Why does price comparing kitchen cabinets at a bunch of different places almost assure that you will be taken advantage of?
Cabinet pricing is dependent on dozens of factors. Customers are simply not knowledgeable enough about cabinets to price compare accurately. Accordingly, customers who shop too much and don’t trust a good kitchen designer usually fall prey to the first unscrupulous designer they meet.
For example, a designer making many of the changes listed below could cut a cabinet price quote in half eliminating expensive upgrades and lowering cabinet quality. These subtle changes would go undetected by the majority of customers, making comparing kitchen cabinets unreliable. Most surprising to non kitchen designers is that this can be done even in the same cabinet brand.
16 Common "Cost Savings" when comparing kitchen cabinets.
1. Not Upgrading to Plywood Sides
Choosing not to upgrade to plywood sides can seem like a great way to save money. In fact, it can save up to 15% of the cost of your cabinets, but your cabinets will be substantially less durable.
2. Not Flushing out the Sides of the End Cabinets
If you decide not to flush out the sides of the end cabinets, you could save up to 5% on your cabinet cost. However, your cabinets will lose the “custom look” that makes high-quality cabinets so attractive.
3. Not Upgrading Track Hardware
Not upgrading track hardware is another way to save up to 5% on the cost of your kitchen cabinets, but it comes at a cost. Your drawers will be less sturdy, and you will likely have to sacrifice the coveted soft close feature.
4. Not Adding Decorative Doors
Eliminating decorative doors can cut kitchen cabinet costs by up to 10%. However, your cabinet sides will now be flat instead of having the more expensive panels added to expose cabinet ends.
Really tricky designers can switch even higher priced wainscotting end panels to decorative doors. This would be undetectable to almost all customers and saves 5%. If the designer went from the expensive wainscotting end to flush flat sides that saves 15% and plain sides save even more.
5. Veneer Raised Center Panel Doors
Some kitchen designers will quote a veneer raised center panel door instead of a solid wood raised center panel door. This can generate a 15% savings and is undetectable to most homeowners. Even if you prefer the less expensive look, you can’t make an “apples-to-apples “comparison against doors with more expensive, solid wood raised center panels. This is a great example of why it’s imperative to understand the quality decisions that directly affect the price of your kitchen cabinets.
6. Plywood Center Panel Doors
Quoting a plywood center panel door instead of a solid wood one can lower the cost of your cabinets by up to 15%. As with the veneer raised center panel doors, this design choice is difficult to detect but may be preferable to some customers.
7. Standard Overlay or Partial Overlay Doors
In comparison to a full overlay door, a standard overlay or partial overlay door can save you up to 25%. This is a huge difference in price and looks that cannot be appreciated by the average consumer.
8. Changes to the Cabinet Box
Quoting a different box upgrade can result in a 5-10% savings, but again—you cannot make an “apples-to-apples” comparison when the cabinet boxes have different upgrades. For example, one designer may quote you a 1/2″ box while another quotes a 3/4″ box. Or you may receive a quote for a melamine interior instead of a plywood veneer interior. Again, a significant price difference while most customers could never detect the quality differences that are driving the cost savings.
9. Thinner Shelves
Going with 5/8″ thick shelves instead of 3/4″ may save 5-10% on your kitchen cabinet cost, but you are sacrificing quality.
10. Cheaper Drawer Boxes
Soft maple, beech, or birch drawer boxes can lower your cabinet cost by 5-10% when compared to a solid maple or walnut drawer box. However, this is yet another design choice that is easily overlooked.
11. Cheaper Wood Species
Keeping the same stain or paint color but changing the species of wood is another tricky way for designers to lower the cost of your kitchen cabinets. For example, a change from Cherry to Maple, or Cherry to Alder, or Maple to Birch could save you 8%. This smaller price tag, however, comes with a lower quality color and appearance.
12. Leaving off Sales Tax or Shipping
Some designers will choose not to include sales tax or shipping in the price, only to tack it on later. What appears to be a 6-10% cost savings isn’t actually a cost savings at all. If you come across a designer who does this, ask yourself: What does this say about this designer’s integrity?
13. Changing the Type or Amount of Moldings
Not including the same amount or type of moldings in the cabinet order is yet another way to seemingly save you up to 10% on the cost of your kitchen cabinets—are you starting the see the many ways to work the price?
14. Eliminating Roll Outs
Changing drawer bases or base cabinets with roll outs to regular base cabinets can save $200 to $400 per cabinet, but make sure you are willing to sacrifice the convenience and functionality that roll outs provide.
15. Downgrading a More Expensive Cabinet Brand
Quoting a more expensive cabinet brand and then downgrading the features and quality—as described the list above—will give you a worse product at a worse price. The worst part is, customers often believe they are getting “a deal” on the more expensive brand.
16. Special Sale Prices
Let’s just say, be very careful of cabinet sales.
Price Comparing Kitchen Cabinets is Never a Good Idea
All these examples prove that finding a talented, ethical, and experienced kitchen designer is FAR more important than trying to compare cabinet pricing. Allowing pricing alone to drive your purchase will likely result in you getting a poor design and a lower quality product at an inflated price.
Main Line Kitchen Design actually sells cabinets for less than home centers and most other dealers.
However, we never quote pricing on another dealer’s design because there is no winning the price battle without deceiving the customers who get on this pricing train.
The designer is THE most important part of the kitchen renovation process. Customers who prioritize price over design end up working with less transparent designers and end up either spending more or losing value in the end.
Looking for the Best Deal on a Kitchen??
STOP researching cabinet prices and brands!
Instead, research to find the best designer and cabinet dealer.
Still not convinced? Read this account of a buyer who followed our advice and one who didn’t…
60 Replies to “Why Price Comparing Kitchen Cabinets Can be a Bad Idea”
Lynn Scrivner
Paul
I am looking at CNC cabinetry from a dealer in NJ called The Kitchen Shop – owned by Devinn Hua.
He discouraged me from it even though he carries it.
I want a modern looking kitchen with slab front doors and 1/4″ tolerances. I don’t want glossy but would prefer a laminated wood look.
Your rating of CNC is a 1.5, A-, A-.
Fabuwood only has four choices of colors (Ilumi) and they don’t happen to fit well with my selection of flooring or color scheme.
Should I insist on a quote anyway?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Lynn,
If you want a slab door and frameless cabinetry CNC is better than Fabuwood, as the Fabuwood sides are particle board and the CNC are plywood. You are in our service area so you could buy cabinetry from us. We would need to come out and measure and we have a $250 deposit to measure and do the designs which is applied towards your cabinets when you order them. If a dealer doesn’t want to sell something that’s a bad sign. CNC is not as organized as Fabuwood so they are harder to deal with as a company, which could be the issue. But the dealer could also owe the cabinetry brand money which would be “a canary in a coal mine.” You can contact me directly at 610-500-4071
Jeffrey
Hello.
Do you have any information on Ultimo Custom Cabinetry by Tuscan Hills offered by Costco?
Thank you in advance.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Jeffrey,
FROM ANOTHER POST:
The reason we don’t review online cabinet companies and Costco is to protect homeowners from themselves. Were we to review these type brands favorably then consumers that don’t understand or value kitchen design would avoid the design help that they desperately need. My mantra, the podcast and the video below all try to make this understandable.
My MANTRA is:
People worry about cabinet quality and price far more than they worry about their designs. This is because they aren’t kitchen designers themselves and don’t understand how poor their designs usually are. If you listen to one of our podcasts this is usually a central issue. The Podcast below illustrates this point:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/calls-with-paul-the-kitchen-design-podcast-episode-28-finding-a-kitchen-designer/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxJgxCeeNTo&t=
Sue Sower
Hi Paul,
Such valuable help you offer to homeowners! It’s much appreciated. We’re updating our 32 year old kitchen. Just found a local renovation business I liked very much on first meeting. Excellent customer reviews, professional, all good from that standpoint. They offer 2 cabinet lines – Fieldstone and Waypoint, and quoted me Waypoint as the best choice based on my requirements (no change to layout; off-white Shaker cabinets). I see you give Waypoint a B for quality and value. I can live with a B cabinet rating if it’s due to limitations in design choices, but would worry if it was based on quality of construction or paint finish. Looking at the specs from Waypoint- I can’t see any obvious deviations from your list of top 5 cabinet quality indicators – can you help me understand where Waypoint cabinets fall short? I’d love to sign and get going on my project with these guys, but don’t want to be penny wise, pound foolish. Thanks for your insight.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Sue,
After some research Waypoint has updated their offerings so that they are now pretty much the same animal as American Woodmark (sold at the Home Depot), Shenendoah and Allen and Roth (sold at Lowes), as well as Timberlake (sold at private dealers). We sell Timberlake so we like the brand. Because of this we changed their construction rating to B+.
However, for a white shaker door style these brands are not the best value. Their best values are in stains, Maple, Cherry, and Duraform doors and in some unusual finishes. White shaker is unquestionably the best value in a US/Import brand like Fabuwood, Wolf, ProCraft, Cubitac etc.
Also, I would NEVER buy cabinets from a builder for several reasons. Most importantly they will almost always be poor designers. I would have my kitchen designed by an experienced kitchen designer and cabinet dealer first and then have several contractors bid on the project.
These blogs apply:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/reasons-not-to-buy-cabinets-from-kitchen-contractors/
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/design-and-build-and-why-splitting-the-two-can-make-sense/
Remember we critique designs for free Fridas on our podcast. Link below:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/podcasts/
Julie
Hi Paul,
So are you saying Roth & Allen are not a good option for white shaker? We live in Ogden UT and looking to put in a small kitchen with 5 base cabinets on the wall, no uppers except above the frig and an island with 3 cabinets. One trash roll out, one microwave cabinet and another microwave cabinet with a roll out for a toaster oven. We are worried about the finish on paint grades. I recently remodeled my bathroom and the paint on the cabinet is already rubbing off in some places. There is a custom cabinet builder here in town that we have receive quotes but not sure if it’s worth the higher price. We need to make a decision but I’m having a hard time choosing the correct cabinet. Any help is appreciated.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Julie,
Alen and Roth is fine for a white shaker cabinet it just is not quite as nice “looking” a finish as is available in some less expensive brands. So you could save money. The finish will be just as durable – you will just be able to see the seams on the cabinetry more easily.
All paint is less durable than stain on cabinetry. Often small custom cabinet makers have the LEAST durable painted finishes because they do not use two-part conversion varnishes or oven bake their finishes as larger manufacturers do.
FYI – A plugged in toaster oven on a roll out is dangerous. We would not sell that to a customer knowingly.
My MANTRA below could apply here:
People worry about cabinet quality and price far more than they worry about their designs. This is because they aren’t kitchen designers themselves and don’t understand how poor their designs usually are. If you listen to one of our podcasts this is usually a central issue. The Podcast below illustrates this point:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/calls-with-paul-the-kitchen-design-podcast-episode-20/
Ronald
Hi what do you think of marsh cabinets?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Ronald,
Here is our 2021 cabinet ratings:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/kitchen-cabinet-ratings-for-2021-reviews-for-the-top-selling-cabinet-brands/
We rate Marsh reasonably well. They may have even upgraded since we reviewed them as many brands have gone to all plywood construction at the lower price ranges.
Rosanna
Please help. I had 3 kitchen places come to give me a design and price.
All three are priced close to each other
Both using fabuwood and the other pro craft. One of them also have aspect,Shiloh and Teddwood but price will be more. What should I do ? I will spend more for better Quality
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Rosanna,
More expensive cabinetry isn’t giving you a more durable product in these cases. You are paying for the greater availability of door styles, colors, and sizes. None of which you might be taking advantage of. Generally, I find that the more people focus on cabinet quality the more they neglect the most important aspect of a kitchen renovation – the kitchen design itself.
For example, were you to be replacing the cabinetry you have with the same sizes and design, that would always be a huge mistake. When people call in to our Friday helpline and Podcast worried about cabinet brands and they show me their kitchen design it almost always needs serious improvement. I’d consider calling in some Friday with your kitchen floorplan and design ready to email.
M Sheffield
I am looking at 3 different cabinet choices for a complete kitchen remodel in Atlanta, Ga. – Star Mark, Wolf Designer and Showplace. All in the full framed overlay. I am having the hardest time getting any good information on the Wolf Cabinetry in the Designer series to understand what its quality is. Can you provide any insight into these 3 cabinetry brands?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Upgraded all three of these lines are similarly constructed. The vast difference in pricing is due to the availability of unusual door styles, wood species, finishes and sizing. If you have a simple design in a simple popular color and style like white shaker, then the more expensive lines are probably wasting money. If your design requires special colors and sizes, the less expensive lines will no longer be a good value because the don’t do that as well or as competitively.
Audra McGinnis
Hello,
Do you have any positive or negative thoughts about Century Cabinetry?
https://www.centurycabinetry.com/
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Audra,
Yes. When a cabinetry company is sold almost exclusively to builders and large contractors it is almost never well-made or a good value for consumers. Most home builders care nothing about durability and have no interest in good design.
For example, Yorktowne cabinetry, until a few years ago, was a cheaply made cabinet that was used in all Toll Brothers homes. Even Yorktowne was embarrassed by the lack of upgrades used and the terribly designed kitchens Toll Brothers sold. I spoke to Toll Brothers Yorktown rep who told me that Yorktown repeated asked Toll Brothers to let Yorktown help them design better kitchens free of charge. However, Toll Brothers cared nothing about spending any money on upgrades and didn’t care about offering customers better designed kitchens, even if the design help was free. They believed that their customers couldn’t tell the difference, and the fact that they were successful selling homes meant they knew better.
The moment Yorktowne was bought by ACPI and the cabinet brand upgraded to a well-constructed better-made brand, Toll Brothers switched to Century cabinets, another poorly respected cabinet brand used almost exclusively by builders. Please read the Google reviews for Century. It is pretty hard to have a such a low review rating in the cabinet industry.
Ron Thompson
Have you rated Mantra cabinets?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Ron,
Mantra is the cheapest line that Masterbrand sells. Masterbrand is not transparent about their cabinetry so we have trouble rating them. Many of their more expensive brands we like and rate well like Decora. However, buying the cheapest brand that a huge corporation sells, when they have a reputation for a lack of transparency is probably dangerous.
Other smaller brand offerings that tell you how their cabinetry is made and specialize in less expensive cabinetry is a better idea.
I don’t know where you are located so I don’t know what brands are available near you.
Brenda Proctor
Which framless cabinet is better – Golden Home or Ultra Craft?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Brenda,
Be careful. Structural engineering is an afterthought with many of the most modern frameless lines. The C series in Golden Home is constructed well and the only one I’d recommend. Unfortunately not many kitchen designers that design in these lines know the limitations they should be considering when designing in frameless cabinetry.
When you want truly contemporary cabinetry it is hard to find a brand and a designer up to the task. Finding a well constructed brand first might be the best strategy because the cabinet dealership that sells that brand made a good choice in carrying them which is half the battle. I worry about any dealer that sells either of the lines you mention as it’s only the C series in Golden Home that I would recomend and I’d bet that 95% of the Golden Home kitchens the dealer sells aren’t C series.
I would use our ratings of frameless lines to pick a dealer that carries a better made brand like Dynasty by Omega, Kountry Kraft, or we carry Bishop and Wellsford and love them. In a less expensive frameless brands I’d pick lines like Marsh, CNC, Adornus, or Cabinet Depot. Lead times and stocking issues need to be checked with all of these lines.
Once you find the dealer that carries a line that’s better made in your price range next try to find a designer there that’s experienced.
To be perfectly frank, shopping for contemporary cabinetry is harder because so many of the kitchen designers that are frameless enthusiasts are a little nuts. If your designer looks or seems “out there” that could be a bad sign in a frameless line. 🙂
Dani
Hi there, looking to get opinion on Crestwood vs diamond vibe and Wolf classic in regards to quality/build and overall lifespan.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Dani,
Big price difference between the first two and Wolf Classic. The more expensive lines offer nicer looking finishes, more door styles, more customization, more cabinet sizes, and many more finishes. They should all be just as durable though.
Julie Bolthouse
Hi,
This articles are so helpful but I am so overwhelmed by the prospect of select a contractor. I have gotten quotes from 5 remodelers and they have ranged from $30,000-85,000. They all are licensed and a couple have been in business for over 5 years. I’m asking for the same thing from all of them but getting completely different prices with little to no info on how they come to these numbers other than cabinetry. For example the 84,000 one was Waypoint, another at 80,000 was Fabuwood, and a 45,000 was Forevermark. They have all been a little shady in one way or another and I’m at the point of just giving up and letting my water samaged floors stay warped and keeping gluing my laminate counters back together. How do I know who is going to give me a quality product not rip me off? What should I be looking for? Do the cabinet brands they use matter? Thanks for your guidance!
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Julie,
I think you may be going about this the wrong way. First I would find a good cabinet dealer and kitchen designer and have them design your kitchen. Once the kitchen is designed with drawings and notes and all the materials specified and priced out, IE Cabinetry, countertops, appliances, flooring, sinks, faucets, fixtures windows and doors if any, THEN get estimates from contractors for just the labor. The kitchen designer should be able to recomend a couple of contractors. This is why cabinet dealers are the best place to start. They aren’t design and build firms looking to do the construction. Separating the materials and labor helps you compare apples to apples. I don’t know where you are located but here is our list of recommended dealers and designers around the US. Hopefully it gives you a place to start.
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/category/recommended-kitchen-designers-and-cabinet-dealers-outside-our-service-area/
You can also call in to our Friday helpline and podcast between 2 and 4pm EST and get more detailed advive. Call 610-500-4071 between 2 and 4pm Friday and leave your number and we will call back when your turn comes up.
Camilla
Thank you for this information. With a limited budget, I’m trying to decide between Fabuwood quote of 12k for a 12×12 kitchen versus another kitchen vendor offereing Mantra for $8k or solid wood cabinets from Aristokraft for a little more but under 10k. It’s so hard to decide which one to go with because i dont know where I’m sacrificing between both places. With twin toddlers at home, I need longevity. But I feel like it’s so pricey but not sure if its my area with everyone home renovating (MD/DC area).
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Camilla,
I think that you might not be comparing apples to apples in these different lines. Are the door styles identical in all lines? Is Molding included in the two other quotes? Are the other upgrades like finished door panels or back panels on the Fabuwood order that aren’t on the others? The price difference is larger than I would expect. Fabuwood is definitely a better line. I’d switch to the Galaxy door style if you are in a more expensive Fabuwood doorstyle like Nexus or Onyx. There is a 15% saving. Hallmark is even less than Galaxy in Fabuwood but a slightly less upgraded line.
Jeff
Hi, my contractor prefers to use Woodharbor or Omega. He says he also could use a custom cabinetmaker if we prefer. Looking online, I see a lot of negative reviews for Omega, but generally positive reviews for Woodharbor. It sounds like you recommend buying from a manufacturer as opposed to a cabinetmaker. Appreciate your thoughts.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Jeff,
I would definitely recomend never buying cabinets from an individual cabinet maker. Here’s our blog on that topic:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/custom-cabinets-handmade-or-homemade/
Never pay attention to negative cabinet reviews from consumers. Generally consumers have no idea what they are talking about and often complain about cabinet properties they should have expected or blame cabinet makers for their designer or their contractor’s errors.
So I would recomend a framed Omega cabinet.
I also don’t like when contractors direct customers on cabinetry as they also usually don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to cabinet quality or good design. If he is giving out design advice then you really have to watch out.
I have never met a contractor capable of giving good kitchen design advice and we work with hundreds each year. The best contractors know they should stay away from designing kitchens. Just as most kitchen designers unless they have been general contractors should stay out of installation debates.
Theresa
This is a great, helpful site. I plan to remodel our small kitchen. I’d rather not go to a big box store, but I don’t know who to go to in the Columbus, Ohio area. Do you have recommendations?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Theresa,
Here’s our list of recommended dealers:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/category/recommended-kitchen-designers-and-cabinet-dealers-outside-our-service-area/
Gregory Young
I am looking to upgrade our kitchen in Salt Lake City, but I am having difficulty finding a cabinet maker in your list. Can you recommend a top rated modern cabinet maker? The kitchen will go into a high-end modern home. Of course, I am not looking to overspend, but I also need it to look appropriate for a high-end home.
Your help would be appreciated.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Gregory,
There are many brands that we review favorably on our blog:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/kitchen-cabinet-ratings-for-2020-updated-reviews-for-the-top-selling-cabinet-brands/
Brands that specialize in modern cabinet styles will be frameless. So any brand listed as frameless with a B,B rating would be a good selection. How much you will like the look of the cabinet will be dependent on your taste and not on the pricing of the cabinet line.
Jim Stim
Hi Paul. Great response. That explains a lot. I am fortunately working with a very talented private kitchen designer in NJ who has his own business, but had to get a day job at Home Depot due to sluggish COVID sales this past year. He offered us the best KM upgrades at HD contractor prices – a win-win. I was glad to see KraftMaid in the upper tier on your ratings list. Thanks again!
Jim Stim
Hi Paul. I am curious as to the quality difference between a KraftMaid cabinet purchased at Home Depot vs. a KraftMaid Vantage cabinet purchased at a private dealer. Are they truly different? Your 10/13/20 comment said Vantage is an “upgraded KraftMaid cabinet”. This of course makes me wonder if the quality of KraftMaid cabinet sold through Home Depot will be of lesser quality. Is that true?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Jim,
Kraftmaid Vantage sold only at independent showrooms and not at home centers is the same cabinet except that the Vantage comes automatically with the upgrades most designers would recomend. At a Lowes or Home Depot you would have to pay for those upgrades individually and sort of like getting a cable TV package when you pay for them individually it costs more. This is Kraftmaid’s concession to private dealers. Since most private dealers sell Kraftmaid for a little more than a homecenter giving the dealer the Vantage line to sell equals the playing field for the customers that want those upgrades. I would always recommend getting those upgrades so often working with a private showroom costs no more and you get a more experienced designer to work with. Of course every designer is an individual and so there are still grate home center designers. But they are getting to be the exception to the rule as home centers continue to pay their kitchen designer less and less.
Kim Nelson
We will be remodeling are kitchen this summer 2021. I am having trouble deciding on the cabinet lines of Kemper, Meallion Silverline and Forvermark. The kitchen designer carries Kemper and Medallion and the contractor carries Forevermark. We want to go with a stained cabinet and do not need custom cabinets. Any thoughts on price, quality and durability? Both Medallion and Kemper have life time guarantees but Forever Mark does not. I requested the plywood upgrade in all the quotes I received. Your help is most appreciated.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Kim,
Forevermark will be much less than the other lines ( maybe 30% or more) but will not have the variety of finishes you might want. Forevermark also previously had some supply issues due to Covid and Tariffs. If they no longer due and you like the colors available they could be a good choice.
As always the design itself is always undervalued and getting a better layout is more important that the choices between these lines.
Kristin
Hi there, wondering about your rankings of Wolf and Tru Cabinetry. Our dealer told us Tru is a better, more expensive cabinet than Wolf, but your rankings indicate the opposite. What are your thoughts? Thanks~
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Kristin,
I think you are reading our review incorrectly. We rate Tru as being more expensive but not quite built as well as the better Wolf lines.
Because it is a more expensive line Tru will have more door styles, wood types, and finishes available. But because they aren’t built quite as well they get a slightly lower rating for Value. “Better” is a relative term depending on what you are looking for. “More expensive” is simply price point. If the dealer described these two lines that way he/she has over simplified the advantages of both product lines.
If you can’t get the wood, door style or finish you want in Wolf Tru could be a fine choice. If the design is the same and the doorstlye and color are the same or close spending more on Tru would be a waste of money.
Ross Lewin
Dear Mr. McAlary,
You have rated Crown Point cabinetry very highly, but I’m wondering what you think of Crown Select, Crown’s less expensive line. In contrast to Crown Point, Crown Select’s doors have a 1/4″ MDF core. https://www.crownselect.com/cabinet-construction/
Would that be a dealbreaker for you? I have spoken to a KD at Crown Point, and have been impressed, but I’m curious about what you think of working with Crown Point in general. I would use your service if I lived in your service area. Thank you.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Ross,
A 1/4 inch MDF center recessed panel on a painted door style is fine.
Douglas
hello I saw your 2020 cabinet ratings my question pertains to kraftmaid vangard cabinets. I had heard they went bankrupt and got bought, the company bought them for the name and that the product is poor now?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Douglas,
Do you mean Kraftmaid Vantage? This is an upgraded Kraftmaid cabinet sold at private dealers. Kraftmaid was owned by Masco for many years. I’m not sure how their sale in 2019 to ACProducts Inc is affecting the quality of their cabinetry. I hadn’t heard anything about a change in construction just some quality control issues that many cabinet lines have experienced during Covid.
kitchen showroom
Hey thanks for posting this useful information about price comparing kitchen cabinets and why it is a bad idea here, I really hope it will be helpful to many. It will help a lot; these types of content should get appreciated. I will bookmark your site; I hope to read more such informative contents in future. Appreciative content!
Ronnie Beezer
How would you rate Lifeart cabinets for a shore kitchen remodel? Also, what is the best finish for a humid location? Thank you
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Ronnie,
The LifeArt framed cabinets are pretty well constructed for a VERY inexpensive line. As always the elephant in the room is the bad design that can be improved to make the shore house rent and sell for far more or simply be a better place to live. Saving 20% on cabinets but not getting a slightly better product along with a good kitchen designer to work with remains the mistake that most people make.
Whenever I get sent the designs that people are considering I still marvel at how 95% can be so terrible without the homeowner realizing it. And ALWAYS the more amendment the the homeowner is that their design NEEDS to be a certain way the MORE terrible their design is.
This phenomena is explained by a combination of both the Dunning–Kruger and the IKEA effect which Doug Mottershead explains in a funny way in our video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxJgxCeeNTo
leeann
We are remodeling the kitchen of a second home on a lake in New England. What are you thoughts on inset doors and their ability to withstand humidity? Also, do you have any reviews on Shiloh Cabinetry?
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Leeann,
We rate about 100 cabinet lines here:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/kitchen-cabinet-ratings-for-2020-updated-reviews-for-the-top-selling-cabinet-brands/
We discuss Shiloh in particular in the comments on our blog. Here’s one excerpt:
In both the Shiloh framed lines and the Eclipse frameless line Shiloh does almost everything right except a small construction upgrade that would allow us to rate both lines far higher. The hanging rail in the framed line is too tiny and insufficient to withstand much weight or stress.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Olga,
Some sales from manufacturers are real. These sales are usually upgrades that the brand is offering for free or at a discount. For example a free glaze or a free upgrade to an all plywood box.
VERY VERY rarely a brand will offer a percentage discount sometimes 5%. I have heard of a 10% discount from a manufacturer only once in the last 15 years
Most often sales saying things like 20%, to 50% off are talking about “off of list price”. No dealer sells cabinets for list price so these sales are in fact misleading and fake. Advertising these types of sales is like the carpet companies that have going out of business sales that last decades.
Fake sales tell you what type of company you would be dealing with. I would never shop somewhere that false advertises.
An additional worry with cabinet sales is that they encourage rushing. Not just the customer rushing to buy but the designer and dealer rushing their orders and the contractor rushing their work. Rushing a complicated kitchen design, order, and renovation is a stupid idea and causes mistakes.
The last 5% sale we let customers know about caused rushing and mistakes that created ill will our customers and cost us a great deal of money rectifying. For this reason we no longer advertise any type of sale.
Olga
Could you please explain a little more why sales are a suspect? Is customer able to find out if manufacturer is in fact offering a particular special at the time? Thanks!
Judi
Would you please clarify your price ratings from 1-6. I’m not sure if it goes from high to low or from low to high. Is 1 high or low?
Thank for this excellent reference guide to cabinet quality!
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
HI JUDY,
1 IS A VERY, VERY INEXPENSIVE CABINET WHILE 6 WOULD BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE CUSTOM CABINET LINES – PROBABLY THREE TIMES THE PRICE OF A 1 CABINET
Tim
Hello everyone,
Has there been an update on Showplace Cabinetry? Do anyone have any positive or negative thoughts or experiences with the? I’m interested to know what folks think.
Thank you!
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Tim,
Here’s our 2020 cabinet reviews:
https://www.mainlinekitchendesign.com/general/kitchen-cabinet-ratings-for-2020-updated-reviews-for-the-top-selling-cabinet-brands/
Looking for discounts can be dangerous when shopping for cabinets post Covid-19. -
[…] Here is another blog about price comparing […]
Gina
I’m curious if the cabinet rating table has been updated to show the new rating for Showplace?
Cost 4
Quality A
Value B++
I’m considering the Showplace cabinets for my unplanned kitchen remodel. A water leak and kitchen floor damage 🙁
This site has been very informative and I love that it is current and updated regularly.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Gina,
Yes we have updated Showplace. Where exactly their new pricing falls we don’t have a 100% handle on but they are well made and meet our criteria for A construction.
Scott
I see my previous message is being moderated…makes sense. I’ll take that knowledge to add a couple of other standard features I missed mentioning:
– 13″ deep wall cabinet are standard
– Top drawer openings are 5-1/2″ tall standard, more clearance to prevent things from sticking in your drawers.
Thanks again Paul.
Scott
Hi Paul,
Full disclosure, this message is coming to you from Showplace Cabinetry, respectfully requesting that you re-evaluate your opinion on quality and value of the Showplace brand based on our cabinetry checking all the right attributes mentioned on your site as determining what makes a quality cabinet.
– Standard 1/2″ plywood end panels, check. Upgrade to 3/4″ flush plywood available.
– Standard full-extension, soft-closing Blummotion drawer glides, check.
– Standard soft-closing 6-way adjustable Blum hinges, check.
– Standard solid hardwood, dovetail drawers with fully-captive drawer bottoms, check. Upgrade to solid walnut dovetail drawers available.
– Solid hardwood doors, frames, drawer fronts all standard. Some alternative materials, such as plywood center panels, available at lower cost. Paint grade blends solid hardwood with HDM center panels for situations where improved environmental stability is a needed.
– Custom paint colors available.
– Oven-dried, hand-wiped, multi-step catalyzed varnish finishes are all standard.
– Custom sizing to the 1/16″ often at no charge solve fit problems in ways that are visually appealing. Custom-built cabinets available, designers draw them, we build them.
I realize this post is self-promoting and recognize it may need to be removed. I just ask that you take another look at your rating of Showplace based on current information. Thank you.
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Scott,
My apologies. Neither I nor anyone that worked for me was aware that much like several popular cabinet lines, Showplace Cabinetry had upgraded their construction. Upgraded Showplace now meets all the standards we have for a well constructed cabinet. I am fixing our ratings of Showplace and I truly apologize for not being current as to Showplace Cabinetry construction specifications.