Can we talk kitchen cabinets?

[Ellen]

I am in the process of researching kitchen cabinets. As with everything else, there are different levels of quality, build, hardware, etc. I am getting mixed reviews on almost any brand I research, it is frustrating... I am already to the point I wish there was a "Jonathon @ GOG" for cabinets.

So, while I'm burning the midnight oil deciding what IS necessary, and what is overkill, raised panel or no, what stain, and maybe glaze? (I thought that was for donuts...), and, just how lazy am I as in, do I want easy close or can I push the drawer all the way shut myself??! , I would appreciate all you people with cabinets to chime in. You don't have to have bought them. Just state name brand, and how long you have been using them/how long they have existed. Are there problems, what are they. No problems, love them, hate them. If you did buy them, an approximate price range would be nice. Any and all feedback would be appreciated.

And this will benefit others, not just me. Cuz there are lots of you who will go to buy these one day......

Thanks so much in advance!


BTW, we do not want to spend an arm and a leg. We want well built, but not high end.

 

[braga123]

I understand your confusion....I gutted my kitchen 5 years ago. I started with a budget, bc with no budget, it's kind of like a wedding and upgrades are sure to seduce you. But to me, the budget was the most important. To decide the details, I looked at my home's architecture and picked a style and color that would complement it. Doing this, helped me narrow my choices down bc believe me, there are choices out there, but some of them would have looked so out of place. 5 years later, I still love love love my kitchen and get lots of compliments. I also took cues from my other taste in furniture--I don't like anything overly ornate but too modern seems too cold...so I opted for transitional, which goes perfectly with my 2 story 1973 home. I went with Kraft Maid (home depot), birch wood, and it is great quality for the price.
Price paid back then for cabinets was 8300 (included tax)....installation was free (hubby did it) granite countertop installed 3000 and new appliances Jenn Air 3000 and new tile floor 500 (free installation--hubby) and backsplash 500 (installed)

 

[packrat]

Fun thread, Ellen! I love kitchen stuff so I'll be following along. We're redoing and expanding our kitchen this winter, but we have like $0 budget, so we'll be getting the unfinished cabs from Menards, and probably painting them since I've not had good luck w/stain color staying the color it's supposed to be. We talked about making our own, but JD thinks it will be too much of a headache.

Do you know how much extra it is for some of the things, like the easy close? if it's not much, it could be worth it..if it's a lot, then I'd prob'ly just close em myself.

I played on a website of cabinet makers that are nearby and it was kinda fun b/c they had about a million combos between woods/stain/paint/glaze/ridge glaze plus then the style of the doors themselves.

The ones we have right now that came w/the house suck. We have added quite a few extra that are the unfinished, tho, and they've been perfectly fine. Inexpensive and that's nice. There is a part in the center that I think you could put something inside, like a panel of beadboard or whatever, which is something I'm considering. I don't recall the price of them, but I think to do the computer area it was about $500, for uppers and lowers and we got a lot.

 

[braga123]

mine have easy close...love it...I think it was a standard feature when I ordered it...or not too much more

 

[Ellen]

braga, thank you for all your info, really appreciate it. I hear you on the budget, but, it's complicated. lol Because this started out repainting the kitchen (along w/the rest of the house) and then went on to painting the 60 year old cabinets. Then hubby said we could get a new floor (his idea), then I asked for a new counter which he agreed to. Then he asked someone how much we were talking for new cabinets, (I had not even attempted that one) and found out it was not near what we thought it would be. So, he's the one basically calling the shots, and I have found that the less I say, the more I'm ending up with! We can afford this, however, I know am not going to get my "dream" kitchen and I am totally ok with that. After living with this kitchen for 27 years, I will be more than happy with all I've listed and very basic cabinets.

You echoed a post I read last night over at GardenWeb about looking at your vision of a kitchen and writing down what you want to see in it, i.e. style, warm, modern, etc. I pretty much know what I want/like, and don't think it will be hard to find or too pricy. I am flexible in my wants also. Like, I would LOVE to have the cabinet that holds the kitchen aid mixer on a shelf that pops out to counter level, but I'm not getting it. Mainly because I don't want to lose precious cabinet space!

That is great your hubby could help cut some costs!



Hi packrat, I think it will be a great thread, hopefully many will chime in.

With the place we looked at yesterday, they carried one line of cabinets, and the easy close were a $40.00 upgrade per drawer. I am leaving that up to hubs (unless they come standard with whatever cabinets we eventually get), because I can live without it, and any decision he makes, he lives with a lot easier.

If you aren't familar with the website GardenWeb, check them out. They have an invaluable amount of info on their discussion boards!

 

[packrat]

I'll check out Gardenweb, thanks!

 

[vc10um]

I believe it was iLander who posted this link awhile back and I saved it for when we eventually gut and redo our kitchen: http://www.allwoodfast.com/ which might be worth a look for both you and packrat.

In all your musings about cabinetry, just a reminder not to lose sight of how something FUNCTIONS in the process. I HATE our lower cabinets with a PASSION. Each pair of doors has a divider down the middle (so instead of the doors meeting one another to close a very large opening, they actually have space between them that's closed by a vertical bar of wood), so it's impossible to fit anything larger than 10" in any of the under cabinets! Our 12" skillets have to go in drawers in our island...if we didn't have those, I don't know WHAT we'd do! So, more than anything, I advocate for lower cabinets without dividers and with PULL OUT SHELVING. Because those things are amazeballs.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Ellen, I will be painting our builder grade cabinets in the next couple of weeks but when we do replace them we will be replacing them with Ikea cabinets. They have a 25 year warranty and frankly, I just can't see spending 20 to 30K on cabinets. I won't get that much enjoyment out of them. If you have a showroom within a couple hundred miles it is worth the trip. One of the things I really like about them is -if in a year or two I have a problem with a component, I can just go back and fix it. They are all kinds of cool things to make your drawers and cupboards fit your needs as well.

Ikea is not what I would call 'high end' by a lot of people standards but I think some of them are beautiful. I have a girlfriend who recently re-did her kitchen. I have a couple of pics on my phone I will try to post. She paid a little over 6K and that included installation in both her kitchen, family and dining room (built in hutch cabinets).

 

[luv2sparkle]

At less than 10k I can replace them again in a few years if I want too. I wish I could show you all the drawers that are specialized. They are so useful and organized.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Don't know why this posted sideways and a duplicate. If you have an ipad, maybe you can turn it, lol

 

[iLander]

I didn't read any other posts, so if I missed something, oops!

But we bought our cabinets through Costco vendor, All Wood Fast. We are amazed and thrilled. We got them during a 40% off sale, which they seem to have on a rotating basis.

http://www.allwoodfast.com/ideagallery.aspx

Home Depot had given us a quote of $13000 for white melamine and we got gorgeous maple from AWF for $5,500! Plus we got a ton of extras from AWF: rope design top railing, cover for under cabinet lighting, soft-close drawers, glass ready doors, etc. We measured the kitchen and appliances, sent the measurements to AWF, and one lady stayed with us through the entire design phase. They emailed us great drawings, which we tweaked and played with for a couple of months (free!), it turned out perfect. Specs: 42 inch top cabinets.

To start, you order sample doors in the styles you like for $25 each. The $25 is applied to your cabinet cost, I ordered 4 to choose from. The beautiful finish will amaze you. We went with Langston cinnamon, and it's stunning. We got glass ready doors and ordered custom wavy glass these people: http://www.bendheimcabinetglass.com/ DH attached glass with silicone, cost about $300 and came custom cut to fit.

DH installed them all, but a handyman can do it for you. Home Depot gave us an installation quote of $20,000! (It's up north, full union) They came curbside in big pallets, all perfect condition. They're called all wood because the boxes themselves are plywood rather than press board. This mean they're a bit lighter and won't be water damaged as easily. We've had them for 3 years and LOVE them, we get lots of compliments. I don't tell people the cost, they assume it cost the moon.

Order some doors, they are MUCH nicer in real life than the pictures on the site. Just take a look. If you don't belong to Costco, you can join, and then get a full membership fee refund if you decide not to do it.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Wow, that is a great deal and your cabinets are beautiful, Ilander! I have seen the Costco display! I am definitely going to look in to that!

 

[Ellen]

vc, thank you! See, it's tips like the divider that can be SO easily overlooked (not sure whether I would have thought of that, though my only space for a really wide cabinet may change when the DW gets moved) yet it will save many a headache. Good one. And yes, while I will be passing up many a nifty upgrade/gadget/etc., I have decided to get pull outs on some, at least on the bottom shelf if it's possible to do just one level.... Thanks again!


luv, I checked it out, nearest Ikea is 250 miles away. I really appreciate the suggestion but I am just too old and controlling to buy something this size long distance. I'll be honest too, I've read some horror stories about their cabinets and CS so please do some research first. But I am thrilled your friend did not experience anything negative and the pics are great, she did a really beautiful job!!


iLander, thank you for your lengthy post. The same applies here though, too old and controlling/perfectionist to buy long distance, I want total hands on all the time. And I could see when something goes wrong they won't back it up, since you or the handyman installed it (so your fault not theirs). That is just a huge thing for me, and why I don't push my hubby to do certain things around the house. When something goes wrong (and it will eventually) I want someone to be standing behind it ready to fix. I just won't budge on that.

But, I am thrilled it worked out for you, beautiful!!

 

[Ellen]

I wanted to post this seperately so it didn't get lost. It's a great article on buying cabinets, with links to other info like sinks. He breaks it down to a level you don't need to strain your brain on, simple.

http://www.home-style-choices.com/kitchen-cabinets.html


And just an interesting tidbit. This morning I was searching for his SS sink recommendation, and between Home Depot and Lowes there was a $125.00 difference, on the same sink. Please research and compare any and everything.