1. Manufacturing Categories:
New cabinetry for your bath or kitchen is an investment that requires some thought and
planning. Knowing which category of cabinetry that best fits your project will allow you to
make intelligent decisions about the features and benefits you desire.
Cabinets can be most generally put into three categories of products:
Stock / Basic Cabinets
- These cabinets are most usually used for value-oriented cabinet
projects and situations where a building company offers a small number of selections for
home buyers to choose from. These products are often carried “in-stock” and come in a
variety of sizes that are found in 3 inch increments. The depth of these cabinets is
typically the standard of 12 inches for wall cabinets and 24 inches for base cabinets.
Typically, the features of these cabinets are limited and would be available in a smaller
selection of wood species, styles, and cabinet features.
Semi-Custom Cabinets
– This is the largest category cabinets available and features a
wide variety of wood species, finishes, hardware, drawer construction, and other features.
Some of the items that are available are pantry units, architectural details, islands, and
other unique storage and design features. Finish details like glazing and distressing may
be available as an option. This cabinet category may be priced by linear foot rather than
item based pricing for the use of comparison. Many of these products require a lead time
that can range from 4 to 6 weeks.
Premium / Custom Cabinets
– As the name suggests, this category allow complete
control over what features and benefits the kitchen or bath cabinetry will contain. These
cabinets are “made to order” and may contain historic style ques, unusual design
elements, or exotic materials. These can be manufactured by local cabinet shops or by
large national cabinet manufacturers. Cabinet sizes and features are only limited by your
imagination. A certified kitchen and bath designer is helpful in defining your project's
unique parameters and will ensure you get exactly what you desire. The lead time for
these projects will vary according to the complexity of the design and the capabilities of the
manufacturer. This can be anywhere from 4 to 24 weeks to build, ship, and install.
