Cabinets in the kitchen are useful for stowing and arranging things like pots, pans, dishes, and food supplies. However, they can be quite costly, especially for those with limited financial resources. Kitchen cabinets can be expensive, but you have many options, including stock cabinets, used or refurbished cabinets, and even building your own. In this piece, we'll take a close look at these alternatives and share some money-saving advice for purchasing cabinets.
The Basics Of Kitchen Cabinets
Materials
A lacquered cabinet or one made of solid wood or glass will be significantly more expensive than one made of MDF, particle board, or a combination of synthetic materials.
Big Box vs Custom
In most cases, the cost of having custom cabinets made and installed is many times higher than the cost of purchasing mass-produced cabinets from major retailers like IKEA.
Used vs New
Buying used cupboards is a lot more affordable than buying new ones. You can find used models through a variety of channels, many of which will be located in or near your area.
Hardware
Choose carefully from the available hardware pulls. The price of cabinetry hardware can range from a few dollars for a single pull to $100 or more (yes, you read that correctly) for a single piece.
The cost difference is due to cast brass's more expensive raw materials and smaller production runs compared to more common metals like aluminium.
Cabinet Faces
Some types of Shaker and flat slab cabinets can be on the cheaper end of the price spectrum, while more elaborate designs like glass panel cabinets can run several hundred dollars more.
Unfinished of Unpainted
You can save money by doing this step yourself if you choose unfinished cabinets instead of buying finished ones.
Quantity and Kitchen Size
The size of your kitchen and the number of cabinets you want to install are also major factors in the final cost.
Installation
It can be a bind to try to hire expert help. It will be more expensive to have a professional install them due to the cost of their expertise. If you are unsure of your renovation skills, however, hiring a professional is usually a good investment.
Options For Finding Cheap Kitchen Cabinets
Buying Stock Cabinets
Cabinets that are in stock are those that have already been manufactured and sold. You can find them at any major home improvement retailer like Lowe's or Home Depot, and they are the most cost-effective option. They aren't as customisable as high-end cabinets, but they can still make a kitchen look good and serve its purpose.
RTA Cabinets
For those on a tighter budget, ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets are another viable option. These cupboards come flat-packed and must be assembled once they are delivered. If you're willing to put in the time and effort, they can be a great way to stand out from the crowd without breaking the bank.
Finding Used or Refurbished Cabinets
Buying used or refurbished kitchen cabinets is another option for cutting costs. Places to look for these include thrift shops, salvage yards, and online classifieds like Craigslist. Used cabinets can be cleaned and refurbished to look like new ones for a reasonable price.
Customizing Pre-owned Cabinets
To save money, you may want to think about customising used cabinets instead. You can give them a new look by giving them a coat of paint or stain or even by installing new hardware.
Building Cabinets from Scratch
Last but not least, those who are up for a challenge can save money by constructing their own cabinets. While this does necessitate some familiarity with carpentry tools and techniques, the end result can be beautiful, personalised cabinets.
Most Affordable Cabinet Woods
Birch Cabinets
Birch has a light, almost yellowish colouration. Its grain is typically composed of straight (ish) lines, and it is relatively open. Also, birch is one of the few types of wood that changes colour over time, becoming more yellowish-red as it ages.
Because of its subtle grain and smooth surface, birch is suitable for painting. Among natural woods, birch is the best option for painted cabinetry.
Keep in mind that birch is a porous wood species. Using a dark stain on birch can result in a "blotchiness" effect, where the cabinet doors absorb the stain at different rates. As a result, dark stains may be randomly applied to emphasise different parts of the grain pattern.
Because it is so common and inexpensive, birchwood is often the first wood used by budding cabinetmakers. In terms of the cost of natural wood cabinets, birch is typically near the bottom.
Maple Cabinets
Maple, a traditional Canadian hardwood, is a top choice for kitchen cabinetry. It's a smooth texture, and uniform grain patterning is reminiscent of birch, with which it shares many other similarities.
Maple is mostly a creamy white with reddish-brown undertones, and it has a straight grain pattern with just very slight waves and curls interspersed throughout. Maple, like birch, is considered a paint-grade wood due to its similar physical qualities. But maple is more durable because it has a tighter grain than birch. That's why staining maple cabinets black won't make any uneven marks. Maple, because of its prevalence, is a cheap hardwood option. Maple cabinets are typically five percent more expensive than birch cabinets, although the exact difference varies from store to store.
Red Oak Cabinets
Remember first that there is a wide variety in the quality of oak woods. There are many different kinds of oak, and each has its own distinct qualities.
Common oak species include both red oak and white oak.
Red oak (sometimes shortened to "oak") is known for its noticeable, generally straight grain pattern and its light to medium brown colour with an undertone of reddish tones.
Red oak, with its distinctive grain, looks great with both a clear coat and a dark stain. Red oak cabinetry can be painted, though this isn't done frequently. The result is a richly textured finish that sets them apart from other painted cabinetry.
Oak may be thought of as a more classic cabinet wood, but it's easy to give your oak cabinets a contemporary update.
Oak is notoriously expensive, but most cabinet shops place it between the costs of maple and birch. In recent years, however, oak has tended to be a little bit more expensive than maple wood (about 5 per cent more), and this trend may or may not continue.
(Knotty) Pine Cabinets
Pinewood cabinets add a touch of timeless elegance to any home's kitchen. Pine is the only softwood on this list, and it's a strong one at that; the others are all hardwoods.
This accounts for pinewood's supple feel and fine grain. Pine's soft hues are also well-known. They can range from a pale yellowish white to a warm reddish white. This adaptability makes pinewood cabinets a good choice for both classic and contemporary kitchens.
"Knotty" pine is a common type of pine. Knotty pine is characterised by numerous, large (up to 3 inches in diameter) random knots throughout the wood. There are also numerous smaller knots, about the size of pinheads, all over the door's surface.
Staining or glazing pine produces stunning results. The grain pattern is accentuated by darker stains in strategic places.
Plywood Cabinets
Plywood is a common building material, but its widespread use in cabinet-making may be news to you. Plywood has long been the material of choice for building cabinet boxes, but it also serves well for creating doors and drawer fronts.
If you've ever looked at the back of a plywood sheet, you know that it's made up of several thin layers.
The outer layers of plywood cabinet boxes are made from sheets containing genuine wood veneer, while the inner layers are made from a softer wood species like fur, poplar, or aspen.
Thin layers of real wood are used to cover the surface of less expensive material. You can get the look of real wood at a fraction of the price of solid wood with these.
The origin of the softer woods used in the interior often determines their quality. For instance, fir trees are commonly used for making cabinet boxes in western Canada, while aspen trees are more commonly used for making products in the east.
It's the same process for creating doors for cabinets out of plywood. You can select from many different types of wood for the veneer layer, and they will be sandwiching a solid core. They make a great canvas for painting, and they can be stained or given a clear coat as well.
The plywood cabinet doors presented here represent the least expensive alternative. Wood veneer exterior layers are much more cost-effective than solid natural wood doors, and the woods used for the interior core are among the cheapest available.
Affordable Cabinets: Ways To Save
You can cut costs even further by installing the cabinets yourself if you're handy. Many companies now have online resources and customer service staff to assist with design specifications and set-up. The ability to tailor them to your tastes with unique coatings and hardware is yet another benefit of budget kitchen cabinetry.
Affordable Kitchen Cabinets: Challenges
Unfortunately, low cost can sometimes mean shoddy workmanship. Keep an eye out for loose joints, non-perpendicular corners and angles, and sloppy paint or staining. Before buying, educate yourself on the features and methods of construction that go into quality cabinetry. Get a firm grasp on what lies ahead.
If you're having the cabinets delivered straight to your house, check the boxes as soon as they arrive to make sure the finishes are undamaged, and there is no evidence of water damage.
If you plan on installing the cabinets yourself, you should prepare by learning how much time and expertise are involved. Learn what you'll need in terms of tools and experience to build cabinets to your specifications.
Kitchen cabinets can be expensive, so it's best to splurge on the ones that will be seen most often and find less expensive alternatives for the rest of the room. To hide the use of various cabinetry materials and grades, it is common to practise mixing and matching their finishes. Many kitchen design styles feature mismatched or contrasting cabinetry. Learn the fundamentals of available cabinetry options before making a purchase.
Conclusion
While kitchen cabinetry can be pricey, there is a wide variety available. The price of new or remodelled kitchen cabinets can vary widely depending on a number of factors, including the size of the kitchen, the number of cabinets you need, whether you want them to be unfinished or painted, the quality of the materials you use, and the quality of the installation. Materials like lacquered wood, solid wood, and glass tend to be more costly. Cabinets made specifically for you will cost more than those made in a big box store. Used items are more cost-effective than brand-new ones.
Ready-to-assemble cabinets are shipped unassembled and require some assembly. Cleaning and refinishing used or refurbished cabinets can make them look like new at a low cost. Painting or staining used cabinets and adding new pulls and handles are two easy ways to personalise them. Creating custom cabinets from scratch might be difficult, but the ultimate product is worth it. Maple is a popular choice for cabinetry because it is a classic Canadian hardwood with a smooth touch and consistent grain patterning.
Cabinets constructed from plywood include numerous thin layers, the outermost of which are manufactured from real wood veneer and the innermost from softer wood species. Interior softer woods are frequently of higher quality if they come from a specific region. Doors made of plywood have a substantial core covered by thin veneer layers. Painting, staining, and sealing inexpensive kitchen cabinetry is a terrific alternative. Cabinet doors made of plywood are the most budget-friendly, while those with wood veneer outside layers are the most economical overall.
However, cheap prices don't always guarantee quality. Learn the characteristics of high-quality cabinetry and how it is built before you buy. Invest heavily in the focal cabinets and save wherever possible elsewhere. Before making a purchase, familiarise yourself with the basics of your cabinetry choices.
Content Summary
- Cabinets in the kitchen are useful for stowing and arranging things like pots, pans, dishes, and food supplies.
- However, they can be quite costly, especially for those with limited financial resources.
- Kitchen cabinets can be expensive, but you have many options, including stock cabinets, used or refurbished cabinets, and even building your own.
- In this piece, we'll take a close look at these alternatives and share some money-saving advice for purchasing cabinets.
- In most cases, the cost of having custom cabinets made and installed is many times higher than the cost of purchasing mass-produced cabinets from major retailers like IKEA.
- Buying used cupboards is a lot more affordable than buying new ones.
- Choose carefully from the available hardware pulls.
- The price of cabinetry hardware can range from a few dollars for a single pull to $100 or more for a single piece.
- You can save money by doing this step yourself if you choose unfinished cabinets instead of buying finished ones.
- The size of your kitchen and the number of cabinets you want to install are also major factors in the final cost.
- It will be more expensive to have a professional install them due to the cost of their expertise.
- Cabinets that are in stock are those that have already been manufactured and sold.
- For those on a tighter budget, ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets are another viable option.
- Buying used or refurbished kitchen cabinets is another option for cutting costs.
- Used cabinets can be cleaned and refurbished to look like new ones for a reasonable price.
- To save money, you may want to think about customising used cabinets instead.
- Among natural woods, birch is the best option for painted cabinetry.
- Maple, a traditional Canadian hardwood, is a top choice for kitchen cabinetry.
- Remember first that there is a wide variety in the quality of oak woods.
- Red oak cabinetry can be painted, though this isn't done frequently.
- Oak may be thought of as a more classic cabinet wood, but it's easy to give your oak cabinets a contemporary update.
- Oak is notoriously expensive, but most cabinet shops place it between the costs of maple and birch.
- Pine is the only softwood on this list, and it's a strong one at that; the others are all hardwoods.
- "Knotty" pine is a common type of pine.
- Knotty pine is characterised by numerous, large (up to 3 inches in diameter) random knots throughout the wood.
- There are also numerous smaller knots, about the size of pinheads, all over the door's surface.
- Staining or glazing pine produces stunning results.
- If you've ever looked at the back of a plywood sheet, you know that it's made up of several thin layers.
- The outer layers of plywood cabinet boxes are made from sheets containing genuine wood veneer, while the inner layers are made from a softer wood species like fur, poplar, or aspen.
- Thin layers of real wood are used to cover the surface of less expensive material.
- You can get the look of real wood at a fraction of the price of solid wood with these.
- The origin of the softer woods used in the interior often determines their quality.
- It's the same process for creating doors for cabinets out of plywood.
- You can select from many different types of wood for the veneer layer, and they will be sandwiching a solid core.
- The plywood cabinet doors presented here represent the least expensive alternative.
- You can cut costs even further by installing the cabinets yourself if you're handy.
- The ability to tailor them to your tastes with unique coatings and hardware is yet another benefit of budget kitchen cabinetry.
- Unfortunately, low cost can sometimes mean shoddy workmanship.
- Before buying, educate yourself on the features and methods of construction that go into quality cabinetry.
- If you plan on installing the cabinets yourself, you should prepare by learning how much time and expertise are involved.
- Kitchen cabinets can be expensive, so it's best to splurge on the ones that will be seen most often and find less expensive alternatives for the rest of the room.
- Many kitchen design styles feature mismatched or contrasting cabinetry.
- Learn the fundamentals of available cabinetry options before making a purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cheap kitchen cabinets are cabinets that are affordable and budget-friendly for homeowners who want to renovate or remodel their kitchen without spending too much money.
You can find cheap kitchen cabinets at various home improvement stores, online marketplaces, and wholesale cabinet distributors.
Not necessarily. While some cheap kitchen cabinets may be low-quality, there are also affordable options that are made with high-quality materials and construction.
Cheap kitchen cabinets can be made of a variety of materials, including particleboard, MDF (medium-density fiberboard), plywood, and solid wood. The type of material used will affect the price of the cabinets.
To ensure the quality of cheap kitchen cabinets, it's important to research the brand and read reviews from other customers. Additionally, you can inspect the materials and construction of the cabinets before purchasing.
