Kitchen Cabinets - Pre-made or contractor built?

11 years ago

I am curious to hear opinions on using pre-made cabinets, like Wood-Mode, etc. as opposed to contractor built/painted cabinets. Pros/cons? Cost difference? For our last remodel 10+ years ago we used pre-made cabinets and the finish wore off in the frequently used spots. Cabinet co. didn't stand by their guaranty and the kitchen distributor stopped carrying them all together. I like the colors and finishes of the pre-made cabinets, but the contractor really wants us to use their cabinet maker. Any advice will be appreciated! Thanks!

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PRO

Hal Braswell Consulting

11 years ago

We are in middle of kitchen reno. After looking at Kraftmaid and Schuler, the best preassembled we could afford was Shenandoah. They were presentable but nowhere near what we wanted.

We went with Conestoga Wood Specialties which makes high end RTA cabinets you assemble with glue and a finish nailgun.

Huge selection of wood species, door styles and colors. Typical cabinet box takes 30 minutes to assemble and you can get them finished or unfinished.

Our cabinets have all plywood construction, maple faceframes and doors, twin I-beam construction for base cabinets. Blumotion full extension drawer glides with softclose and Blum 6-way adjustable softclose hinges. Shelves are 3/4" plywood. Cabinet backs 1/2" plywood

We turned our kitchen into a galley kitchen with 178" of countertop on one wall and will have 85" of countertop on the opposite wall. Our range is flanked by 30"wide drawer bases with another pair on the opposite wall. We spent extra money to have finished panels on both the top and bottom of our uppers. We have a matching galley rail atop our uppers to display items and light rail under the bottom.

We also got two 34" wide pantries with 5 ROTs each. Again Blumotion full extension softclose glides rated for 100 lbs.

Our total cabinet cost, including the pantries, refrigerator surround and trim, was about $13,000. Comparable quality Schuler would have been double.

Did I mention our pantry ROTs are height adjustable without tools?

There are some preassembled cabinet brands as good or better than CWS but the cost savings made them the best choice for us. If you aren't up to assembly then whoever installs can assemble.

Here are a few pics. This is a work in progress and some doors are not installed.

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Comments (7)

User
11 years ago
Pick out what you like in the pre-made cabinet finish and challenge the cabinet maker to reproduce it to your satisfaction. If they can, you might well be getting a better product, as some of the cheaper pre-made cabinets are press-board instead of plywood boxes, pieced or veneered doors and drawers instead of solid wood, and cheaper slides and hinges. There may not be a huge price difference, depending upon your area of the country. Also, ask to see a kitchen featuring the cabinetmaker's work, and see what the owner has to say about working with them.
PRO
Goldcon Construction
11 years ago
If it fits your budget definitely go with custom built cabinets. If you are working with the right contractor you will not regret it!
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PRO
User
11 years ago
Unless the custom shop can finish in-house, you are asking for trouble. Job sites have temperature, ventilation and dust problems, not to mention other subs working around the area. I've seen finished-in-place trim; I'm not sure I'd do the same for cabinets.
PRO
Artisan Construction and Remodeling Inc.
11 years ago
Lots of variables between stock (pre-made) and custom cabinets.

I've had good success with:

ENTRY LEVEL PRICE: J&K cabinetry and Ikea cabinets (These are ready-to-assemble cabinets).

MID-RANGE PRICE: Medallion, Kraftmaid, and Dura-supreme

HIGH PRICE: Woodharbor, Omega, and Crown Point

All hinges upon your budget. In my market, it is common to pay between $8,000 and $18,000 for quality cabinets for a 12' x 15' kitchen. Tax and delivery included. No installation.

Custom cabinets are usually double that cost. So they should absolutely blow your mind!

If your contractor has a good cabinet maker, make an appointment with him/her to see their product. Make a day of it. Get a sense of the kind of person he/she is. Will they stand behind their product? Ask to see their shop. Are they organized and professional? Don't be afraid if they work out of their garage. Some of the best carpenters on the planet work out of humble spaces, and yet they produce mind-blowing workmanship.

Ask for references that are NOT related to them. Then, call those people and ask to see the cabinets in their home. See how they have held up. Ask the clients about the experience.

Issues/problems will always come up. A professional contractor will help you navigate through them.
Gail Latimer
Original Author
11 years ago
Dura supreme manufactured my current cabinets and the finish hasn't held up at all. I am very careful with cleaning, drying, etc. but the finish has worn off everywhere our fingers touch. We paid around 24k for our average size kitchen. Customer service was non- existent. I gave up after 2 years of trying to get help from them.
PRO
Artisan Construction and Remodeling Inc.
10 years ago
Gail

How did your kitchen remodel turn out?

What cabinets did you decide on?