My mother-in-law got a great deal on Merrillat Masterpiece cabinets for her kitchen. A HUGE kitchen--over 20 cabinets, I'm sure--for $6500. They look great. If I had wanted a stain (and not white) I would have gone with them. I'm sure they're not as great as some more expensive cabinets, but I paid over twice what she paid for my white Brookhaven cabinets. They're nice, but I wouldn't say they're 8K nicer!!
:)
Sarah

I think the mark-up on cabinets can be anywhere from 10% to 40%. That's why is it difficult to compare because it all depends on who charges what.

I have looked at the Wellborn cabinets (I want a cream-colored painted finish with brown glazing). I really like the painted finish (Mocha Creme). For my small kitchen with approximately 16 cabinets it came in around $15K. I have no idea if this is a good price or not.

I have decided to take my time because I think many contractors and kitchen cabinet companies are still charging too much. I don't think they realize that they won't be in business too much longer if they keep insisting on such high margins on the cabinets and their services.

For my kitchen, I think IKEA would be the least expensive all the way up to Jay Rambo, which topped the chart at 27K with Wellborn in between at 15K. I'm pretty sure the Jay Rambo cabinets had a 40% markup or $10K markup from the original KD cabinets.

Earlier this week, I visited a custom cabinet maker shop in my area. He told me that they recently lost three 100K jobs even though the customer had put down a deposit. I am finding it difficult to figure out for myself what a fair price is on the cabinets. I'm just mentioning the cabinets, but the same can be true for other big ticket items such as the granite.

Good luck on your decision!

In most cases you are really paying for the door. The box upgrade is from particle-board and melamine/vinyl to plywood construction.

However, the biggest differences in pricing within companies is the door. If you do a thermofoil finish (white door) that is usually the least expensive, with most companies the next is stain, followed by painted, followed by glazes.

Local will often be cheaper because there are less middlemen and no advertizing costs involved.

I am also shopping for cabinets. I have decided I do not like the veneer interior look of the cabinets at HD or Lowes.

I also do not like the cabinet construction.

I am looking at Vintage and Covered Bridge cabinets on line. They have dove tailed drawers and solid wood/plywood construction.

I had considered a local cabinet maker. I am leary of the finish. A manufacturer finish is much more durable than a stain and lacquer finish

I am 99% sure I am going with Omega/Dynasty cabinets. I have not put any money down yet. I, too, am leary of the prices.

I got quote a few quotes (all comparable quality - semi custom) and this one was the least expensive. The plan includes: Custom Island with 4 drawers and 3 cabinets and 4 furniture legs. I've got one pantry, a microwave shelf, wine rack, corner cab. with garage, super susan, pull out can/spice cabinet and 12 regular cabinets. All drawers are dovetail solid wood construction with soft-close. All base cabs (6) have the roll-out shelves. They are painted maple with a speciality finish on the island only. My quote for material only is 20, 500. Extra for installation, tax and don't forget the handles (as I did!). I feel that this is a total lot of money, and am nervous about getting ripped off or overcharged, but I trust my husband...

Carrie

I looked at the Omega/Dynasty cabinets as well, albeit at least six months ago. For my layout, they came to the same price as the Jay Rambo cabinets, around 27K. I have not talked with them since, so their prices may have gone down. I do like the fact that the Omega cabinets scored high in the Consumer Reports testing.

At this point, I'm taking it very slowly since the cabinets consume quite a bit of the budget and I'm still trying to work within a budget.

Just let me say that even $10K for cabinets is a lot of money especially in this economy!

I should point out that Crown Point came in at about 35k on a very similar plan with an off-white shaker beaded inset door.

The Starmark cabs are maple and all wood.

Candlelight - door was a 3/4 overlay painted wood (paint grade, not maple) but they are an MDF box and side panels. Looked like that was coming in in the low 20s.

Sarah, we have a Merillat dealer where I live and I have made an appointment for next Tues. I checked them out online and liked what I saw.
After seeing some of the other quotes here, $10,600 isn't that bad but they did not offer as many options as Merillat, from what I can see online.
Americancolleen my present island is rounded on the end and I can't wait to get rid of it! You made a wise choice. We are in S.CA, 25 miles south of Santa Barbara. I think we are in a recession but from some of the estimates, you would never know it.:-)

No kidding msgreatdeals! With the economic news bleaker and bleaker each day, you think some of these companies would be falling over each other for business.

I have no problem with everyone making a profit but when you have no idea about the basic cab price, who knows where to start and what is fair. Now, I know there's a huge difference between say, Aristokraft and Crown Point, but most manufacturers are somewhere in between.

Out of curiousity, what didnt you like about your rounded end island? I debated over that for a long time. What I decided was to just put a slab of soapstone atop two cabs and overhang it on one side with a leg support and then bring it down far enough to seat maybe 2 on each side and one at the end - supported by table legs. I think having the cab mfg do that work would be $$$$ (KD didnt tell me how much money it would be) but fortunately, my husband is a very good amateur woodworker and finish guy. The island will be stained which should be easier to match with the island cabs. I dont think I'd try it if the island was to be painted.

I have to say I am very nervous about spending this kind of money (part of a larger home improvement) at this time. But my kitchen really is a mess.

I'm doing a remodel of my old kitchen - my budget is approximately $35,000 (Canadian). We're gutting the space and the construction materials, plumbing, electrical, insulation, removing a load bearing wall, windows, refinishing the wood floors etc. is going to cost $20,000. The cabinets, 2 sinks, faucets, chandeliers, range, range hood, oven, countertops, fridge etc. have to fit into about a $15,000 budget. So...Ikea cabinets it is. I worked it out and it will be around $6500 for about 15 (mostly large >= 30") cabinets. I'd love to go custom/semi-custom, but I'm spending my money mostly on the construction, I figure if I want to switch it out in 5/10 years at least the bones of the house will be in a configuration I like.

Here is a picture of my round counter. I never really used it and it takes a lot of space. I have to walk around it and turn right to get to the kitchen dining area.
{{gwi:1719449}}

Donka:

Sounds like you're doing the work wisely. My kitchen budget is the same but I am not doing much structurally except for a new kitchen window (labor & windows under 1k). I need cabinets (taxes and installation too), floors (wood), appliances (FD CD fridges are expensive), countertops (soapstone), sink (Ticor SS), faucet (Allora??) and all the cab pulls & fasteners - and they add up quick. Hoping I can stay somewhat under the 35k but I dunno.

The scary part for me is that I was laid off recently. We have the money for the remodel set aside, but it's hard to spend it (not for me, for my husband, lol). I hope to be employed shortly however.

I'd like to add to the intention of the original thread and say that I also called a kitchen cab place and asked them about their prices on painted, beaded inset cabs - sent them a similar plan to the one I posted above. They carry the Signature/Omega line and they could not come close to the 20k price. He didnt say what it would price at, just that there was no way he could do it for that money in that line.

Before buying name brands, why not check around at local mill shops and cabinet builders.

I got lucky. A friend of ours is a contractor and has 2 Mexican woodworkers building everything for his house. Their work is the best I have EVER seen anywhere. He was nice enough to agree to let them build my cabinets.

I'm getting all my kitchen cabinets, glass doors on the top, furniture style bases, drawers in the kick space in 9' of the cabinets and 2 pantries, all Cypress with birch boxes for under $10,000.

My kitchen is one 20' long wall. I have 14' of wall cabinets and 25' of base cabinets that will be all drawers except 1 end cabinet and a lazy susan. The 2 pantries will be on an opposite 7'9" wall, framing the refrigerator.

For the same amount of plain "cardboard" cabinets, no glass, a couple of drawers and regular kitchen style cabinets, HD wanted $12,000.

Check around your area for custom builders that are looking for work.

thanks msgreatdeals. That is an awkward setup with the island.

I'm glad I ditched the idea. I have a 45" round glass coffee table on the porch and I moved it in the kitchen and placed it counter height for a couple of days... that did it! I've seen islands on this forum where the end is a kitchen table but counter height.. the top part is where the cabs are. I like the look and it's funtional too.

I drool over the CP kitchens here, but they are well out of my price range at this time.

Well, I got my Merrilat Masterpiece estimate....For cherry, the first was $19,000 and then I changed my door style and it went to $14,000. Will consider them but going to try a couple of local custom cabinet makers.
kntryhuman, can I borrow your mexican workers? I have a couple of great mexican tile/granite installlers...wanta trade? :-)

I understand about what your saying regarding cabinet prices. My husband and I are redoing our kitchen and laundry room. We are planning to do the demo ourselves and most likely the install of the cabinets also since my husbands son just started working with a cabinet installer and is learning the trade so he can help us. We allocated $20 to $25,000 to this project and have spent $7000 on the appliances I wanted. I would like to keep my cabinet price to around $10000. We started with Lowes (maple Kraftmaid), but quickly found that maybe they were overpriced. It is amazing what happens when you make them wait. They gave me one quote for 10% off,and when I didn't buy right away called me up and suddenly said they were having another promotion and I could get another 10% off which would conviently put me at my budget, by this time I had started looking at this website and really started researching cabinets. I want to get the best deal so I am still looking at getting quotes.

Has anyone ever ordered from the website "instockkitchens.com" they state their cabinets are all wood. We saw them on a Diy show and wondered about ordering off the internet

I was all set to buy IKEA cabinets for my kitchen (for around $4500) when I found my cabinet guy. I ended up paying $6000 for custom cabinets with all the bells and whistles. The doors are solid oak and the boxes are 3/4" oak plywood! Custom cabinet shops can be a very affordable option and can yield amazing results. He also supplied my pantry cabinets, laundry room cabinets and bathroom cabinets, although we did some bartering for those.

dlb226...."all wood" can still mean particle board and MDF since those products are made from wood. "all wood" really does not mean a thing any more. I would not order any cabinets off the internet without seeing them in person first.

Uggh...you are LUCKY ccoombs!!! I researched every conceivable cabinet maker in the Capital Region (around Albany, NY) and NONE of them could make my kitchen cabinets for less than 20K. One place even chuckled when I showed them my plans and asked them to beat 15K. I want to live where YOU live!!! Geez...

:)
Sarah

Wow ccoombs,your cabinets are beautiful!. I feel the same way you do about ordering something like cabinets off the internet. My husband was pushing for it due to the price, but when I actually went to the site they would not be able to supply me with everything I need.
I am going to look into some custom builders here in our area since so many people on this web site are reccommending at least getting some quotes. I figure it can't hurt and I might get lucky

Thanks to all that are suggesting looking into custom. I own a custom shop in Pinehurst, NC and I run into the assumption that custom means much more expensive all of the time. It does not at all.

I also just found a custom guy in my area who gave me a quote of about 9k less than a semi custom line that does a beaded inset painted cab (with no upcharge for that work at this time - still $$$) that I nearly went with. The custom guy installs too which is a $1850 charge by the kitchen cabinet place.

Cash is the universal credit card too :-)

Go down to your local small lumberyard or hardware store and I'll bet they have recommendations or tons of business cards from local cabinet makers. It's also nice to keep the business local - fair price for you, fair price for the cabinet guy. Everyone's happy!

I agree about local lumber stores. In West Haven there's a lumber store with a separate building for kitchens. I found cabinets there with all the upgrades. I had two other quotes: $8,000+, $6,000+ and here, on sale, for just under $5,000. The only difference bet. the $6,000+ is door style and I'm happy with the look. Just another style. I looked up the cabinets online and they're reputable just not as well known. It pays to shop around and also ask what's on sale.

Just another word about custom.

1. local, which translates into being able to see progress, talk directly to cab maker, discuss problems
2. local, which translate into money kept in your community

No, I am not a cabinet maker, lol. I don't know if it is a regional thing but everyone that builds in this area always goes custom. I truthfully didn't even think about ordering from an online co. & would never want to order something I could not see in person.

I do have extensive cabinetry in my home, built-ins in every room, there are 7 baths, large kitchen, laundry, buffet's , built-in beds & desks in kids rooms, etc. I think my cab maker said it was 415 lineal ft. of cabinetry.
I have full inset, shaker w/beadboard, all solid wood boxes( alder, I believe), paint grade , soft close on kitchen & buffet's.
Had I chosen cherry or another such wood it would have been less.

We paid 48,000 for everything. I am in the PNW and seriously custom is what people do here. I say look into custom it is a good option. Then you keep money local, have more involvement with project & can see what you are getting.
Here are a some pics of some of my cabinetry.

acountryfarm what an amazing space - the beadboard is beautiful, and it all looks to be perfection!

Custom cabinets it is!! I'm very excited my DH has finally approved. I had three quotes for refacing, all came in around the same -- $5500 for 29 doors, 9 drawers, around 20 linear feet give or take sink space, etc. with some re-work of a couple of cabinets. I narrowed my choice down to a carpenter who is a KD too!
His quote for all new was $6800. Now, since we've changed some things, it will be more than that. He will be adding around 4 more upper and lowers, baking sheet dividers, micro nook, building a pantry, and enclosing the fridge so that it looks built in. But, at that rate, I can't go wrong. I'm thinking it will wind up when all is said and done at right around $10K.
He seems to be an absolute perfectionist, and has done many high end homes (references list shows some swanky addresses). This will be for cypress, pecan, maple or some sort of northern grown oak, or birch. He will show me samples when he comes to present the 3D and elevation drawings. I will share those in a separate post. I'm so excited.
I live in Louisiana.

I wanted to go with a local custom shop for my cabinets but found that some did not do inset doors & I also worry about the durability of the paint if that is not their specialty. Someone told us "I can hire a monkey to do stain, but paint is a whole different ball game." Another shop's display had a noticable paint drip. However, I would love to have a whole house full of beautiful cabinets for $48,000 like acountryfarm has. I haven't ordered my cabinets yet - the price is a lot for a small kitchen. Makes me wonder if I should shop around some more.

Well,

My first response disappeared earlier this morning when I hit the wrong key (grrr!) It was all about how price is only one factor. I know we all know this, but if I can help someone avoid the agony of waiting over two years and still not being finished... I went to about 12 different cabinet places, received about 8 estimates- went with one of the lower ones (but not the lowest). Was impressed with the solid maple doors, furniture grade maple veneered plywood boxes, solid dove-tailed drawers with full-extension and soft-close, was able to get the few bells and whistles I needed... However, I went with a new company with no proven track record (local- and I was excited about being able to get flooring and granite and cabinets all in one place and negotiate a pretty darned good price!)- long story short- they went bankrupt before everything was finished in my kitchen. I've had to hire a carpenter to build cabinets, doors and drawers and of course they do NOT match perfectly. My point is- price is important (trust me , I am the price Queen!), but with kitchen cabinets there are SO MANY VARIABLES as important if not more so than price. So, please check out the reliability and previous performance of whoever you decide to go with!

Having said that, we just got back from ordering a bathroom vanity from a custom cabinet place- and I'm so excited!!! We are getting exactly what we/I want, and for $635 including taxes- estimate from my carpenter was $1700! The fellow even modified the plans I went it with- we hadn't allowed for fillers, and he suggested full doors with a pull-out shelf for the sink base rather than the deep drawer I'd planned, cuz he said it would probably be too tight for plumbing. Still kinda floors me that painted MDF costs more than stained wood would, but I wanted WHITE!!!

Just hope it does all work with the granite top I DO have from the frikken kitchen company mentioned above- what a pain it's been having to work around this top - could have bought a complete vanity for less $$$ (but then again, wouldn't be getting the custom one I'm getting now- see price isn't always the most important :>)

Folk's heads get turned by the word custom but all it describes is how the cabinets are built not how well they are built. Not every custom shop is good or as capable of turning out finishes as refined as some larger manufacturers can (some local shops even buy finished doors from other manufacturers). I'm glad we checked it out but it remained a little beyond our budget.

I called a local custom shop on Tues but they never called me back. A lot of the kitchen places around here are by appointment only now.....they are so slow. Custom places around here only have a one year warranty on their cabinets. I think I'm going to use the local company that has been in business since 1946.

My follow up got lost too. I wanted to say that I would be cautionary about the finish when going custom. Many shops don't do the finishing, and I insisted on someone who did both, and also provides the furniture grade finish. Otherwise, unless you want a really rustic look - you are back to outdated. Well, that's my opinion anyway.

My cabinet maker said that with maple, yes most people tell you that you can't stain it dark - but they actually dye the wood, so that it can be stained dark.
I think I'd be cautious too about the guy who said that he could hire monkeys to do stain. Getting a good stain finish is just as important as any other finish, including paint. Paint may be harder to get perfect, but any monkey who doesn't know what they're doing can make a botch job of stain too!

I have a display in my showroom that gives a "standard" 10' x 12'L shaped kitchen with 6 different tiers of pricing for that "same" kitchen. The pricing ranges from $4K to $15K in the same cabinet brand. The differences are all in the selection of the cabinets that go into the layout. The cheapest tier basically gives a corner cabinet, but no lazy susan and only 30" high cabinets with no drawer stacks or anything else "extra" except the skins to finish off the sides and toekick. The highest price tier shows 2 drawer stacks, roll out trays, silverware organizers, 30" cabinets topped with 18" glass cabinets and stacked crown molding, etc.

It's the "same" kitchen. And we haven't even gone into the differences that choosing another cabinet brand could bring into the equation. For instance, that same $4K lowest tier "apples to apples" kitchen would cost $6K in one of my other brands----BUT because they include the Blum soft close as standard but the first manufacturer doesn't, it isn't an exact "apples to apples" comparison.

My point isn't to confuse anyone further. Really. :) My point is that one of the most important elements in pricing is making a partner of your KD when it comes to budget. We know our cabinet lines, and if you are candid (and realistic) about what you want to spend, we'll bend over backwards to see that you get the most for your money.

As an example, a couple came to me and told me that their budget was $6K for cabinets in a medium sized galley kitchen and that they had pretty simple tastes so they thought it was a realistic budget. Initially, I put them in my lower priced line and managed to get their whole list of wants quite easily. However, when one of my higher priced manufacturers began a promotion on some of their door styles, I was able to upgrade this couple with "the same kitchen" to full extension soft close drawers, all butt cabinets (no center stiles, which would have been a bear in the lower priced cabinet line), furniture finished plywood ends (no tricky skins for the DIY installer) and even a desk area the exact size they specified (the lower priced line didn't carry a desk drawer in the size they wanted, so they had to "settle" on a more stock size). They got all of those bonuses plus a better quality cabinet with a better finish for $800 more. That put them at $100 under budget, or over budget by the time the taxes were figured. They were so excited to be getting a much better quality kitchen than they though they could afford that they were willing to dip into their savings for the difference. And the best thing about this kitchen was it is going to WORK well for them, and they even have a integrated spot for their beloved dog's crate. It was a win/win situation, and I was able to fully help them create the kitchen of their dreams on their modest budget because they trusted me with their budget number on the front end.

A good KD will be able to guide you into the look you want within your budget (if it's realistic) if you're willing to let the KD work your layout and brands. Unless you want something highly unusual, getting a "dark cherry shaker" kitchen, or a "glazed cream raised panel" kitchen can be accomplished in MANY different lines. It's the skill of the KD and installer that can make a 10K kitchen look like a 100K kitchen, and a 100K kitchen look like 10K worth of Chinese made garbage.

Thank you live wire oak, I've been trying to say exactly what you just posted when I go to get cabinet quotes. I've failed twice now. These two KD's did not seem willing to believe I'm comfortable picking from a 'menu' of options to reach the price point I need to make this kitchen more than plans on paper. I know my needs and my wants. Now I know how to say it.

Do alder and cherry cabinets with a dark stain look similar or is there a big difference? Comparing two doors they look very similar but when you have a lot of doors sometimes there is a big difference.