How to choose cabinetry for your home or office.    Should you go to your local Do it Yourself Home Improvement Center?  How about a kitchen and bath cabinetry store?  Then you start to wonder, what about a custom cabinet maker? Oh, they’re probably too expensive, right?    Let’s go through the different types of cabinets available to you as the home owner or business owner. 

First, what is a “stock” cabinet?   Stock cabinets, often called builders grade cabinets, are limited to fixed sizes, colors, doors, materials, which means very few, if any, modifications can be made to the design and style.   Stock cabinets are mass produced and stored in a  warehouse waiting to be assembled and installed by a carpenter and even some cabinet makers.  There are different grade of stock cabinetry ranging from a basic builders grade to premium grade.  Many of the cabinet boxes and drawers are built with inexpensive materials like pressed particle board, joints are just glued and stapled, and draw slides that aren’t able to support weight.    Stock cabinetry can be restricting because it is one size fits all rooms.

Next, what are custom cabinets?  The home improvement center said they have a custom line, so what really does custom mean?    Custom cabinets are made just for your specific style and your specific space requirements at the time you order them and made by the hand of your local cabinet maker.  You will have a consultation and first hand access to the artisan working on your project at any time before, during, and after the project.  Anything can be made to your specific design style.  All the materials used are hand selected by your cabinet maker thus ensuring quality cabinetry.

You have choices like size of each individual cabinet, how many drawers or doors for that cabinet box,  size of the drawers, drawer accessories (plate drawer, spice rack built in the drawer, etc…), wood or metal drawer (such as blum meta-box), drawer hardware (soft close, side mount, under-mount slides),  exact stain, color, or glaze, wood species, door styles, beaded backing to the cabinet boxes, etc..   You are able to choose styles that are unique to your home and reflect your personal taste and style. Custom means what you would think:  made just for you.  Your dreams become reality in your home.

Custom cabinetry sounds great, doesn’t it?  Some wonder if they can afford this type of service. Let me give you a for instance.  We met a family who had bought premium semi-custom cabinetry from a kitchen and bath cabinet store.  They had trouble installing them and gave us a call.   The homeowner offered the amount paid for their cabinetry and then asked what we we charge to build and install cabinets from start to finish for their kitchen.   We were shocked at the high price paid for what the store called semi-custom.  Out of curiosity, we worked out a quote to compare. Our custom price came in lower then the semi-custom cabinets and that was with our dovetail joints and 3/4 inch thick drawer boxes and industrial strength slides.  That being said, please remember that custom doesn’t mean break the bank.    There are ways to stay in your budget without compromising quality or design!

We hope this article helps dispel the myth that custom cabinets have to be more expensive than stock or semi-custom cabinets.  When selecting furniture and cabinetry for kitchen, bathroom, dining room, home office, library or den, home theater system or entertainment center, bedroom, or anywhere cabinetry is used in the home, it is very important to us that you have quality that will last a lifetime.

We have the experience in working with homeowners no matter what the budget situation. Whether it is a simple or intricate design, BR Wood Design caters to any and all customers needs.  Custom cabinetry doesn’t have to break the bank.  Give us a call to see how our custom cabinets can fit into your budget.

If you live in Michigan, give BR Wood Design a call.  We would love to spend time talking about your visions and making them become reality.  When you hire BR Wood Design as your cabinet maker, you are hiring an experienced craftsmen and artisans of wood.  If you do not live in the Michigan area and have questions, please feel free to call or email us.  We are happy to help you answer any questions or aid you in finding a craftsman in your area.

Home Improvement Tip:  When purchasing cabinets and furniture, make sure they don’t just look nice on the outside. Make sure the “bones” of the cabinets are as nice, built with quality materials and craftsmanship.

BR Wood Design servicing all of Michigan, specifically Oakland, Genesee,   Macomb, Wayne, Lapeer, Livington, Washtenaw or St Clair County.