Judy, did you ever use Cabinets to go? We are planning on purchasing cabinets from them and I am starting to get a bit worried about quality. If you did use them, how did they turn out, and what do you think about the quality so far?

Cheepchinesecrapola.

Movinginva, if they are the style you want, provide the utility you need, and are priced well below other cabinetry, go for them. Have you seen them in person? Unless you entertain in your Laundry area, and if they are substantial enough to not fall off the wall, they should do well. I upgraded the cabinets in our Laundry when I was having our house built here in Texas last year, and as nice as they look I could have used that extra money elsewhere.

@armjim, I am looking at them for my kitchen. I have seen them in person and they look great, but I do not know a whole lot about cabinets, so they may be all looks and terrible quality for a kitchen application where they will get a reasonable amount of use. They are priced pretty well, and they have the look I want.

Ok, I would take Sophie's advice then and really research what you are looking at. For your kitchen you want something that looks nice but is also durable as you will be using them daily rather than occasionally as in a Laundry area.

Reviews are so mixed on everything these days. The whole process of finding the right thing can be so overwhelming. I wish there was one clear answer that did not cost an outrageous amount of money. Seems like Ikea gets decent reviews, but they do not have the color or look that I want. I will do some more research and see if there is a good vendor out there.

There are a lot of good vendors out there. There are not as many good Kitchen Designers out there. Find your Kitchen Designer first, and he will steer you through the vast amounts of stuff you don’t know that you didn’t even know existed and didn’t know was important.

What’s important in cabinets:

US constructed. Not US assembled from imported parts. Imports are cheap for a reason. Do not lie to yourself that you are getting something for nothing. You are just paying in a different way that you will regret.

The number of door choices that a company offers pretty directly correlates to the quality of the line. And the expense of the line. There are stock lines that offer a single white, and 3 stains on birch, and maybe 2 in oak. And 5 doors. There are lines that offer 25,000 possible combinations. Plus pure custom. Not kidding.

Most people end up somewhere in between, in a semi custom line, that gives a good variety of options. The levels of expense will overlap. A simple door in cabinet line C may cost less than a complex door in line A. This is where you need your KD’s help.

You need to decide what is good enough for you, or, what level you will accept. And then your dream level. Realistic dream. Not as in you want 750K worth of antique reclaimed ship deck teak to be made into cabinets. Me too. Not realistic.

The average mid grade kitchen remodel in the US, using all professional labor, is 63K. That’s to rip it to the studs and do everything. Wiring for better lights. New appliances floors. Paint. Sinks, faucets. As well as the big ticket items of cabinets and counters.

Invluding labor in the category totals, the general breakdown of “average” is.

Cabinets: 26K

Counters: 6K

Floors: 7K

Electrical: 3K

Plumbing: 2K

Appliances: 11K.

Paint &Millwork: 2K

Demolition and misc labor: 5K

Discretionary Mad money: 1K

Of course, remodels are individual, as are priorities. You may want a 20K appliance budget and move to stock cabinets to make that happen.

And not everyone lives in an average 325K US home. Some are above, and some are below. Which is why you take that figure, and your house, and your location, to figure out a budget.

Traditional budgeting tries to keep you from over spending or underspending. 10-30% of your home’s value is what to budget for the whole redo. 40% or so to cabinets. That guideline gets muddy in a high cost of living and a low cost of living.

There are certain baseline costs to a kitchen remodel that have to be spent, no matter what. The lower your home is in the area’s percentile, the higher the actual percentage will be needed to be to spent. A 100K home has to really struggle to keep to a 20K budget, especially if they have the latest HGTV want list and not laminate counters and stock cabinets.

Whereas a 900K home should be able to easily fit a like for like redo into 110K, unless they have a 40K appliance package. Or a 50K range.

Theres lots more research to do in the kitchen forum And with your KD.

Any feedback on Walnut Ridge Cabinetry? The models in the showroom looked nice. I know there are less options and you have to make your space fit their cabinets but I'm OK with that. Any other kind I should look at that's priced close to or a little over Walnut Ridge?

@ Sophie Wheeler Thanks for this cost breakdown and the advice on neither overspending nor under spending for your particular house and area.

Judy - where did you end up getting your cabinets from?