Frequently asked ?

We will occasionally give up to 10% off to repeat customers, depending on the size of the order. But, normally, no. We have a small mark-up on the manufacturer’s MSRP and stick to that.

We have a small mark-up added to the factory MSRP. There is not enough of a mark-up to give away that much money. The question is how can they afford to do that and stay in business? How much is their listed price inflated to afford 40% off? And, what kind of quality are you getting for that price?

No. Many of our competitors offer shipping for free, but, shipping is not free, so you’ve got to wonder how much of the cost you are paying is actually for the cabinet. We itemize the shipping costs so that you are completely aware of what you are paying for. If we gave away the shipping, it would simply be added to the overall cost. Otherwise, we would be losing money. It comes down, once again, to “what are their cabinets actually worth?”

Our pricing is on the high end of the scale to be certain. Our market research shows us to be within 10% on “standard” cabinets, when a full kitchen or bathroom order is priced. Price advantage is given to some of our competitors when the cabinets are “in-stock” and/or “mass produced”. We custom make all orders. No stock. No mass production. When the cabinets are “non-standard” in any way, our prices shine because it is harder for our competitors to product the cabinet, if they even can. We have capabilities the others do not.

A Ready to Assemble (RTA) cabinet is a factory made cabinet where the cutting, machining and finishing have all been completed in a factory setting and shipped to you “in the flat“. The box, frame, doors, drawers and fronts all packaged and loaded flat on pallets to be assembled by the customer. For more detail see this post: What is a “Custom RTA” Cabinet?

An assembled cabinet is also factory made but has been assembled as a complete cabinet for you by a dealer or cabinet shop prior to delivery to you. Shipping costs may be more due to the additional volume or occupied space versus being shipped in the flat.

What most people think of as “custom made” is either a cabinet make “on site” or built by a local craftsman partly in a shop and completed on site. It would be a challenge for even a highly skilled craftsman to produce the kind of quality in the way of wood choice, machining and dimensional accuracy and finish quality that can be made in a factory setting. The term “custom made” is more accurately defining the inclusion of desired woods, specific dimensions, finishes and other features that make a cabinet unique, whether site built or factory made.

Technically, yes. Ikea cabinets are RTA cabinets by a strict definition of the term. However, it needs to be said that, most cabinets sold by Ikea are at the bottom of the list for quality of materials and construction and not really considered when discussing RTA’s.

There are several. But, ranking them would depend on the priorities of the buyer. Such as:

• High level of quality, workmanship and finish
• Costs are typically less than site built cabinets
• Savings on shipping costs over assembled
• Less time on-site for assembly and installation
• Easy assembly and installation
• Easy replacement of cabinets or cabinet parts during or after installation
• Unbeatable finishes
• Pride of DIY (Doing it Yourself)

The “Truth” is: Nobody actually makes a “Solid Wood” cabinet if you don’t consider “plywood” a solid wood. Plywood is extensively used to make the cabinet box and is sometimes the material used to make the center panels of the doors. We use a “furniture grade” (Grade A) plywood for the boxes. Furniture grade plywood does not have imperfections such as knots. Our doors (except plywood panel) , drawer boxes, drawer fronts and face-frames are all of solid wood. Our shelves are plywood unless upgraded to solid wood. Some manufacturers make doors with MDF, either the center panel only or the complete door. That’s a whole ‘nother discussion. 😉