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Cabinet Makers don't make cabinets?

8 years ago

I called a cabinet maker today. His web presence clearly indicates that he is a cabinet maker who makes cabinets. I told him that I need a replacement door for one of my kitchen cabinets and that there wasn't any manufacturer information in any of the cabinets and I was unsure on how to proceed.


He responded, "I don't make doors". As a layperson, I was confused. I think I insulted him when I surprisingly blurted out, "so you just make the boxes." It went downhill from there, so .......


Is this the case for all cabinet makers? No doors? Or should I continue down the list?

Do I try carpenters?

Wood workers?


Not sure how to find the right tradesman to see if a door can potentially be matched?


And as some background, I plan on having the cabinets painted so I didn't care about a color match nor do I want a glass door cabinet as I need the cabinet for proper storage.


I appreciate any information!

Comments (17)

  • 8 years ago

    You order from a door company. My favorite: http://www.evanscabinetanddoor.com/

    User thanked Milly Rey
  • 8 years ago

    Milly, thank you. Wow, that's way more complicated than I expected; especially if you only need one door to match existing ones. I'm sure I'm not the first but I was kinda hoping to just hand someone one of the doors and ask them to make a duplicate. I appreciate the info and especially, the link!

  • 8 years ago

    Ellsworth-Hallett, thank you. I am going to try some other companies because I would rather find someone local and be able to hand an existing door to them and minimize the guesswork. Thanks!

  • 8 years ago
    A believe a lot of cabinet makers don't make the doors themselves anymore. Depending on the style, doors can be labor intensive compared to ordering, which in turn, is more expensive to the client. Trying to compete with the big box store pricing would be near impossible. That said, I would try other cabinet companies until you find one that does make doors. Happy hunting
    User thanked basmith98
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Joe, call them and ask to mail the door to them. They'll replicate it. If it's not standard, it'll just cost more.

    User thanked Milly Rey
  • 8 years ago

    That's exactly what I'll do if I can't find a local person. I don't want to have to figure out the profile edge and so on. Any idea how much one door would cost?

    Also, basmith98 mentioned big box stores and I realized, these doors were not custom made and are pretty generic so they could be sold in Home Depot still. They are new-ish so it's worth a drive.

    More local re-con needed!

  • 8 years ago

    Joe, there should be a sticker somewhere on the cabinet to tell you what brand they are. They would be located some where on the drawer, maybe on the bottom? If you pull a drawer out you would e able to check it. Or, it could be somewhere else on the drawer box.

  • 8 years ago

    Nancy, that's what I thought too but I checked every cabinet and drawer including the bottoms. I think someone must have removed it/them. Could it be on the back of the drawer? I didn't want to mess with trying to take it off it's mounting. Tomorrow, I'll peek my head inside the cab to see if I can see the back side of the drawers. it's worth a try. Thank you!

  • 8 years ago

    Just an update for anyone still following as it's my pet peeve when people come, ask for help and then are never heard from again ... without an update or even a thank you.

    In the end, I found a local cabinet maker to make my door and he did a great job! I don't think anyone will be able to tell it's not original or notice a slight difference once it is hung and they are all painted!

    Thank you all for your assistance and encouragement to find a local person. He picked up and delivered and the cost was remarkably reasonable!

    Most appreciated. Joe


  • PRO
    8 years ago

    Joe, how much did he charge you for the door?

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    He charged me $140. I had no idea how much it should be but the only other option was an online door store that would have required shipping one of my doors to them and then their return shipping costs before they even fabricated a door so I just paid what he asked. He was really helpful and easy to work with.

    Do you think it was a fair price?

  • 8 years ago

    If you are happy and he took care of your need hassle free then I would say that is a fair price :)

    User thanked tedbixby1981
  • PRO
    8 years ago

    "Do you think it was a fair price?"


    For you, not for him. He's got to be retired and doing it for fun. I couldn't shop for the stain for a color match for $140.00.


    Maybe $140.00 each for 20 doors, but imagining the set-up time for the cutters for one door makes my wallet hurt.

    User thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
  • 8 years ago

    Joseph, thanks, that's the best news I heard all day! LOL

    I think I'll have him quote the vanity cabinet and anything else I can think of! ;-)

    Thanks for the information!

  • 3 months ago

    If you just need a door go to a door manufacturer. Not all cabinet shops make their own doors because it requires a lot more room, equipment and employees so it's more efficient to source that out. We did the simpler flat doors but sourced out for the 5 piece doors.

  • 3 months ago

    HU-379713354 8 year old post.