It seems that people are always looking for cheap kitchen cabinets. There are certainly people out there in the marketplace who sell cheap cabinets – by which I mean cabinets that are made cheaply. This designation commonly refers to cabinets constructed of cheap materials with secondary quality workmanship and in a small number of variations in color, design, etc.
Most of the calls we receive are actually people who want to buy kitchen cabinets cheap. In other words, they want reasonable quality in materials and workmanship, but at a very low price. They do not really want cheap cabinets.
There are many ways to compare the prices and the quality of cabinets for your kitchen. One is to go to a home improvement store and compare the available options. Most of these stores will have “knock-down” cabinets that you can by for a very low price and take them home on the same day. They might need assembly and you will need to install them or find someone to install them in your kitchen.
If you are willing to spend a little bit more money, you can step up to stock cabinets and get standard-sized cabinets in a wider range of colors, finishes and styles. You will probably need to assemble these, as well as install them. These are the ways to buy the cheapest kitchen cabinets.
If what you actually need is the highest quality cabinets you can get for the lowest possible price you can afford, there are other options. These options offer the widest range of colors, woods, finishes, styles, designs and hardware. You can either order custom or semi-custom cabinets (at a much higher price), or you can take the creative approach with a good cabinetmaker.
Some cabinetmakers offer you the highest-possible quality in cabinet materials and workmanship at the price of stock cabinets. They are then able to take these cabinets, and modify and customize them to meet your specific needs. These are very high-quality cabinets.
Here is how these cabinetmakers are able to offer you the highest quality cabinets, with customization, at the lowest possible price.
- The cabinetmaker works directly with a cabinet manufacturer.
- Together they select what they believe will be the most popular woods, colors, finishes, designs and styles in the area served by the cabinetmaker.
- This defines the line of cabinets the cabinetmaker will offer.
- The manufacturer makes the cabinets in the factory and ships them to the cabinetmaker.
- Once the cabinetmaker measures and calculates the cabinet sizes needed for a particular job, s/he orders the standard sizes needed, plus extra cabinets to customize.
- The cabinetmaker then uses his/her skill to make from the cabinets received the custom sizes needed for each kitchen.
- If special features are needed that cannot be purchased from the manufacturer, the cabinetmaker builds and installs those features (for example, lazy Susan, racks, dividers, refrigerated drawers, cabinets that enclose small (under-counter) refrigerators or ovens.
- The cabinetmaker combines and re-sizes cabinets for sink bases, cooktop bases, and even for islands and peninsulas that are part of the kitchen design.
By working with a cabinetmaker that has a relationship with a manufacturer and the skill to customize standard cabinetry, you can save a bundle when you remodel, restore, renovate, add, upgrade or build a kitchen. You will not have cheap kitchen cabinets. You will have custom cabinets at the surprisingly low price of standard cabinets.