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Reviews & Feedback
Anyone ever use the pre-assembled cabinets from Home Depot?
I'm leaning towards using the Hampton Bay off the shelf cabinets (White) that Home Depot sells. I am well aware, that they are of much cheaper quality than other options. But, thats the whole point, its for a rental, I'll be able to have a full set of base cabinets for less than $900. Cant really beat that! Just wondering if anyone has had good luck with them in rental units, or what your thoughts on other options may be. thanks as always!
I've used them a couple of times and they are just okay.
Yeah I’ve used them. You get what you pay for, but if well maintained they will hold up.
I've found there are cheap all-wood flat pack cabs that are much better for similar money. At my local distributor it has to be oak at the lowest price, but they look OK. IIRCC the kitchen cabs below were $1300 pre-assembled.
I think it’s a great option. Especially in a rental. They also often have 20% off deals at Lowe’s or HD. Couple that with an online coupon and you have an excellent deal!
For rental, condo, town homes they look OK. If you want to put them inside a SFH it is discouraged. People expect more. Right now what is popular is black and white. I personally do not care for black cabinets and black gleam flooring. I suspect it will not be popular long.
Ive used the cabinets before. I would suggest adding in some extra bracing, especially for the sink cabinet.
Lowe’s has some nice looking Shaker cabinetry, and if you find that 20% off coupon it works even better.
If I remember correctly all these cabinets only costs me $500.
Also, if you have them delivered.. be sure to inspect each one.
The white ones from HD SUCK! They appear ok at first, but then they peel because the coating on them is not paint. It's almost like a laminent. And that is VERY painful for me to say because I LOVE HD, and go there for almost all of our rehab projects.
However, if you are leaning toward the White cabinets, I would suggest that you compare to Lowes. Their white shaker cabinets have a painted finish, and look better long term. We just finished a very small kitchen with the Lowes cabinets. I have attached some pix. We added some hardware, and it turned out great. We got all kinds of compliments, and rented the property out at top dollar with multiple offers (FYI).
Now, I am ONLY speaking to the WHITE cabinets because of the finish type that HD uses for their white cabinets. Their other finishes are painted, so if you choose a stain, then HD is right back in the game. Their darker stains are really pretty. We did the cognac in another rehab project, and it looks really rich and pretty.
Both HD and Lowes offer their cabs at 20% off serval times throughout the year, so check for the sale. And since they price match each other, if 1 of them is doing the sale, and you want cabs from the other, then just take it to the other one and have them price match the sale.
Also, HD offers unstained cabinets if you want to pick the stain, or paint them yourself. FYI.
Lastly, if you plan on spending $1500 or more, take your "shopping list" to the pro desk and have it run through the "bid room". This is where they can offer further discounts for you on the project. So add in your appliances, light fixtures and anything else you plan on buying for the project and run it through the bid room altogether for the deepest discount.
Best of luck!
That peeling coating is "thermofoil". It's advantage is it doesn't yellow like most paints do. The vanity in my own bath is a higher grade cab with thermofoil, and the doors looks great but the painted cabinets are yellowed. Confirms my choice to only use black vanities in my rentals. My only white kitchen is one I painted to salvage the custom cabs.
My only experience with the white thermafoil cabinets is that they melt a bit when next to an oven.
You could also check some local cabinet places. I found a local guy who imports his stuff in from China, however, they’re not pre-assembled. Its better quality and less expensive.
Originally posted by @Peter Sinclair:
You could also check some local cabinet places. I found a local guy who imports his stuff in from China, however, they’re not pre-assembled.
He won't assemble them for you for a fee? Most I've dealt with or priced will. I get my "rock bottom" cabs from a local lumber/Ben Moore/True Value store.
I have used the cheaper oak cabinets from them and stained them in a darker stain.. they looked ok.. I wasn't excited about the MDF boxes.. I prefer plywood boxes, but I got them on sale to make the cheapest kitchen I ever did.. Did not look bad..
The entire kitchen only cost me $2000 including a set of used black appliances and pre fab granite slabs..
Originally posted by @Johann Jells:
Originally posted by @Peter Sinclair:You could also check some local cabinet places. I found a local guy who imports his stuff in from China, however, they’re not pre-assembled.
He won't assemble them for you for a fee? Most I've dealt with or priced will. I get my "rock bottom" cabs from a local lumber/Ben Moore/True Value store.
I’m sure if I asked they could probably work something out but since I was trying to save as much as I could, I just assembled them myself.
I have used them and you need to reinforce the bottoms and backs, especially of the sink base. They are so flimsy they barely make it through the delivery! I've even had to reinforce the drawer slides. It's been a few years and so far, so good. If they weren't so cheap and convenient to buy off the shelf (in case I measure or plan wrong) I would never buy them.
For my own house, I have the cabinets that came flat from China. They are easy to put together but the finish is a bit weak. There is also the wait time to consider. With rentals, time is money.
Im not sure if this is an option for you, but I would definitely check out IKEA cabinets. I just installed a whole kitchen of IKEA cabinets, and they are farrrrr superior to the lower and even some of the mid level cabinets offered by Home Depot and Lowes.
The downside is you have to assemble then, but they are much sturdier than the other big box store cabinets. They also have a 25 year warranty.
Originally posted by @Matthew Jones:
Im not sure if this is an option for you, but I would definitely check out IKEA cabinets. I just installed a whole kitchen of IKEA cabinets, and they are farrrrr superior to the lower and even some of the mid level cabinets offered by Home Depot and Lowes.
The downside is you have to assemble then, but they are much sturdier than the other big box store cabinets. They also have a 25 year warranty.
Kitchen Cabinet King RTA cabinets are nicer and cheaper than IKEA.. I use Kitchen Cabinet Kings frequently..
Originally posted by @Olivier Mader:
Originally posted by @Matthew Jones:Im not sure if this is an option for you, but I would definitely check out IKEA cabinets. I just installed a whole kitchen of IKEA cabinets, and they are farrrrr superior to the lower and even some of the mid level cabinets offered by Home Depot and Lowes.
The downside is you have to assemble then, but they are much sturdier than the other big box store cabinets. They also have a 25 year warranty.
Kitchen Cabinet King RTA cabinets are nicer and cheaper than IKEA.. I use Kitchen Cabinet Kings frequently..
I checked those out at a supplier down here, and they were more expensive for my setup and I didnt think they were as nice, but I also bought my IKEA cabinets during their 15% off sale.
We have used the white thermofoil ones from Lowes in a couple of homes. They're not very well constructed but if you are in a pinch they'll do. They don't have to be painted, which is an advantage, and they won't yellow, which is also an advantage. The boxes are cheap, and the doors delaminate without too much trouble, which leaves the thermofoil prone to chipping/cracking/breaking off. Also, because the boxes are cheap, the door hinge screws tend to continually loosen up - the wood must be real loose grain.
I will most likely go with RTA cabinets or unfinished pre-assembled from Lowes/HD next time. The unfinished, the boxes are crap but the frame and doors are decent quality. Since I like wood working, and have made several cabinet boxes for other rentals that needed repair to match existing cabinets, I can always cut new sides & bottoms if/when the presswood starts to deteriorate, and reuse the frames & doors.
Loving all this feedback. Thank you so much guys!
I have used them. They are ok I used them in my duplex I am house hacking because the neighborhood wouldn't give a huge return with high end kitchens. The only issue I had with them was several were missing hardware and shelves and some were damaged. Home Depot was easy to work with and they ended up lowering their initial price for my kitchen from 2900 to 2100 and gave me a $200 Home Depot gift card for the number of problems we had with missing parts. I used th Hampton bay white shakers.
Just a quick update. I've since gotten a quote from Lowes for the Shaker style cabinets in my 7' X 10' kitchen. Roughly $900 for all the cabinets (base cabinets only, no wall cabinets for this project). Although Lowes pre assembled cabinets do seem a little sturdier than Home Depots, they're still vinyl wrapped MDF, not painted. So longevity / durability is still a slight concern there. I went to this "Remodelers Outlet" store in Fall River MA, and they offer cabinets from a brand called Wolf. I priced out the same style (Shaker) in the same kitchen configuration, except these cabinets are all plywood construction, already painted white, and soft close doors and drawers, all for about $1900. I am now trying to decide if its worth the extra $1000 for the upgrade with full solid wood, painted, AND soft close. I am leaning towards yes, especially because I will be living in this unit for a couple of years (2-3 Max). It is only a 1/1 apartment. But I think it may be worth the extra 1k in the long run. Thoughts on this guys? And while I'm at it, I might as well ask this too. I can get Formica and DIY for around $500 for the 26 sq/ft countertop. Or around $1500 for granite and they install w/ a new sink. Is THAT worth the extra 1k? I'm honestly not crazy about granite. But I know its in, and may yield higher rents in the future? Thanks as always BP!
I own in Fall River as well and I would say it depends on where your rental is? Will the area demand a higher rent if your apartment is improved to those standards or will you over do it on the upgrade and not be able to get what your apt should go for due to the area. If you are in a B neighborhood or above I think it would be worth it and I actually am very good friends with someone who could give you an excellent price on the countertop.
Hey @Russell Lavoie thanks for the reply. The property is in Warren RI, a solid B area of the town. I think it may be worth the extra $1k. And that's awesome, I would love the contact for some countertop options. Feel free to send it my way.
Home Depot now has plywood ready to assemble PLYWOOD cabinets from Hampton Bay.
The boxes are plywood - not pressboard. They assemble fast and easy. I haven't had them long so I cant speak to how the'll hold up yet.
They seem well made. They also come in colors (by order). Not sure I like their color options but its something.
After using the cheaper pre assembled cabinets on rental units they just don't hold up. The most common issue is a leak under the sink or dishwasher. If you don't catch it right away, the cabinet is ruined.
When exposed pressboard connects with water it acts like a wick and sicks teh water up - expanding and warping the material.
I have tried using a plastic trim piece between. the cabinets and the floor to keep them from contact smaller spills and leaks on the floor. I also have caulked the seams on the inside of the cabinets to inhibit water from getting absorbed.
I think the plywood ones are worth the added investment.
I would like to find a wholesale RTA supplier that offers great value, cost and performance. Would love recommendations.