN OTHER AREAS. GOOD DEALERS CLOSE TO YOU CAN BETTER ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT’S AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA:
Recommended Kitchen Designers and Cabinet Dealers Outside Our Service Area
OUR KITCHEN CABINET RANKINGS assume each line is upgraded to the top level of construction available. A grade of A for construction quality will not be equal across different price levels, as the more expensive price point cabinets will have far nicer finishes and construction options.
Note: The highest grade for Quality in any frameless European style cabinet line is a B. While frameless cabinetry is easier to access and is sleeker looking, it is also less durable than the best made framed cabinetry.
The value grade we give is not a rating about the quality of the cabinetry but a rating of how good an investment a cabinet line is considering its cost. For example, many of the most expensive well-made cabinet lines receive lower marks on value even though as designers we think the cabinetry is the best in its class. These lines receive lower grades on value simply because there are competitors offering the same quality at slightly lower prices.
Cabinet Lines
| Cabinet line | Price level 1-6 | Quality | Value |
| 21st Century | 1 | A | A- |
| 6 Square | 2 | B+ | B+ |
| Adelphia Kitchens | 3 | B | B |
| Adormus (frameless) | 3 | B | B |
| All Wood – framed | 2 | A | A |
| All Wood – frameless | 1 | C | C |
| American Woodmark | 3 | B | B |
| Aristocraft | 2 | C | C |
| Bertch | 4 | A | A- |
| Bishop | 4 | A | A- |
| Bishop Frameless | 5 | B | B+ |
| Bremtown | 6 | A+ | B |
| Brighton | 4 | A | A+ |
| Brookhaven | closed | A | B |
| Brubaker | 5 | A | A |
| Cabico | 4 | B | B |
| Candlelight | 4 | A | A |
| Canyon Creek | 3 | B | B |
| CNC | 1 | B+ | B |
| Collier | 5 | A | B- |
| Crystal | 5 | A | A |
| Decora | 4 | A | A |
| Desginers Choice | 4 | A | A |
| Design-Craft | 4 | B | B |
| Diamond | 4 | B | B |
| Durasupreme | 5 | B+ | B |
| Durasupreme frameless | 3 | C | C |
| Dynasty by Omega (frameless) | 4 | B | B |
| Dynasty Pinnacle (framed) | 5 | A | B |
| Echelon Cabinetry | 2 | B- | C |
| Executive (frameless) | 4 | B | B |
| Fabuwood | 2 | A | A |
| Fabuwood (frameless) | 3 | B | B |
| Fieldstone | 4 | A | B+ |
| Grabill | 6 | A+ | B |
| Haas | 3 | B | B |
| Hanssem framed | 1 | B+ | B+ |
| Holiday (frameless) | 3 | C | C |
| Holiday Kitchens | 4 | A | A |
| Homecrest | 3 | B+ | B+ |
| Homestead Custom | 4 | A | A- |
| Ideal Cabinetry | 2 | B | A- |
| IKEA (frameless) | 1 | D | C |
| Innovation | 2 | C | C |
| JSI Cabinetry | 1 | B+ | B+ |
| Kabinart | 3 | C+ | D |
| Kemper | 3 | B | C |
| Kitchencraft (frameless) | 3 | C | B |
| Kith | 3 | B+ | C+ |
| Kountry Kraft (framed) | 6 | A | B |
| Kountry Kraft (frameless) | 6 | B | B |
| Kountry Wood | 2 | C | C |
| Kraftmaid | 4 | A- | A |
| Legacy | 3 | B+ | B |
| LifeArt | 1 | C+ | A |
| Marsh | 2 | B | B |
| Marsh (frameless) | 2 | B- | B |
| Medallion | 5 | B+ | B |
| Merillat | 2 | C | D |
| Merit Kitchens | 4 | B+ | B |
| Mid Continent | 2 | C | C |
| Mouser | 5 | A | A- |
| Mouser (frameless) | 5 | B | A |
| Ovation | 4 | B | C |
| Plain and Fancy | 6 | A | B+ |
| Plato Woodwork | 4 | A | A |
| Poggenpohl (frameless) | 6 | B | C |
| QuakerMaid (frameless) | 4 | B | B |
| RD Henry | 4 | A | A |
| Rutt | 6 | A+ | A |
| Schrock | 3 | B | B |
| Schuler | 5 | B+ | B |
| Shenandoah | 3 | B | B |
| Shiloh | 4 | C | C |
| Showplace | 3 | B+ | B- |
| Siematic | 6 | B | C |
| Signature Custom | 5 | A+ | A+ |
| Solid Wood Cabinets | 1 | A- | A- |
| St. Martin (frameless) | 4 | B | B |
| Starmark | 4 | A | B+ |
| Stylecraft | 5 | A | A |
| Thomasville* | 4 | B | B |
| Timberlake | 3 | B | B |
| Ultracraft (frameless) | 2 | C | C |
| Village | 5 | A | A |
| Waypoint | 2 | B | B |
| Wellborn | 4 and 5 | A | A |
| Wellsford | 5 | A+ | A+ |
| Wolf | 2 | A | B+ |
| Woodharbor | 4 | B+ | C |
| Woodmode | closed | A | A- |
| Yorktowne Now an Elkay CO | 4 | B+ | B |
* Note: Home Depot can change who manufactures this line although Masterbrands has been manufacturing the line under the Thomasville name for over ten years.
Remember, that choosing the designer, the cabinet dealer, and the installer you are working with is just as important as the cabinet line.
Do you need a more general review of cabinetry from 2015 explaining types of cabinetry construction?
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/2015-popular-kitchen-cabinetry-brand-comparison/
For those interested in Cabinet Off Gassing, VOC’s, and Carb2 Compliance, here is our take on the fumes your new cabinets can emit:
Cabinet Off Gassing, Carb2 Compliance, and VOC’s.
1 Replies to “Kitchen Cabinet Rankings for 2018. Updated Reviews for the Top Selling Cabinet Brands.”
John
What do you think about these cabinets?
https://www.midwestkitchendepot.com/our-cabinets/
They’re close to me. I’m having a hard time finding some of these other cabinets near me. Outside of home depot and menards
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
I don’t know this line or anything beyond the specs which show a well constructed cabinet. The parts are imported but they can still be well made and a bargain. I’d examine the finish on the display cabinets to make sure it isn’t sloppy. And check the Google, and Houzz reviews of the company.
Nick
Hello, What about siteline and kinsella? Both brands listed by the recommend contact in my area Cincinnati OH
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Siteline is an inexpensive frameless cabinet that I know nothing about and gives no information on their site. Kinsella is the companies house brand so there is no way for me to know who makes it. I like the other lines I know from this dealer. And of course we recommenced framed cabinets for everything except very contemporary slab door styles. If you gave more information on what price point, door style, and finish you were looking for I could be more help.
Barbara
A kitchen design center in my area has recommended using Wynnbrooke frameless
cabinets. The other brand they use is Koch which is a framed cabinet. I cannot find much information or many reviews of either brand. Have you heard of these brands?
They also gave me a package price and the price of the cabinets is not shown separately. I’m not sure if I feel comfortable with that kind of pricing. I think I would
feel better if I knew the cabinet costs. What do you think?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Barbara,
Koch is a pretty good cabinet. I think when we researched last we gave them a B+ for construction but since we weren’t sure on pricing we left them off our list. I would only recommend a frameless cabinet line for a slab modern door style.
Giving customers per piece pricing for cabinets is problematic. It encourages customers to treat designing a kitchen like buying a toaster. When you buy a kitchen you buy all the pieces needed to create the design. Most importantly you are paying for the knowledge and experience of the designer you are working with.
Customers should shop for designers and not cabinet parts. Giving customers itemized lists lets them shop in a way that is not in their best interest in my opinion. It allows customers to shop without understanding what they are comparing and it devalues good kitchen design. It also allows the kitchen designers that just want a sale to sell you inferior cabinets and the design you think you want without the professional help and advice that you need. Good kitchen designers educate their customers during the design process. They don’t just simply price out a design a customer asks for.
For example Main Line Kitchen Design is about 10 to 15% less for upgraded cabinetry than a Lowes or a Home Depot. We get customers calling each week that want us to price out a home center design. It would be easy just to price and sell those kitchens as is. However, we refuse to do this. We don’t want to sell poor designs without measuring a home and going through all the steps needed to create a good design and to have a renovation run smoothly.
This is also why we charge small deposits. It discourages customers shopping in a way that devalues good design. Our initial $150 deposit covers about 8 hours of our time. From measuring a home, to creating a kitchen design, and then going over detailed 3D designs and pricing at a follow up two hour appointment. If all that work doesn’t seem reasonable to a potential customer then we know they are not a customer we want to work with since they don’t value us as designers. The customers we lose will almost certainly pay more for their cabinetry and end up with a less professional design. It’s because they didn’t value good design that they make themselves too difficult for us to help.
Karen
Thank you for your help….. If I go with 36″ there is still a gap to the ceiling… can crown molding be installed to cover the space or is that a design NO. I really don’t care for the look (and the cleaning) with an open space between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling.
Will take a look at Decora line and give a call.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Karen,
Sounds like you might need a designer more than a cabinet line. It would be a huge mistake to use 42″ high cabinets in a 8 ft high room especially with a raised panel door. And even though over 90% of our customers insist when we first meet them that their present layout is fine when we show them better ones they hadn’t thought of they choose those.
For a Maple raised panel cabinet I would choose either the Masterbrands Decora over their Schrock or the less expensive Homecrest. At Lowes Shenendoah or the more expensive Kraftmaid, or at Home Depot American Woodmark or Kraftmaid.
If you call us on a Friday between 2 and 4 pm EST we can try to help you find a designer near you as that is what you really need even if it doesn’t seem like the priority.
Karen
Thinking Maple – just medium brown… not much red. I do like cherry, but know it darkens with time, so am leaning toward maple. Family size eat in kitchen, L footprint for workspace with 48″ island, 8 ft ceiling…. want to eliminate the soffet, so looking at 36″ or possible 42″ cabinetry. Traditional look…not shaker (basically what I currently have)so looking for a change. I use the kitchen daily for basic cooking, entertaining & weekly family dinner preparation – (12 – 20 people), so want it as functional as possible. I will not change the footprint at all as it works just fine as is… really just wanting to update a 40 year old home while I can still enjoy it and not just to sell it. Thanks so much! Have thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog and have learned so much.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
What kind of stained wood and what type of color stain?
Karen
Thanks for your quick reply! I am looking at raised door panel and stained not painted. Did not see any locations listed for Mississippi on your recommended list.
Karen
Thanks for your quick reply! I am looking at raised door panel and stained not painted. Did not see any locations listed for Mississippi on your recommended list.
Karen
I appreciate all the information in this blog and am beginning work on a kitchen remodel. Looking at Schrock & Aristokraft – any guidance would be appreciated… are their others that are comparable that I should explore? I plan to upgrade (if necessary) to plywood drawers to get the soft close feature. Thanks!
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Schrock upgraded is much better than Aristocraft but neither is great for value. That’s what this rating blog is about. There are many lines listed here that are better values. I would need to know the door style and finish type you are looking for to recommend a particular line.
utjarrett
WOW… your site and blogs are very impressive. Thank you for taking your time to provide such a valuable resource! Questions: I noticed you used to carry the brand CNC and still have them respectably ranked. Will you comment on why you discontinued carrying them? What brand replaced them?
What experience do you have with Matrix Cabinets (our of Georgia)? I believe they are an economical brand and a friend used them. I’m interested to how they compare to a CNC and Fabuwood.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
We still carry CNC. They are a good brand for flipping homes. However our customers are a little too picky and our market a little too high priced to recommend them for most of our projects. If you are getting very inexpensive cabinetry you should expect some shipping damage and some quality control issues that need to be resolved. If you are going to save 15% over another inexpensive, well constructed, but higher end line like Fabuwood, you should expect a difference. Our customers would not be happy with the slight difference in quality. Even though the CNC cabinets upgraded are very well constructed. Never heard of Matrix
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
We do not carry Medallion so some of the upgrades we could be misunderstanding. The Silverline and Goldline are not a sensible choice if they are not upgraded since they come standard with particle board construction. If the Silverline can be upgraded to the same box as the Platinum with an all plywood box then we would give the Silverline a B+ for it’s construction. The hanging rail is 1/2″ plywood in the Medallion line so not great for a high price point cabinet line. This is why we give them a low grade for value. They do have very beautiful finishes. My extended family are the Reps for the Medallion line in New England so I am trying to be fair.
Jamie
THank you for your feedback. I was told by the Medallian dealer that the only difference between their lines is the number of door styles/wood species/colors. But construction is the same. I’m guessing that’s not accurate. I will get an estimate on the gold line as well as the Kraftmaid Vantage. If out of my budget I will explore other cabinet makers. Maybe Diamond? Thanks again!
Lynda Mauro
The Innermost cabinet line by Elkay has been discontinued at Home Depot over a year and a half.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Thanks we didn’t see the closure and don’t get into Home Depots very often.
Jamie
I have a Medallian silver line quote that is the same as Kraftmaid. The medallian quote is all plywood and the KM is not. Any opinion on which is a better choice? Both come from local dealers with good reputations. Thanks!
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
I don’t think it makes any sense getting relatively expensive cabinets in lesser made construction. Both your choices are downgraded versions of each cabinet line. It is better to simply get a less expensive cabinet line in better made construction. So of the two choices you list I would select neither and only get these lines if you can afford better made construction
Jamie C
I have similar estimates for Kraftmaid (from a dealer) with just exposed cabinets upgraded to plywood and Medallian silver line all upgraded to plywood. I do see both are rated but well…I’m still confused. Especially with the plywood differences.
Robert
What is your opinion of Clique cabinets? They seem to be of good quality.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Tom,
Clique Studios makes a good cabinet. However buying cabinets on line to save 10% on cabinetry is a bad idea. It assures that no one qualified measured and designed your kitchen and that when there are errors you are responsible for them and that there is no one local to help you fix them. This is why we do not sell cabinetry outside our service area even though we are asked to each and every week.
I have observed over 25 years that the more a person believes that they are qualified to measure and design their own kitchen the less likely they are to succeed at it. Contractors, architects, engineers, interior designers and real estate agents usually have the least professional designs and measurements. Homeowners that are particularly talented and cautious have a better track record.
However, doing this to save at most 10% on cabinetry with no guarantee is always poor decision making. The people who select this route often are trying to avoid professional help because they want to implement their own ideas without more knowledgeable people pointing out obstacles. We make fun of this preferred “driving blind” approach in the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxJgxCeeNTo&t
Kevin Broderick
Waypoint vs Medallion if costs are similar ? Have 2 different companies. Thanks
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Medallion is much more expensive than Waypoint.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Toni,
Why don’t you email us your floor plan and I can possibly tell you what you should fix that might effect your flooring. From our limited interaction I suspect your design is really in need of help. You are taking time up with 5 different designers but not focusing on the design itself. I gave you the answer you needed to hear but you are shopping for the answers you are looking for. Don’t spend 50% more on Kraftmaid and get a poor design. Save the 50% and get Fabuwood, Wolf, J&K, or another US assembled import and work with a better designer.
In all likelihood that designer will tell you things you also don’t want to accept such as that you can better spend your money changing flooring, removing soffits or moving the location of your appliances or doorways. You will spend the same money in the end but if you take advice from a professional on how to design your kitchen and save money on materials your home will be far more valuable.
Toni
Thank you Paul for getting back to me so quickly, hope you could still answer my questions… I know for certain we will not be changing the floor, our budget on the kraftmaid and appliances are already to much and i have went to 5 different designers for their input. if anything the mdf or painted maple, would be a huge help…and in a 19×11 kitchen would it be ok to put white on top and grey on bottom. Please and again Thank you very much.
Toni
Hi Paul, at this point i am totally exhausted from researching what kind of cabinets to buy. I like kraftmaid but don’t know which would be better for our home. Option one is the painted mdf ( i know they dent,scratch etc. easily) , but i am also thinking the painted maple , and just wish someone would make the decision for me . In your home what would you use ? Also the color choices I have boiled it down to are Grey or white. I have a white ceramic floor with just alittle hint of color (light i grey ,light blue) I don’t know if a dove white would be to blah but I am afraid of to dark or two light of a grey. Would you in put your thoughts on the best color scheme please. I spent almost alll day on you website to day. thank you for all your input in advance, Toni
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Toni,
It sounds like you are not getting good advice from a professional kitchen designer. Stop spending time researching materials and cabinets and instead spend time finding a good kitchen designer. The most important thing when renovating a kitchen is to create the best design. While most customers think their layout is fine it is only because they simply don’t know any better. Getting more expensive cabinetry like Kraftmaid but keeping the same flooring and layout is nearly always mistake and not a good value for your budget. Better to save money on the cabinetry, countertops, and appliances, that you select to be able to afford to make the design better than to get more expensive selections for a kitchen layout that needs improvement. Here’s a funny video that makes this point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxJgxCeeNTo
Stephanie
I notice that none of the Bellmont frameless lines are on the list. They have three and none are rated here – the 1600 and 1900 – and the new Vero line.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
The Belmont 1900 line upgraded to plywood would be a solid B for construction. So the best a frameless line can do. I don’t know the line well enough to rate it for price and value. The 1600 line and the 1900 line in all particleboard would get low grades.
Robin
Hello,
we are building a new home in a new area so we are not familiar with any good cabinet makers reputations. The two we have narrowed it down to because of price, the places want to use Timberlake and Waypoint, all wood construction, I have read bad reviews on Timberlake and not a lot on Waypoint,
do you have a preference or any suggestions of something that is good quality but will not break the bank? Lowes for the same cabinets where giving us a bid over 10000. more for the same small kitchen, Thanks for the input
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Shenandoah at Lowes is Timberlake just sold under a different name. We rate both Waypoint and Timberlake (AKA Shenandoah at Lowes and American Woodmark at Home Depot) similarly. Both of these US lines offer more door styles and wood species than any of the US built import lines. However if like many people you are getting a painted cabinet or a like the stains available in the US built import lines like Fabuwood, Wolf Classic, J&K, Green Forest, and others they will cost less. You would need to upgrade Waypoint and Timberlake to a Plywood box to reach the construction level of these lines and that will make them at least 15% more expensive on average.
Dale Keller
Hi Paul, Great informative site. We are replacing our kitchen cabinets and narrowed down to Shiloh and Fieldstone. They are both inset style, maple with white uppers and gray/slate bottoms. Prices are almost identical between the two brands. We live in northeast Florida within 1/2 mile from the ocean and don’t know if the environment is a factor. What would your recommendation be between the 2? I see you gave Fieldstone a little better rating on quality and value.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
How the backs of the cabinets are made is what turned us off of Shiloh. As long as you get 6 way adjustable concealed inset hinges I wouldn’t worry about being near the shore. And I’d go with the Fieldstonbe.
Paul McAlary
Hi John,
If the style you like is you high gloss laminates and foils on slab doors these styles look their best on frameless cabinetry and must be adhered to MDF. There is no question that the construction of the cabinet is less durable in a frameless cabinet line, however there are ways to reduce the effect of this. First the cabinet box can be made with a plywood core and only a veneer of MDF on the surface. Strength and not water damage is the primary concern with MDF.
If you find a knowledgeable kitchen designer that understands the limits of frameless cabinetry they will make sure that the frameless cabinetry is not put under undo stress by keeping cabinet doors no larger than 18″ wide and drawers now wider than 30″.Interior cabinet gadgets like Magic Corners need to be used sparingly since hardware is attached to the sides of the cabinets because there is no solid wood frame on the cabinet to screw to.
If your designer does these things a laminate kitchen can last 30 years or more and a foil kitchen can last at least 20 years assuming that there are no doors that get melted due to heat. Using heat shields on the sides of ranges helps. Unfortunately it only takes a slight leak in the seal around an oven or even a dishwasher to begin to melt foil. People who have melted their vinyl siding on their home with the heat from their barbeque have this same problem. Foils and high heat, like the heat from professional ranges and cooktops in kitchens, the self cleaning cycle on an oven if the seal is defective, or even the heated drying cycle on a dishwasher with a defective seal can be be calamitous.
John
Hi Paul,
What a trove of helpful information on your blog! We like the look of the super-shiny contemporary kitchen cabinets, but I think they have drawbacks. These cabinets from Teddwood are “UV-dried high gloss lacquer finish laminated on 3/4″ thick MDF panel. This surface provides excellent resistance to discoloration, scratches, and heat damage.” My understanding is that the laminate is difficult to adhere to wood, hence the use of MDF. But I worry about the quality of using MDF, the strength of MDF-based frameless cabinetry, and water spills getting through to the MDF. How do you think this would hold up over time, and are we sacrificing looks over construction quality?
Here is the link: http://www.teddwood.com/get-creative/doors/reflections-collection-doors/
Thank you for your thoughts.
Lellen
Thanks for sharing your expertise via this blog. We have Ben trying to decide between cabinet lines for our kitchen renovation. We want quality and have some flexibility with budget. We considered Wolf – the low cost is attractive but will they last? The installer claims they often arrive racked. He’s not a fan. So we began to look at others: Fabuwood, Wellborn Forest, Aristokraft, Diamond Vibe and Koch. In what order would you rank these for both quality and value? Thanks!
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
If you are on a budget Fabuwood is the best of the inexpensive lines.
Gloria
Thank you Paul for the quick responses. My mother was asking me to go with a better line line kraftmaid since this is what she has. Would it make a huge difference in quality versus say fabuwood?
I noticed that Fabuwood also uses Blum hardware… I know it’s a label but J&K does not use blum hardware. I’m assuming in the end it really is just a label?
In your opinion which line would you recommend for a category 3 (with light colored – but not white options). Cliqstudios?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
For light colored cabinets you will probably like Kraftmaid much more. It isn’t durability it is just nicer wood and more attractive finishes. We don’t recommend buying cabinets online places like Clique Studios. You have no local professional to help you and design mistakes and poor designs are almost a certainty.
Jean
Hi, thank you for all this information regarding cabinetry. It’s an expensive investment and I appreciate your professional input. Can you please give me your opinion on Ultimo custom cabinetry by Tuscan Hills. It’s sold by Costco.
Thank you for your time.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
We would give this cabinet line a B or maybe a B+ for construction. I assume since it is from Costco it would be a good value at first blush. However buying cabinets is not like buying a toaster. The most important component in any kitchen renovation is the talent and experience of the kitchen designer that you are working with throughout your entire project.
Costco has no experienced kitchen designers and no system in place to create and sell even a simply functional kitchen. Much like buying cabinets on line for anything but new construction, having a kitchen designed at Costco or IKEA is just plain foolish.
Our funny video below tries to gently help consumers appreciate that as Doug Mottershead says in the video “People don’t know what they don’t know”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxJgxCeeNTo
Gloria
Hello Paul,
My contractor is recommending J&K cabinets to me. What lines are comparable in price and quality to them?? I’d like to see a couple more options in finishes? Is the pricepoint for fabuwood much higher than them or wolf classic?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
All three of those lines should be similar in price. Fabuwood is slightly more expensive at the moment but after the new tariffs go into effect and price increases take place Fabuwood may be the best buy as they have agreed to only raise prices by 5% even though the tariffs are 10%. They are using a modernized ordering system to offset the price increase.
Jerry Stanton
We are redoing a bathroom. We are looking at Kraftmaid and Homecrest. Do you feel one is better than the other. We are concerned with the quality of the finish.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Kraftmaid has nicer finishes but the finishes are no more durable. Both lines upgraded are well constructed.
Michael
How would you rate Crown Point Cabinets?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Michael,
I don’t know the line but based on their web site they are very well made. A+ construction on framed and B+ for Frameless. Both the highest ratings possible.
Bill
We are rebuilding after a fire and trying to figure out this cabinet thing. We are looking at Kraftmaid. The contractor is pushing Schrock Entra line and a friend has recommended Kemper. What are your thoughts?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
I like Kraftmaid the most of these three lines. Kraftmaid Vantage is the best buy when you are getting all plywood construction.
Marci Roper
What do you think of Crestwood or Koch cabinets? We found a kitchen showroom that we like, but am not sure how to asses the quality. They also deal with Decora, Kitchen Craft, Aristokraft, BJ Tidwell & Elmwood. I see that most of these are not on your ratings list, so I was a bit concerned. Thank you.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
The cabinet lines that we don’t rate that you mention do not give us enough information oh their web site to rate them. Koch has a good reputation but I still can’t rate them without the specs that they do not provide. Decora is the best line that we can rate here.
Jackie McNeil
I’m remodeling my condo kitchen at the beach. I’m looking for a white or light gray skater style. I’ve received pricing on Fabauwood, 6 Square and Brighton. Brighton was a much higher price point. Which would you recommend? I’ve heard mixed reviews on finish quality and things being damaged with poor assembly from the manufacturer.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
I Love Brighton but for a white shaker there is little difference in the quality of these lines. Were you getting inset cabinetry or a stain I would recommend Brighton but here Fabuwood is the best value. Make sure the Fabuwood dealer has a good reputation, Fabuwood has some shaky dealers.
Karen Hege
I am looking for cherry wood cabinets in a light stain. I do not like it when a door has very different shades of color. I read all your posts and agree that getting a vainer panel will be a more consistent color. I want a shaker frame. However, looking at photos of Kraftmaid and other brands there are still have very different shades between the panel and shaker frame. We are looking at your price range of 4 or 5 and want to know what cabinet manufacture you recommend for a more uniform look. Thanks
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Karen,
Cherry wood has certain properties. One property is a color variation in the wood not as severe as hickory or walnut but more than many woods. Another property of cherry wood is cherry pits (small holes on the surface of the wood). These are natural and while some very expensive custom cabinet lines will have slightly less variation than say Kraftmaid you must expect any cherry kitchen to have these properties.
Customers that can’t accept the properties of the wood they select for their kitchen can be a nightmare for kitchen designers. Maple has mineral steaks, oak and birch are consistent but people like the grain and colors of other woods more. You can not have your cake and eat it too as the saying goes.
I would say that you are not looking for a cherry kitchen but looking for a wood that can look like cherry or at least be stained to a cherry like color but be more consistent. Some people select maple and a stain that has a red cherry like tone. In Kraftmaid the chestnut finish looks cherry-like on maple. Or Alder is a wood that can be more consistent than cherry but you would need a more expensive manufacturer to avoid the knots that can also be found in alder.
Please warn your kitchen designer about your desire for consistency and accept that you are buying a natural product that is what it is. Make your selections based on the reality of the wood and finish you are choosing.
All good kitchen designers explain the properties of the wood and finish a customer selects to that customer. It is incredibly frustrating coming to a customer’s home to go over their complaints about their cabinets to find dozens of pieces of blue tape on all their cabinets and doors marking variations in the grain, wood tones differences, pits, or the properties of the stain or glaze, that they knowingly selected and should have expected. These customers will usually tell us that they “feel” that they should have gotten more consistent cabinetry for the money they spent.
When I have warned a customer repeatedly about their selections before they order their kitchen and they have these unrealistic “feelings”, I tell them that I “feel” like I should be 6 feet tall but am actually 5’9″ and shrinking with age. While very few enjoy the joke, they get the point and we compromise from there. Replacing 3 or 4 doors in an entire kitchen that are totally fine but will appease an unrealistic customer is fine and par for the course for kitchen designers. Customers that want more than that will find some cabinet dealers more flexible than others. For example we have replaced 10 doors for one unrealistic customer. Home centers that want future business from customers and whose managers know less about cabinetry and wood will usually be the most agreeable about replacing doors and drawer fronts. But excessive replacements are unfair to expect.
Adam
Thank you Paul! I’ll do some homework and see if I can find out some details on the door thickness. If I can, I will share back. I’ll check out Brighton.
thanks,
Adam
Adam
Hi Paul,
I only recently discovered your blog. Thank you – what a great source of information.
Question: We are interested in Shaker-style inset cabinets. Our kitchen designer recommended Omega Dynasty. In particular, the “blair” door based on our tastes and their perspective of best value.
Do you have any perspective on who makes the best (both quality and value) inset cabinets?
Thanks!
Adam
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Adam,
We don’t rate Omega Dynasty inset Only Omega Pinnacle inset because we can’t find out how the Dynasty framed line is made. I suspect it would get a B or B+ in our construction ratings because of how the back is made and that it is not all plywood construction. Omega Pinnacle gets a A for construction. The Blair door is a plywood center panel which is fine but I don’t know the thickness. We carry and think that Brighton is a great value in custom inset cabinetry. I’m sure there are many others. Knowing how cabinet lines charge for the inset upgrade is difficult to know without more research than we can do.
John Pasilva
Hi Paul,
Are the tariffs impacting kitchen costs? Should we expect cabinet, countertop, etc. costs to go up?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi John,
Good question! So far tariffs have not effected cabinets and countertops. However imported quartz is expected to go up in price first with companies rerouting their quartz through Europe to avoid tariffs but the increase in shipping will increase the price. If tariffs are imposed on cabinets and cabinet parts expect all cabinet prices to be effected. US custom lines that don’t compete in any way with imports will be the least effected. Many brands that tout being made in the US are importing their doors and so they will be instantly effected as well as the cabinets that import more than doors. Once the price of the less expensive brands increase the mid and higher priced line will automatically increase their price but to lesser degree. If the tariffs that have been talked about do take effect I’d expect 5 to 10 % price increases a month or so after they take effect in the lower 1/2 of the cabinet market. So many other things effect the cost of a kitchen though that just using a knowledgeable kitchen designer and having a well organized renovation will always have a bigger impact than a cabinet increase. Often the least expensive imported RTA cabinets are purchased by the least well organized consumers and so an increase in the cheapest RTA cabinets might end up helping DIYers to make better decisions and to get the professional help they need. Getting the better help will save them money over the course of their renovation even if they don’t realize it.
Alice
What’s the difference between “domestic furniture core backs” and “domestic plywood”?
What is veneer core plywood?
Thanks.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Alice,
Different manufacturers describe these products slightly differently. In general:
Domestic Furniture core is particleboard IE Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) made in the US (This is to satisfy those afraid of Asian products)
Domestic Plywood is Plywood made in the US. Typically US plywood is slightly denser than Asian Plywood.
Veneer core Plywood would probably be referring to plywood with a melamine top surface. So a plastic picture of wood on the surface. This isn’t a bad thing and most people can’t tell the difference when looking at it but polyurethaned plywood would be more desirable to most people and more expensive.
Alice
Omega cabinet specs from 2015 (could be outdated), given to me by a dealer:
“Cabinet backs are veneer core plywood with laminate. Wall cabinet backs are 3/8″ veneer core plywood and base cabinet backs are 1/4″ plywood with 3/4″ unfinished plywood backbrace. Cabinet backs are rabetted into the sides and a hanger strip is installed behind the back on the top and floor of wall and tall cabinets.”
Candlelight: “1/2″ thick domestic furniture core backs, bottoms and sides. Optional domestic plywood is available.”
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Omega gets a B+ at best for this construction. As far as Candlelight it would be crazy to buy such expensive cabinetry and not pay for the upgraded cabinet box. You would be buying beautiful expensive junk otherwise. Some expensive lines offer this terrible downgrade because they sell to new home builders that don’t care if the cabinets fall off the wall in 5 years as they are only required to warranty homes for 1 year.
colleen
Trying to decide on white shaker cabinets by Fabuwood or Mid Continent. Curious as to why Mid Continent received a C. Any info is appreciated.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Mid Continent has 3/8″ sides and backs in particle board. You can upgrade the sides to 3/8 plywood but that still gives them a very generous C. We may downgrade them after some reflection. Terrible value when you consider what else is out there. Fabuwood only comes with 1/2″ plywood sides and backs with Blumotion tracks and Blum soft close hinges with the exception of thier value line that needs to be upgraded to the Blum hardware. The comparison is not even close.
Chuck
Long list here. How ‘deep’ do you guys go on your research? Or is this solely based on the opinion of a few designers you get input from?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Chuck,
We do a lot of research for our blogs but research for this blog is easier than one might think as long as you know what constitutes a well made cabinet. I also attend the National Kitchen and Bath Industry Show KBIS each year and that sometimes helps.
For the construction grade on all the cabinet lines we rate we have been able to document how each cabinet company builds their cabinets. Either from their own web site or from spec books available on line. That determines each cabinet companies grade on construction quality with a slight weight given to price point. For example an A construction grade for price point 1 might get an A- in a price point 4 or 5.
For price point most of our designers know where most of these lines fall price wise. I personally have sold maybe twenty five of these lines and the other 4 designers have similar totals although there is a great deal of overlapping. When we don’t know, we don’t guess without documentation or we don’t list a cabinet line.
Our Value grade is simply a function of the two other ratings.
The blog that required the most work was to recommend cabinet dealers across the United States that are outside our service area. That research was far, far, more time consuming. For example in one case it took two designers 1 hour together to find one dealer we could recommend in one major city. And many times we could not find a dealer to recommend in a particular city at all. Here is the link to that blog which we are especially proud of:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/recommended-kitchen-designers-cabinet-dealers-outside-service-area/
For one of my favorite blogs on the IKEA EFFECT most of leg work was done for us in the papers published by prestigious Harvard, Yale, and Duke researchers. Here is that blog:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/ikea-effect-physiological-phenomenon-drives-kitchen-designers-crazy/
We take our blogs seriously. We do not allow outside content as I personally find almost all of it fluff or outright BS.
If I ever type the words Shabby Chic my wife, who edits most of our blogs, has been instructed to force my retirement.
Alice
Dealer and current Omega brochure list 3 lines:
1) Pinnacle Framed and Inset
2) Dynasty Framed and Inset &
3) Dynasty Full Access which I interpret to mean frameless.
The second one, Dynasty Framed and Inset, is described in the Omega brochure as having “Construction differences resulting in a bit lower price point” than Pinnacle.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Alice,
Thanks for getting us to check, The Omega website now lists much more information than last time we checked. There is still not enough information on Omega Dynasty framed cabinets (namely how the back of the cabinet is made) for us to rate them in our review. You can rate them yourself by finding out how they make the back of the cabinet. If it’s 1/2″ plywood and you upgrade the cabinet they would get an A for construction. A 3/8″ Plywood back would get them a B. A 3/4″ solid hanging rail would also get an A. Most other construction types for the backs of the cabinets would get lower ratings. Masterbrands is not as transparent a company as I would like. They have been getting better of late but they still can’t seem to simply tell people how their cabinetry is made.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Ted Wood looks like a good line. We just don’t have enough information to rate then. We carry and like Brighton. All these type lines only come assembled.
Lauren Clapp
Doing a large Reno and thinking about Mouser Centra inset line.
Can you give me another line that is comparable to get another price. I was also looking at Ted Wood but do not see any ratings for their lines. Do any cabinets come
Fully assembled?
Paul McAlary
Omega Dynasty is not frames as far as I know. They are a frameless cabinet line.
Alice
Just want to elaborate –
Interested in quality of construction, qualify of finish and durability between Candlelight and Omega Dynasty framed (not Pinnacle).
Alice
FINALLY down to a choice between two cabinet lines: Candlelight or Omega Dynasty (not Pinnacle, not frameless).
I didn’t see a rating for Omega Dynasty that wasn’t Pinnacle, their custom line, or frameless.
My choice of door style in one has no upcharge and in the other has a higher level so that the end result is the price is about the same for each line.
Which would you recommend? THANK YOU.
Meredith
Thanks for the information Paul, appreciate your time