I can't give you a direct comparison since I don't know what you were planning with the local kitchen designer. But I do know that when a friend of mine started to plan a white kitchen from Home Depot she got discouraged that they didn't make clear to her that the cabinets she had chosen were MDF rather than a combination of solid wood doors and plywood frames; she also hadn't noticed at first that the cabinet doors were standard overlay rather than full overlay, and a number of other details that were visibly cheaper and not what she wanted. So I'd make a very careful comparison and research what you really want in your kitchen. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the kitchens at Home Depot or anywhere else. But there are lots of details that make a difference between both the durability and design of one kitchen vs another, even if from a distance (or in a husband's eye) they look similar.

Oh! Good points! Thank you

There is nothing really 'wrong' with kitchen qualities from big box home improvement stores. The only limited factor is they tend work with from their standardized boxes and if you require some unique or customization it might not be possible or cost you a lot more.

The "skilled" "designers" are sent to a kitchen design course for 3 weeks. Independant kitchen places typically hire interior designers. When purchasing a painted kitchen the difference between high end and low end is the durability in the finish. They may look the same now, but in 3-5 years you will be able to tell the difference in the quality of the finish (the higher end will last longer). The other difference is in the quality of the box construction. A kitchen should last you 20+ years. Cheaper cabinets us a loose particle board compared to a higher quality manufacturer which typically use higher quality "dense" particle board for their interior.

Many of the difference from low end to high end products are hidden in the quality of materials and the steps in constructing and finishing your doors. Like I said above, they may look the same now...but in 5 years you will have wished you spent the extra money !

If your doors are painted maple wood, be prepared for cracking at the joints (doesn't matter what quality you buy)

Don't assume anything in comparing one company to the other. Compare product to product. Home Depot (big box in general) carries a wide selection of various qualities so when pricing things out, compare apples to apples. Same box, same hardware, same door, same same same. I must say that there truck load events on cabinets at Home Depot off limited sizes, there regular stock offers more options as to size and there S/O vendor suppliers, do the works. Many times at Home depot, you'll notice it costs much less.... theres a simple explanation to that!!! They aren't interested in just selling you cabinets once every 20 years. They price themselves accordingly to gain your other business. Counter top, sink, faucet, hardware, plumbing supplies, appliances, backsplash, flooring, paint etc etc etc. The idea is this, make small amounts of profit several times, over several projects at home and it will add up.
I ended up getting a better price through Home Depot than I did from the vendor that supplies this product directly to Home Depot. Me as a single customer will buy 1 maybe 2 of this item in a life time. Home Depot as the customer to the vendor will buy thousands and that warrants buy power and the better retail price.
I'm not waving orange pom, poms around either because they have irked me a time or two but I will say this. I had a s/o company not willing to warranty there product. HD stepped in and problem resolved, immediately. Good thing too because what good was my 10 year warranty when they weren't in business 2 years later.

Many interior design students get their start at big box stores and many stay a long time by choice rather than moving on to an independent showroom. I felt I would be doing them a disservice by not acknowledging them and would come off as downright snobby as a degreed designer in a high end showroom by generalizing. But yes, the skill level at Home Depot varies greatly while the products are "as is". :)

So penny wise and pound foolish as me mum would say!

exactly :)

So I don't want to come across as argumentative, but when you are comparing products, keep in mind some HD products are the same, but many are not. Some companies will put the same thing in HD stores, the pricing is due to volume. But many companies have a seperate production line and the products are not the same for cost cutting reasons. Bottom line is do your homework to make the best decision for you. :)

When we decided to redo our 30 yr old kitchen I decided that I wanted euro-style mahagony cabinets made by DeWils which are carried by a local dealer/building supply store. While they were making up an estimate my husband decided to go to Home Depot, spoke with their kitchen designer and insisted that I get an estimate from them as well. So I did - for the exact same layout - for their top of the line KraftMaid cabinets. For cabinets only, the DeWils (semi custom and top quality) came in several thousand dollars lower than the Home Depot's price. Frankly, I was surprised but am loving my mahagony cabinets!

Home Depot has Martha Stewart line of kitchen cabinets now.....they really look nice in store. We are thinking of getting them in white.

Have you seen a kitchen done with it? It's hard for me to visualize what a HD kitchen would look like. At kitchen showrooms I can see what they look like once installed. I need that! :)

Someone mentioned maple cabinets. If not maple, which wood is best (it'll be painted white)? Thanks!

skoutoupis made a good point. If you are going with painted wood cabinets the paint will crack where the pieces of wood are joined, unless you are going with slab doors. The reason is the expanding and contracting of the wood from humidity in the kitchen. If this is something that will bother you, do not get wood. MDF can be routed out to look like raised panel, Shaker style, etc. When a good finish is put on it will look like wood. Just keep in mind that wood can be refinished, whereas MDF cannot. I know that Home Depot cabinets can look good in a showroom, but you need to get all of your wants down in writing. Some of the showroom samples may have features that are not standard, but rather upgrades, which will add to the cost. An example would be the soft close hardware, wood versus melamine drawers, wood versus melamine boxes. Also, go online and check out the reviews for the lines Home Depot carries. What is their customer service like if you run into an issue? What type of warranty do they have? These are just some points to consider.

I have a hd white kitchen and it is 13 years old and has held up well. I was on a tight budget and it still looks good;)

What brand was your other manufacturer? Home Depot has proprietary naming rights so you may be able to get the same cabinet, just different name. Their thomasville line is an example of this....I have had clients do this quite often. The only complaint I have had is the lack of customer service and knowledge from the HD staff,, example: not ordering the necessary accessory parts, toe kick, etc...

I have a white kitchen and wipe every cabinet every other week. I never wiped my wood stain that often. I strongly suggest the appropriate size handles and no MDF. Knobs are not a good idea. If you do go with home depot only use a certified installer or you will have no recourse if something goes wrong. I always ask for 2 insurance certificates- Liability and Workers Comp. This will sort out the professionals and protect you!

I agree...I would go one step further. Buy the cabinets at Home Depot....but use a different installer. I have found Home Depot guys cutting corners as their margins are so tight.

I agree!

I agree!

Anyone care to share a photo of their HD kitchen? I've never see one (only in their advertising...)