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A pal of mine bought some HD cabinets. for some reason he asked if I wanted them (2ea knock downs still in box) I figured Id put them in the garage. Never really fooled with them much as I build my own …Man are these things cheap. I put one together .. my thought….I cant believe people put those things in their houses. I was going to use one for my bench top drill press. the other one still in the box, im thinking about cutting them up using the material and build me an upper cabinet for the garage(he gave me 2 base cab’s). in all fairness though they were the cheaper off the shelf ones they sell(green and white boxes) but if there selling them then some one has to be buying them….
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The ones I like are the entertainment/ computer centers. They have sway backed shelving allready and there isn't anything on them. I bid a vanity for a guy who flipped and told me he could get the same thing at HD for 1/4 the price. Oyvey!
*They're shit, but you'll get a line of guys waiting to tell ya how nice they are! The "putting them in your own house" thought withstanding.....I can't believe installers are selling them as the first choice! I'll install them......but not till I tell ya how shitty they are! And for a few dollars more, I can get ya real cabinets! All glued up and everything! Buy hey, they look nice and shiny for a few days, and if ya can save $50 on a whole kitchen remodel.......Jeff
*The only reason I can think that anyone would use these pieces of junk is if it were a 'do it yourself project'. For a professional to recommend and install this crap is stupid. After the box is constructed the only way to brace the cabinet from racking is to install a countertop or more boxes into a corner. JUNK!!!
*About 2 years ago I remodeled my parents kitchen as a surprise for them while they were away for two months. They had down sized from a large home in Wisconsin to a small ranch style near me in Colorado. Nice little house with an appalling kitchen. I wanted to keep the cost reasonable and shopped hard for cabinets. After comparing all the mid level makers, I chose Mills Pride -BUT - bought the factory built line, not the KD stuff. I chose them because they had the best drawer boxes and slides of all compared, even the makes that were 3 times the price. They came individually boxed and well packed, one had freight damage which they replaced quickly. The boxes are stout, not the polystyrene reinforced flim that we've all seen. Doors hang well and attachment points are strong. Bottom line is that I got an entire set of very decent cabinets for about $3500, delivered to the site in 7 days.Are they the quality of hand built custom cabinets - no.Are they as nice as Aristocrat at $10,000 - in most ways yes. And I believe, after two years of living with them, that they will last until the next owner of the home gets tired of them. I'd say that for their purpose, they were a very good choice.Just my 2 cents.Peter
*I've got od of the HD knock down cabinets right next to me now. It keeps my printer from sitting on the floor and holds my extra paper nicely.
*A previous owner of the home my customer now occupies had the kitchen remodeled using these assembly required cabinets. The joints are somewhat separated, the boxes wracked from unlevel installation, the roll-out shelves bind and it take some careful adjusting of the door hinges to make the door look like it's hung right. Plus, where there had been a small leak under the sink, out of sight behind the toe kick the particle board has somewhat disintegrated. Just a couple of reasons to NOT expect much from these products.
*Ralph, read your post. The joints are separated - that is a construction error, they are unlevel - a construction error, the shelves bind - yeah, they can be tricky, but doable, the doors need to be adjusted - so what is new - all European hinges need this and you get paid to adjust. Finally, the damage under the sink. Hint, before you assemble the cabinets, laminate a piece of formica to the surface, and silicone caulk the edges. As I said in a different post, same subject, they work great, and look great - and they are paid for. Dennis
*same stuff I railed about awhile ago, different scale.Put a pig in a dress and someone will buy it- "look how good it looks! See how it helps you be the same as everyone else on your block! Ignore that it fell off your wall three months later because it's poor quality, installed on junk by hacks that wouldn't know good work if it bit their balls off! I am an attractive young person showing you all the attractive young things that attractive young people have to have- buy buy buy!!!oops- little slipwhat were we talking about?
*The Mills Pride put togethers are fast, cheap, and yes, paid for. The next step up in quality wasn't much better. With a little cnstx adhesive, silicone and corner blocks, I find them a reasonable alternative. I couldn't imagine a whole kitchen of them, however.
*Peter,That little ranch your parents bought must have one hell of a kitchen. I've never spent 10K on Aristocraft cabinets in just a kitchen. I can do a whole house for under 10grand. I use Aristcraft, Merillat and Kraft maid and can do an average kitchen (about 20'of cabinets) for $3000-5000.Steven
*Ron & Jeff -Sorry, don't agree with your remarks concerning the quality of HD cabinets. We used HD KraftMaid cabinets in our cottage remodeling and so far (5 years +) have been more than satisfied with their performance. In addition, the KraftMaid folks were kind enough to send two installation technicians with the delivery to install the cabinets in our kitchen FOR FREE !! Simply because they were two + weeks late in delivering the cabinets. It took these "factory professionals" about 4 or 5 hours to install the entire kitchen. I also believe they (Kraft Maid) will be in business years longer than a "build my own" contractor who usually offer only a taillight warranty.
*I am quite grateful for the existence of HD cabinetsand other assorted crap. It good for business and develops a better customer for me. See, Mr. Homeowner buys this shit and thinking any idiot can do it, puts them in. Two years later the wife calls me. Or, Tailight Con puts them in and two years later, the homeowners call me, knowing that I'm more expensive, but willing to pay for long term peace of mind. And peace in marrage.
*Norm, You didn't use the cheap crap that the poster used, The Kraft-Maid cabinets are a decent quality cabinet, and are not the knock down junk that is refered to. My trim supplier also sells Kraft-Maid cabinets as well. I would use them, I would just spend less than retail for them and pass that on to the customer, have them on time, install them with true craftsmanship, build the countertop as well, install the backsplash tile, tile the floor and install the new appliances in the 2 week period. Oh yeah, I'd give you a two year warranty and a walkthrough prior to final settlement.Steven
*My "build my own" contractor w/the tail light warranty carries a full selection of Wellborn Cabinets. Good , better , best. I can also order any KraftMaid/Aristokraft/Etc. if I wish. You are arguing apples and oranges here. I've worked a long standing relationship with my distributor, and can beat any HD prices for the customer if I choose. Same or lower price, better quality, and no subs doing the install. My hand wins! Just checked my guys ad....3 generations of experience. Jeff
*I traveled around the western US setting up the Kitchen Cabinet Design Centers in Home Depot. that was my first taste of modular cabinets, I'd only dealt with the custom stuff I had built. That knock down stuff is undiscribeably garbage. for a product that comes out of a factory you would think at least the two sides of a cabinet would be the same size,wouldn't ya? I have seen 1/8 " differences out of the same box. with the KD camlock hardware all that supports the fixed shelves is what is left of the edge of particle board (after the 1/4- 5/16" hole that holds the hardware/dowel pin.Yes they are inexpensiveyes the doors look good (look them over really well)yes you can install them correctly & make the job look good, but it is way more difficult than most modulars & they are still garbage! just one more then I'll go away- the 1/8 back (that in frameless cabinets is supposed to provide sheer strength,) on the larger cabinets, in order for all the parts to fit neatly in a box, the back they provide is split in half-with the joint floating in the center of the cabinet! but it's OK- they give you a strip of tape that is color matched to hide the seam....that felt goodgb
*If you want quality KD cabinets check out IKEA.
*So Greg, tell us about the cabinets in your kitchen.Dennis
*What...Swedish glue better? We have one rule in the house......no more IKEA! I absolutely refuse to attempt to put that crap together. First year they opened here, the stuff was cheap, but passable. Last coupla years.....not so cheap, and crap! Just say no! Jeff
*Dennis,I don't have an actual "kitchen"- I live in a 14' X 22' loft I built over part of my cabinet shop - what it is (or will be when actually finished) is a working live in showroom. The base cabinets are natural maple exteriors with melamine interiors. I built them at 39"high cause I don't like to bend over to wash dishes. The doors have a maple frame with a square cherry raised panal. All pullout shelves, toe kick drawers with touch latches. Something I tried & liked on this one instead of having a false drawer front in front of the sink I put a drawer at the bottom of the cabinet with a fixed shelf above, with a pair of doors above. someday I will build a spice rack to hide the sink. Haven't started the uppers yet. about 3 years ago I was remodling the home depot in Tukwila, Wa. and scored on a corian top that was in a display I demoed- L shaped top with a corian intragal(sp) single bowl sink in the corner on a 45 -8"leg on one side, 5' leg on other. I got it for 50 bucks! had to haul it (& alot of other crap I scored) back to So. Cal, but well worth it. It was a bitch building & installing cabs to fit this counter- the display it came out of musta been way wacked- 1 1/4" out of square in 4'- didn't even think about it until I went to set counter- oh well-anyway, sorry to babble, but you asked...
*These are some HD cabinets that I built and installed in a duplex I have been working on for some time. I only work on week-ends, and the house is 200 miles from my main residence. I added maple rails and stiles to these cabinets, and veneered the ends with maple to cover the thermofoil. I used T nuts countersunk opposite the hinges so I could through bolt the hinges with machine screws as I didn't have faith in the 5/8" particle board to hold the hinge screws. The drawers are Blume and the floor is solid Armstrong laminate that cleans like dream and clicks and clacks as you walk. LOLThe total cost of the cabinets with countertop was less than $2,300. My point, you can make these cabinets work, and they can look pretty decentDennis
*Isn't it great that we have a Home Despot?Otherwise we'd have to rail against something else. I always like the way these posts seem to accumulate more than others...While on the subject of Despot and Ickea, I HAVE to add my coupla cents. Yes, Ickea are also modular. I installed a kitchen for myself (cheap like borsch). I knew what I was getting, so lay off the comments. But I went to Ickea and got decent advice from somebody who was well-trained. I went across the lot to Despot to see what they offered, and:1. Mills Pride didn't have adjustable legs.2. The doors weren't as nice.3. The 'consultant' didn't know what they were doing.4. There was a rather dishonest display at Despot. Seems Ickea does market one line of really cheap cabinets (no comments from the peanut gallery, please) that's 5/8 thick, quite cheapo construction, which I'd use only in an inlaw suite or something like that. Despot had a display comparing these to the Mills Pride cabinets, saying how much better MP ones were. But it seemed to me Despot was passing off the 'budget line' Ickea stuff as 'top of the line' Ickea stuff, which seemed to me misleading. So this made me not want to buy at Despot, as I don't like to give my $ to tricksters.5. As I said in another post, the 'design tool' Despot gives you is junk. A cheap piece of graph paper with sizes written on the back. A much more idiot-friendly system is used by Ickea. 6. The cabinet configurations offered by Despot were less appealing (especially the blind corner cabinets) and the Ickea ones fit my house dimensions much better. So, obviously, I went with the lesser of two evils. Marko PS for Jeff Buck: Ickea stuff isn't that difficult to assemble, is it? :^]PS for everyone else: I don't buy furniture or anything else for that matter at Ickea either. (ok ok this is mostly true) Generally I'll go there, look at a coupla 'designs', think of how I might independently improve on them, and go build my own lamps/end tables/tv stands/hat racks/whatever. Kind of like a poor man's Norm Abram, you know? :^] And when you don't have to consider mass-production values, you can used real wood instead of 'foil covered', barnboard not 'patinized pine'.
*Not too difficult to assemble, just a little hard to keep assembled when you stand them up off the floor! I especially like the plastic "H" channel to keep two pieces of 1/4" back board sturdy over a 3x7 box cabinet. Little things like that just add to the enjoyment. That was part of the last Ikea cabinet/closet I built.....and as I told the wife......the LAST Ikea cabinet I'll ever build! Plastic where wood should be.....1/4 where 1/2 should be......chip board where ply should be.....from now on.....the clothes sit in a pile till we can afford real storage! I've never used Ikea kitchen cabinets, just seen them up close, and judge them by the rest of their crap. There stuff used to be ok quality....when they first moved into the area....but not now.....Jeff
*Got this fantastic, stackable box cabinet. Comes in a variety of off the wall styles and finishes and is not limited to 3" increments. It can be used in any room in the house and has a portability feature that allows you to take it with you if you move. Great for renters and college students. Each unit can be field modified to fit the needs of the homeowner and with a little care an average person can learn the process.
*I prefer plastic milk crates myself.
*Jeff, for the backs, the boxes sell masonite pre-painted that cuts real easily with a skill saw to replace the two pieces.Dennis
*Yeah....but as long as the wife doesn't figure that out.....I don't have to worry any more! Jeff
*Ah, I am beginning to see the reasoning in this thread. "Honey, I would love to install you kitchen cabinets, but we must do things right. When we can afford the solid wood, dovetailed drawers with Blume hardware we will have a real kitchen. But, in the meantime, might as well go fishing." I never thought of it that way, but it has a certain logic to it. LOLDennis
*That just works for the furniture stuff. She's already caught on to the fact my cabinet supplier will cut me a discount that beats the HD and Ikea crap! And.....how'd ya know the kitchen is next on the list? Jeff
*Hey Guys, Did ya know there is a market out there for products other than the "finest cabinetry ever produced by me"? You are dead on as far as the HD MP cabinet tolerances or lack of but there are folks out there that simply cannot afford custom cabinetry. I know this first hand as I am a cabinet installer that installs HD products. I have installed hundreds of kitchens for them as well as custom cabinets from local custom shops. How about the thousands of people left homeless and kitchenless in New Braunfels, Texas after the '98 flood. I must have installed over 150 Mills Pride kitchens that year and I pity the fool the tried to confront a homeless retiree about how they were compromising by not waiting 8 to 12 months for some hot shot German fine furniture maker to get to his kitchen. The point is that these folks needed a decent, serviceable cabinet readily available and Mills Pride met that need. I dont think Mills Pride claims to be fine cabinetry and if they do every customer I ran across seemed to have enough common sense to know they weren't getting the Cadilac since the cost was almost 70% less than Kraftmaid and who knows how much less than custom built.
*You're right dwain, there is a special market for this crap. I just did a remodel project on a seven million dollar home. The owner paid $150 grand for two custom china cupboards in his formal dining room including instalation. We had to tear up the kitchen to accomplish some structural work for the other part of the job. No time to do quality work and get him back in on schedule. He just said "Throw in some cabinets from Home Depot for a couple of years, We'll replace them later" I hope they last that long. I have NEVER seen anything so poorly designed or built. The concept of an implied warantee comes to mind. Most people expect that a product will be serviceable for a resonable period of time under normal use in the use intended. I could not intentionally sell these knockdowns to anyone who wanted to get a few years out of them.I also installed two kitchens for people who bought their own from HD. One was Mills pride pre-assembled and was acceptable but nothing to be proud of, if you don't mind broken hinges, hinges installed with srews jamed in crooked, doors out of square, and incorrect deliveries slowing schedule. The other was a better built cabinet of a different name brand (can't remember) but the HD designer had put it all together in a away that could not work, like drawers that bump at inside corners 'cause of no spacers etc. It was obvious this person had no experience but what do you expect for free, right. I'm also the kind of carpenter these customers of yours call to fix everything you left undone or wrong with your ram and jam, quickie installations. If someone can have a decent kitchen for 7000 and you do a poor kitchen for 5500 or 6000 but they have to spend 1000 fixing it and then maybe still replace it in four years for another 7000, where is the justification for saving money....there's one born every minute?Good work is often less expensive because the built in VALUE brings the customer enjoyment and peace of mind from the confidence they feel and because of the prorated cost per year of use.But, Yes, there will always be customers willing to save a dime no matter how many dollars it costs them.
*Piffin, You are way off base on several accounts. First, on the subject of someone coming back to fix an inferror installation, I have to warrent my work. If there is even an adjustment or question in referance to workmanship of the installation, I will have to answer for it. I can verrify my history in this area and I can tell you these products have held up regardless of there lack of a 150 grand price tag (I am very proud for you by the way). No one has had to come back and repair anything to do with my installations, crappy product or not. I know, as well as anyone with a bit of commonsense, that these products are not top quality. I have even guided my potential customers to custom made if there is even a question about needing a better quality product. But I knew someone would need to tell me they are so far above any type of prefab cabinetry. You are correct about some installers doing crap work but I am not one of them. Second, You are correct about some of the HD designers but there are only few that I will install for and these few do a great job. I measure all kitchens that I install. I also confirm all design changes made by the customer and designer just as any consciencious cabinet installer should. Ever think of doing that instead of blaming everyone else for a kitchen job of yours gone bad. Good installation is the key to any cabinet job regardless of the product.
*HD...Wha do yaa all espect!?Near the retarded stream,ajHD...FHB...In the same sentence!?
*Geez, a thread that won't die.Well, I am assembiling my second set of these darn, cheap cabinets. Fortunately for me, the last home built on my block was about 1.2 - I suppose they didn't use modulars, but what the heck. I get a kick out of them because they are cheap, I can make them look good, and they are mine. As for the back, heck, once they are screwed to the wall, what difference does it make?Dennis
*I'm still amazed that carpenters wouldn't just go to the trouble of making some connections at a K and B shop.....and work on getting a discount that allows you to install a better box for the same money. I can't blame a homeowner that has a price concern....I own an old home....and everything is a price concern....but when we redo the kitchen....I won't have to settle for the cheapest(in quality), but I'll still get the cheapest(in price)....and it won't be HD or Ikea. I'm not talking custom from a cabinetmaker, my house isn't worth that much investment, probably something picked out of their in stock stuff, made by Wellborne. Jeff
*Jeff, when I priced the modular vs. the cheapest faceframe, the difference was greater than $800 after some additional materials I use to install the cabinets. If you assume a typical cost of $5,000, this is an additional 16% profit - after tax. Now, if you assume a $20 per hour pre tax income - it would take 50-60 hours of work to earn this amount, gross. This is my third kitchen done this way or fourth if you consider a work area I installed, which is 150 to 180 hours or more than a month of work. I smile everytime I use these things - and if you look in an earlier post of mine, there is picture of kitchen done this way. But, yes, I do see the difference between modular and a high end faceframe with plywood, etc. But, you only see the fronts, and you don't have the doors open all the time, so out of sight, out of mind so to speak. In the end, to each his own.See you later,Dennis
*Fair enough. I just wanted to get back to the point that all opposed to HD cabinets aren't telling everyone to use custom instead. I can get a price on my suppliers low end, that will match or beat HD's stuff usually, price wise. And their low end....is better quality than Hd's low and mid range. Jeff
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A pal of mine bought some HD cabinets. for some reason he asked if I wanted them (2ea knock downs still in box) I figured Id put them in the garage. Never really fooled with them much as I build my own ...Man are these things cheap. I put one together .. my thought....I cant believe people put those things in their houses. I was going to use one for my bench top drill press. the other one still in the box, im thinking about cutting them up using the material and build me an upper cabinet for the garage(he gave me 2 base cab's). in all fairness though they were the cheaper off the shelf ones they sell(green and white boxes) but if there selling them then some one has to be buying them....