Getting Started

Our Process

TIPS

On Picking Out Cabinets

Get designer advice.

Your home is not only an investment, but a statement of your taste and personality. You will want to choose a cabinet company that offers design advice. Look for a designer or salesperson who listens to you and your ideas and who asks you what you want and need. You should feel comfortable your cabinet company will deliver the product you have in mind.

Consider Your Circumstances.

If you are planning to move in the near future, you will want your cabinetry to look good for the lowest cost. If you plan to stay in your home indefinitely, you will want your cabinetry to look great and to be organized, functional and accessible, providing enjoyment now and for years to come. In both cases, the type of neighborhood you are in should influence your budget. A $40,000 kitchen makeover is appropriate for middle to upper income neighborhoods, but is probably excessive for a lower income neighborhood.

Your Budget.

Keep in mind appliances, flooring, plumbing fixtures and cabinets can add up to be quite expensive. Start by researching to see what types of cabinets are available, and decide how much you want to spend. Compare custom cabinets, semi-custom cabinets and stock cabinets. Check companies that carry all different levels of cabinetry (from stock to custom) then you will have a better idea of what you want for your budget. It is important to get a quote from each category of cabinets, so that you may see what and where your money will be spent. Custom cabinets are made for your specific space (fit better, look better) yet can be surprisingly close in price to semi-custom or even stock cabinet.

Custom Cabinets: A term commonly used to define cabinets which have a wide range of options for customization when ordered. Custom cabinets will range from low to high end in pricing. They are generally higher quality, using better materials and construction methods than Semi-custom and Stock cabinets. With custom cabinets you will have multiple choices for wood type, shape, size, glaze, finish, hardware, frame style and more. There are few limitations to what a custom cabinetmaker can or will produce.

Semi Custom Cabinets: The sizes of these cabinets can be the same as stock cabinets, except you are allowed to order a la carte off the cabinet menu with some special decorative and size options available (either widths or depths).

Stock Cabinets: These are cabinets which are ready-made or made in batches without any customization; they are built and warehoused. The actual cabinets themselves are modular units, based on industry sizing standards. What you see on the order page is what you get. In this case, cabinets are made as follows: The factory makes multiple lots of doors and drawers (say, 3,000 18” x 30” doors one week) which are then stored, ready for assembly onto the cabinets. Or they may make the same size base cabinets one day and the wall cabinets the next. In summary, Stock Cabinets are cheaper initially, but the installation is costly.

One problem you may run across if you decide to order Stock or Semi-Custom Cabinets is in the delivery timing. It can take up to 6 weeks for delivery of your cabinets, and if for any reason, any of your cabinets do not fit properly after you receive them, the replacements could take up to an additional 6 weeks to receive.

Your Material.

You can get stainless steel, polymer, or just about any type of cabinet you can imagine. C&S Cabinets specializes in wood cabinets. The basic wood cabinets are Paint Grade, Red Oak, White Oak, Ash, Maple, Cherry, Alder and Hickory. You can also go green with Bamboo. If you are wanting a wood with light grain, then Maple and Alder are good choices, but if you are looking for a heavier grain Oak and Ash will be the better choices.

Your Cabinet Box.

Pick cabinets that are well made and tough enough to stand up to everyday use. They will carry the weight of your heaviest pots and pans, as well as grandmother's fine china, so they will need to be durable and safe at the same time. This is where some low-end cabinet companies cut corners, so make sure you compare apples to apples. Some companies routinely use plastic components in their cabinets, while at C & S, we use ALL wood in the construction of our cabinets. Also, some companies use 1/8” plywood in their cabinet construction, but at C & S we use either ¾” or 5/8” plywood for all of our cabinets, unless the customer specifically requests differently. You will also want to look for companies that use name brand hardware in their cabinets, for example Salice hinges and KV drawer guides.

Your Door Style.

Cabinet doors can be flat, raised, glass, recessed, etc. They can be ½” overlay, ¾” overlay, full overlay, frameless, inset and inset with beaded face frame. With custom cabinets you can get any style you want. Come and meet with a designer from C&S Cabinets to discuss your options. Choose a cabinet hardware that fits in with your appliances and the rest of your décor.

Your Finish.

You will need to decide how you want your cabinets finished. You can choose paint (any color), stain (almost any color), laminate (wide variety) or a combination. Again, make sure the finish is in harmony with the rest of your décor and fixtures.