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April 10, 2008
Kitchen Cabinets
Am I the only person who is astounded by the cost of kitchen cabinets? They are more than the appliances that I am buying and not custom made.
Any suggestions?
Comments
Your appliances are too cheap?
No, really - how about Ikea. Many people rave about their products.
Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 11:59 AM
Ikea. If installed right, they hold up just fine. Cheaper by an order of magnitude than anything else worth buying. And you can fit the whole kitchen (unassembled, of course) in the tailgate of a stationwagon.
Posted by: slopefarm at April 10, 2008 12:02 PM
There are ways to cut the costs. Ask which cabinet door style is the cheapest. Often it is the flat plain style. Also unless you must have them, don't get the fancy extras like pot drawers and slide-out pantry shelves or drawers that don't slam and instead close on their own. Also you can save money on buying knobs and pulls from a different source than your kitchen place. There are a ton of both vintage and new hardware on eBay so use that as a resource. Overstock might have some. If you get them from your kitchen place you are paying full-on retail prices.
I myself wish I got the plain front cabinet door. I got a more detailed one to match some woodwork elsewhere in the house, paid more for it, and now I look at it and think, it's nice but it was SO not essential or important. It would have looked just fine in a plain-front door. The quality of the box and the shelves is the most important part. That's what I wouldn't cheap out on. But don't get too fancy with the rest of it if it doesn't meet your budget.
Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 12:03 PM
If used is ok, try Build It Green.
Posted by: rh at April 10, 2008 12:30 PM
I've been recommeded to try Omega Cabinetry. http://www.omegacabinets.com/
The have a custom line and a semi-custom line and are supposed to be more affordable (haven't priced them yet). I was impressed by their array of door types and they are noted for environmental stewardship.
Unlike IKEA, which I have used and been satisfied with, the Omega boxes weren't particle board. There's a local distributor off the BQE in Clinton Hill or Bed Stuy.
Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 12:31 PM
if you buy kitchen cabinets and have them installed from the same place there is no tax.
Ask for the major capital improvbement form to fill out.
You can probably down load the form from the irs website.
Posted by: Ysabelle at April 10, 2008 12:40 PM
Well, if you could give us a hint as to the amount you were quoted for the cabinets, then you could expect any number of opinions as to whether they are expensive. I just bought a set of cabinets from Garfield AKA Brooklyn. 8k.
Posted by: denton at April 10, 2008 1:46 PM
ikea ikea ikea ikea - at the VERY least for the bases and you can get custom doors. crazy to do anything else, unless you're loaded...
Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 2:44 PM
how about open shelves and lower cabinets, under the countertops?
Posted by: Fjorder at April 10, 2008 3:23 PM
We like our Medallion.
Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 3:34 PM
I just installed an Ikea kitchen in a tenant's apartment and its awesome -- inexpensive, descent quality and it looks great.
Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 3:49 PM
Yes, they are expensive. The sticker price can be shocking. But when you consider what you pay for a bedroom dresser and how much more use kitchen cabinets get, the price isn't quite as surprising.
Ikea has some great options but they have a very specific style. If you are looking for something different, the choices are pretty limited in the budget conscious category.
Don't forget you can and should negotiate the price!!!
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at April 10, 2008 3:50 PM
Another vote for IKEA. Even the highest end of Ikea is reasonably priced and very good quality with real wood doors. The inside of the cabinets are sturdy particle board. There hardware is fine and you can get the fancy slow closing doors for very little extra.
There are many companies out there that specialize in IKEA kitchens, check out craigslist.
Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 3:56 PM
If you are looking at door styles with glass insets order them without the glass and then have a local glass shop make up the inset pieces. The shipping is a major part of the expense on this type of style. We saved a lot doing this.
Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 6:51 PM
i got a very good deal on cabinets from a store on 65th st between 8 and 9 ave brooklyn.
Posted by: armchairwarrior at April 10, 2008 8:53 PM
'Tis another vote for Ikea. If you watch HGTV's "Small Space Big Style," alot of those are Ikea kitchens. Just like when getting dressed, take your basics and add embellishments and personal touches and you have a designer-inspired original kitchen.
There is also a website http://www.greendemolitions.org. They have warehouses/showrooms in NY, CT and PA and sell at a fraction of the cost, kitchens, baths and other assorted items donated from monied peoples' homes and estates. There are really good prices for very high-end stuff.
Posted by: ms sandy at April 11, 2008 12:33 AM
Before you decide on your kitchen cabinet purchase try a website
www.gardenweb.com scroll to kitchen forum.
Consumers discuss the various kitchen cabinet manufacturers and also
give the heads up of cabinet companies that use different names for the same product which alway confuses thr customer.
You can post on their as well.
They are genuinely helpful without being snide
Posted by: Ysabelle at April 11, 2008 12:21 PM
I love the idea of finding really nice used ones - either new ones not used much, or really old solid wood ones that may need refinishing. And because I like mismatched kitchens, I wouldn't have to find them all the same - I'd be happy to do a run along one wall different from another wall, or from island ones, as long as the styles were complimentary. I'd also use some old oak freestanding pieces instead of built-in cabinets in some places - I like that look. (WHEN I have a house to renovate...)
Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 1:54 PM
Me too, I like it when the bottom cabinets are different from the ones on the wall, or the island is different from the cabinets. I also like a freestanding vintage or antique piece to use on one wall or as an island.
Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 5:32 PM
I recently had one of those less-expensive omega kitchens installed. Although the price was actually lower than budgeted, I would not recommend using YNY in Brooklyn as I did, because the quality of the installation was so inexplicably bad. There are protruding nails, unfinished sharp edges where things don't line up, and so much use of wood filler everywhere that I can only assume the installer tended to have his drill slip, and to get hammer-happy, more than you'd expect of a professional. There is even a 1-foot x 1 inch piece that was mistakenly cut and patched back in on the front of the island; this patch is also just smeared over with wood filler as if this makes it go away (it doesn't). The cabinets themselves are nice, but this installation was really something else; if you're looking for cheap be careful what you wish for. I could have done a better job installing these cabinets my little old ameteur self.
Posted by: kiddo at May 7, 2008 10:01 AM
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