Buying an entire set of cabinets can be a stressful job, no matter the size of your kitchen. More goes into it than deciding on the colour and whether or not to go with knobs or bars for the hardware. Keeping your budget in mind, this kitchen cabinets buying guide will help you narrow down what to look for when shopping for kitchen cabinets.

Framing

Two main types of cabinet structures exist when shopping: face-frame and frameless. Face-frame cabinets have a one-by-two wooden frame applied to the front edges surrounding the cabinet box. Doing this strengthens the cabinet while adding a secure base to attach the door hinges. Unfortunately, the added framing around the edges decreases the opening size for doors and drawers.

Frameless cabinets are designed where the edges are only lined with a narrow strip of laminate. Screwed into the cabinets side panel, the doors sit flush and the hinges are easily hidden within. Frameless cabinets have a solid top and back and are easy to assemble or modify when necessary.

Stock or Custom?

Stock cabinets are mass-produced in standard sizes to be sold by authorized retailers. Custom-made cabinets, on the other hand, are built with the customer’s specific measurements, designs and colour choices. Because of the work and detail that goes into custom cabinets, they tend to be more expensive than stock cabinets and can take longer to receive. They’re built from scratch, taking between six to twelve weeks, from design to delivery.

The biggest advantages to choosing stock cabinets over custom are the price and delivery time. The pricing for stock cabinets can go as low as ⅓ of what you would pay for custom cabinets. You’re looking at an investment of $80 to $250 per linear foot (12-inches) for stock cabinets instead of $300 to $1,200 for custom ones. Delivery time for stock cabinets rarely stretches beyond two to three weeks. Same day delivery is also possible from local cabinet warehouses.

Overall Quality

Stock cabinets provide quality consistency throughout the product line, manufactured with longevity in mind. One benefit of shopping for stock cabinets is that you can inspect the quality in person before making the purchase. Be wary of highly discounted products often pushed through lumberyards. Also, avoid low-quality woods that don’t match, extremely thin laminate and weak joinery.

The quality of the cabinet can lay within the drawer itself, so look at how the joints have been secured, inspect the quality of the surface within, how the drawer opens and closes, and how the pieces fit into one another. Then do the same thing with the cabinet door: does it stick? Squeak? Not close all the way or stay open? You’ll be installing these to become a permanent part of your kitchen for years to come, meaning that these tests are necessary to make sure you’re spending your money on something worthwhile.

At Envyland Kitchen, our knowledgeable staff is proud to provide our customers with high-quality kitchen cabinets, countertops, and other accessories. Located in Oakville, Ontario, we’ll help you pick out a brand new kitchen from the options laid out across our showroom floor. Visit our store to customize your kitchen at an affordable price.