Main Line Kitchen Design answers this question below:
MLKD gets asked the question “What cabinet brand is the best value?” almost daily. Below is our response from a recent question on our most popular blog. Link to that Blog here.
Hi- We have worked with a recommended kitchen designer on a kitchen/dining room remodel and really like and appreciate her design which includes things we wouldn’t have thought of. We chose the Signature cabinet brand in her showroom. I see Signature rated A+ on your list. The price quote is higher than we hoped. As an alternative at 10-15% of the Signature cost, her studio also carries Siteline which isn’t rated very well on your list. As a 3rd option, my husband has explored KraftMaid at Home Depot. I also note that we are looking at greige Shaker style which you have suggested isn’t worth paying for at higher-priced lines. We want high quality as we are planning to stay here for another 20 years but have a lot of other house projects (HVAC, windows, etc.) we need to do in our old New England home as well.
Thanks in advance!
LMM
Hi LMM,
Homeowners constantly ask us what’s the best cabinet brand for their money. The answer is complicated and not the simplistic answer people look for.
You must understand that the cost of cabinetry isn’t directly related to how well the cabinetry is built and durability. Cabinet pricing is more about the available choices and the ability to customize.
There are inexpensive well-made cabinet brands that mass produce standard cabinet sizing in popular door styles and finishes. Shaker or recessed panel white, off-white, and grey colors are common in these brands. US manufacturers have their doors and fronts built and finished outside the US where labor and materials are a fraction of the cost. This is how they can sell a well-built cabinet so inexpensively. We think Fabuwood is the best of these brands, but there are other very similar brands as well.
If you want light-stained finishes, wood species like cherry, maple, quartersawn or riffed oak, hickory these less expensive mass-produced brands will not offer these choices and so you must spend more.
Spending 25% more can place you in a cabinet brand that offers some of these choices in a well-built cabinet, but the quality of the finish will be less attractive because everything will now be made and finished inside the US, which costs more. These lines can’t stay price competitive and also pay for the added labor needed to make their finishes smooth and perfect. They will be just as durable though, with added available sizing, colors and wood species.
For example, we sell Timberlake (also sold as American Woodmark at The Home Depot and Shenendoah at Lowes) but there are many other brands, Homecrest for example. These brands are the best choice for people on a budget that want what the less expensive brands don’t offer.
Only after you spend about 50% more on cabinets does the overall finish rival the less expensive better made brands. Decora, Kraftmaid, Diamond, or Bishop would be good examples. Once you are spending this much the cabinet brand will offer custom sizing, unlimited finishes, and a combination of door styles and wood species.
When spending 60% more than the less expensive well-made cabinet brand like Fabuwood you begin to reach the price level of near custom cabinetry. Medallion, Fieldstone, and Dynasty will offer better looking finishes than their less expensive competitors as well as almost any cabinetry you want in any size, color, wood species.
When you pay a little more, you will reach the custom brands. Custom cabinet brands offer special finish techniques, like distressing, glazing, rubbed off edges, and brush strokes in their paint. We sell Brighton and Wellsford that fall into this class.
Once you reach these very expensive brands the more beautiful the finish will be. The cabinetry in the most expensive brands is really fine furniture. Very few customers we meet can decern the difference between a mid-priced custom brand and the most expensive custom brands.
If you want the same thing that most people want, and your design requires no unusual sizing you would be throwing money away getting the most expensive brands. See the Fabuwood kitchen below:
Selecting the cabinet brand that is best for a customer is why MLKD carries cabinet brands across all price points. Each line offers a niche that will be right for some customers.
Hoping your designer helps you select the cabinet brand that’s right for you . . .
Bon Appetit!
Paul
