Custom Paint Colors

Painted Cabinets are by far the most popular of all finishes these days. They work great with a solid color, antique glazing and distressing, and they offer a great contrast for other paint or even stained finishes. The painted finishes offered by the better American made manufacturers are not really paint at all, but a tinted varnish which can be sprayed on and baked to an extremely hard finish that will last a lifetime and remain looking great the whole time.

One of the issues that often arises for today's cabinet projects is that no matter how many colors a cabinet company offers, sometimes its just not enough. With so many different decorating styles and tastes, you almost need a different color for everyone. In order to solve the problem, some of the manufacturers have teamed up with the larger paint companies like Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore to be able to offer the entire pallet of the paint manufacturers colors.

 With this advance in technology there is no need to settle for a color that's just close to what you want or have someone paint on site for you. Painting cabinets on site usually means a finish that can't be cured properly and won't last more than 5 years or so. Here at Cabinet Pro-Supply we have been working with custom colors for about 5 years now, so we know all the ins and outs of ordering custom colors and getting additional pieces to match a custom finish, so our painted projects  go extremely smooth and trouble free.

If  you're thinking about painted cabinets for your next project, we can help you get exactly the color you want on high quality cabinetry that's made in the USA to last a lifetime.

Framed or Frameless Kitchen cabinets?

If you've been shopping for kitchen cabinets, chances are you've looked at both framed and frameless lines of cabinetry. You have probably heard of all the advantages of one over the other. But you've probably come to realize, that it just depends who you are talking to as to which one is better. At our company Cabinet Pro-Supply we offer a huge selection of both framed and frameless cabinetry so I think I can give more of an objective viewpoint, as we don't depend on the sales of one vs the other.

First if you don't already know framed cabinetry is the more traditional American made construction, and just like it says, it has a frame. The frame is 1-1/2" solid wood that goes around the front of the cabinet box. The cabinet door hinges mount onto the face frame with screws. With the face frame you have the option of doing three different types of hinges. Standard overlay where the door just barely covers the opening of the cabinet box. Full overlay where the door covers about 98% of the cabinet box, and inset where the door is actually set inside the opening of the cabinet box. These are three very different looks that are available with a framed cabinet box.

Frameless cabinets are just like they sound,  a 4 sided box without any frame on the front. The door covers about 99%  of the cabinet box, giving them a very full and tight look, where  you really see nothing but doors and drawer fronts when you look at them. There is only one hinge option and it is a special frameless style hinge that mounts directly to the inside panel of the cabinet. They are usually called clip hinges because they will separate in half for easy removal during installation or cleaning.

If you've been talking to someone who is pushing frameless cabinets they will no doubt have told you about the extra room that's inside the boxes, giving you a ton of extra storage space. While there is a bit of extra storage space, this can also be misleading. There is actually no extra space in the box itself, because both types use up 3/4" for the side panels. There is however a larger opening in the front of the frameless box, by 3/4" on each side, but not actually any more room. Where you would get a little more room is in a drawer box, the drawers can actually use up a larger percentage of the width of the cabinet box, without the face frame. A typical drawer box inside a framed cabinet would be about 3 1/2" less than the width of the cabinet, whereas a drawer box in a frameless cabinet would only need to be 2" smaller.

One thing you won't be told by someone who is trying to sell frameless cabinets is that they are a little tricky to install, and should only be done by someone who is aware of the differences and willing to deal with them. Because there is no face frame to keep them perfectly aligned as they were when they were assembled, they can tend to get knocked out of square a bit during shipment. This isn't a huge problem with a good manufacturer and can be easily fixed by a good installer. Once they are all screwed together and to a wall this is no longer an issue. Another slight issue is there is no where to attach the crown molding on the front of the cabinet box, so it must be attached to a nailing strip on the top of the cabinet box, again not a big deal if your installer has worked with these kind of cabinets before.

As far as the finished look of the cabinets, a nice advantage of the frameless cabinets is that the finished sides will always just be nice and smooth, and you won't have to deal with trying to make the sides flush with the face frame. This is a pretty small thing, and really doesn't come into play that often as most manufacturers have great options for finishing the ends of the cabinets. The last thing I would mention about the frameless cabinets is that if you are ordering them, I would strongly suggest you use framed cabinets where ever you will have an open box. Such as a book shelf or open display cabinet.  The edge tape that is used on the front of frameless boxes doesn't make for a very nice open cabinet look, and it is not as durable as a face frame on the front. This also applies to the panels that will be on either side of the fridge.

Since most of the differences are discussed when talking about the frameless products there is really no need to go into the pros and cons of the framed box, other than to say they are a bit stronger with the support of the face frame and probably a bit easier to install depending on who you're talking to.

I am personally comfortable with both these types of cabinets, so it's really just a matter of your preference. But the main reason I am comfortable with them is because we work with some really good American manufacturers that do both types very well. You can get great or poor quality cabinets in both styles and in all types of construction. So it's really important to do some digging when checking out the quality of kitchen cabinetry products.

What Makes a High Quality Cabinet?

What makes a great quality cabinet may seem somewhat subjective or a matter of opinion but in my experience it's really pretty black and white. Over the years I've worked with many different cabinet brands, and I can tell you that even though they all have nice displays and samples. There is huge difference in overall customer satisfaction levels between the different brands and types of cabinets available on the market.

When a potential client contacts us for the first time, we ask them questions about the project, time frame, and style of cabinets their looking for, so we can can get them the best products that will reasonably fit within their budget. We know that the more satisfied they are with the product the more likely they are to come back the next time they need cabinets.

So what is is that makes a great quality cabinet? There are several different factors that go into it. First off I can tell you that the specs on cabinets can be somewhat misleading. Many of the lesser lines of cabinets will have specs that sound good such as soft close doors , drawers , plywood boxes, etc. And while these are all nice features they don't always point to a high quality cabinet. What is generally missing from the spec sheets is what the face of the cabinet is made of and how it's finished.

What the door and frame of a cabinet is made of is far more important to a cabinet's over all quality than whether the box is made of a plywood or engineered wood. Which are both actually engineered woods if you think about it. And a trip to the local home center's lumber department will give you and idea of just how many grades of plywood are available. By the same token not all dovetail drawers are created equal either. Some use grade A clear Aspen or Maple hardwood and smooth and finish all the joints to perfection. Where as some will use Birch wood and the joints aren't even level, and can be quite rough

High quality cabinets will usually have doors made of higher grade hardwood such as Cherry, Maple, Alder, Walnut, Mahogany, etc. Whereas entry level cabinet doors will be made of Birch. A high quality cabinet will then be sanded well and finished by qualified professionals and state of the art equipment in a well equipped factory, where the finish can be cured or baked into a finish that will stand the test of time. Last but not least quality control is of the utmost importance to the overall quality of cabinets. Conscientious workers make a huge difference to the quality of cabinetry that will never show up on the spec sheet. Most experienced kitchen designers know about the quality differences within different lines of cabinets available on the market today, and when you visit one of their showrooms, they will readily show you the good, better, best of what they offer.

What comes first flooring or cabinets

What comes first flooring or cabinets? This is a common question regarding the planning of kitchen and bath projects. For several reasons you may be tempted to put your flooring down first, before you install your cabinets, but in most cases it's a good idea to do the cabinets first.

In truth it can be done either way, so we can take a look at some of the pros and cons of each scenario and let you decide, but if  you can't choose, then just put in the cabinets first, you can't go wrong with that.

The pros of putting the flooring in first are easier installation of the floor, you don't have to cut around cabinets or finish up to them, so it makes for a quicker flooring install. You may even like the look a bit better with the flooring running directly under the cabinets. 

Another reason you might do the flooring first is that you can get the flooring installed while you wait for the cabinets to show up.  Cabinets usually take a bit longer to arrive, so if  you are waiting on them, you could at least complete part of the project while you're waiting. These are really the only 2 advantages, I can think of for doing the flooring first.

There are only a few pros of putting the cabinets in first, but they are probably more important. The first and biggest advantage is that if you have a problem with the flooring you can repair it without doing any damage to the cabinets. If you are doing a floating wood floor this is even more critical. Moisture under a floating floor can cause a lot of damage and the only way to fix it is to remove and replace planks. Because the planks are locked together with an up and in motion it can be a pretty difficult repair, and even more so if cabinets are sitting on top of it.

The other advantage of putting the cabinets in first is that  you will actually need a little less flooring, because you won't need to fill in the space underneath the cabinets. Another is that depending on the materials used, you may want to change the flooring once or twice before  you replace the cabinets. Not always but sometimes.

The choice is up to you I've seen many an entertainment center sitting on top of the living room carpet, because the carpenter didn't feel like pulling the carpet back and  having the carpet guy come and cut around it, but it kind of makes me cringe when I see it. The right order of things is to put the cabinets in first. That's how it's done when a new home is built and for good reasons.

How to Budget for Kitchen Cabinets

When planning to do a kitchen remodel, it's very important to think about the whole project ahead of time, and budget accordingly. There's many different items that go into a Kitchen remodel, but the foundation to the whole project is your Cabinets, Of all the items like flooring, counter tops, and appliances there's really only one that can't be re-done again in a few years if you decide to upgrade, and that's cabinetry.  Keeping that in mind it's important to get the right cabinets for your project, because you don't want to throw away 10K worth of granite counter tops trying to replace 4K worth of cabinets.

There are so many different types of cabinets out there these days, that choosing the right product for any project can be a little confusing. At Cabinet Pro Supply, we are experts at this because we've worked on all types of cabinets projects, all over the country. Some shops charge more than others, but if you do a little comparative shopping you will find some basic categories that all shops charge either more or less for. There are the imported stock cabinets, the entry level American made cabinets built for cheaper housing, mid-level semi-custom cabinetry and the higher end American factory made custom cabinetry. There are also craftspeople who make their own custom cabinetry locally, it's hard to say where these cabinets fit in, because it depends on the individual making them.

The first things to consider when budgeting for cabinets is why you're doing the project in the first place. Is this a starter home, remodel, your dream house, a spec home, a flipper etc. Another thing is how long you want the cabinets to last, there's a reason cabinets come with different warranty periods. American manufacturers use the same doors and finishes for many years, even decades and are able to match and replace parts many years down the road.  The last thing, and one of the most important to consider, is the value of the property you're installing the cabinets in. There's no point in putting a 50K dollar kitchen in a 200K dollar home, unless  you're going to stay there for a long time and enjoy it yourself. On the other hand unless your planning on flipping the home, putting cheap cabinets in an area with million dollar homes probably isn't a good idea either. Friends, neighbors and potential buyers can spot those things pretty quickly.

Thinking about Distressed Kitchen Cabinets?

Distressed cabinets have become very popular over the last few years, and as with all cabinetry there are many choices. With most Custom cabinetry lines the choices are virtually limitless as they allow you to mix and match different distressing techniques, with different wood species, paints, stains, glazes and door styles. Semi-Custom cabinets offer some level of distressing on certain finishes, and while they are typically much less expensive, you will be more limited in your choices.

Along with different distressing techniques, there are also different levels of distressing available. They range from some minor pitting of the surface or some worn off paint edges all the way to wood that looks like it was re-purposed from an old barn or sunken boat. If you want the latter, starting off with a rustic wood like knotty alder is recommended. If you want something less drastic, most good manufacturers will start out with some sanding of the top coat to make the bare wood visible through the stain. This technique is a called a rub-through and it's very popular with paints or dark stains.  Some of the available techniques involve using multiple coats of different colored stains that are visible as the top coats are sanded down to show different wear layers.

The other techniques available use different types of tools such as punches, knives and chisels to give you whatever level of distressing you might want. There are techniques such as birdpecking, wormholing, rasping of edges, corner softening, knife cuts, and hammer marks. These can be combined with the above mentioned sanding of top coats or rub through for a finish that is as rustic as you want it to be.

These techniques are available on an ala carte basis from many custom manufacturers, but each one ads its own separate charge, anywhere from 3-50% . When you add many of them together the cost of the finish could easily be as much as the cabinets themselves. For this reason most of the manufacturers put together packages of distressing techniques to make typical treatments that are popular for rustic finishes. These will usually run from 20-50% and give you a well tested look for your cabinetry.

Distressing kitchen cabinetry is an art form, so it's important to find a great manufacturer.  Companies like Woodharbor,  Crestwood and Bertch  are American made cabinet companies, with unsurpassed expertise,  that have been making distressed cabinets for as long as they've been around.

Kitchen cabinetry is the foundation of any beautiful  kitchen, and distressed cabinetry is a great way to get a one of kind look for your new kitchen. If you're in the market for distressed kitchen cabinetry there's no better value than some of the great manufacturers offered at wholesale pricing through Cabinet Pro Supply.

Wholesale Kitchen Cabinets Introduction.

     Welcome to the Wholesale kitchen cabinets blog. I will be sharing my insights on what I've learned in the Kitchen cabinet industry over the last 15 years in hopes of getting interesting feedback as well as traffic to our business website  Cabinet Pro Supply.com

Wholesale kitchen cabinets are supplied to various trade professionals and DIY homeowners as a way to cut down the somewhat expensive undertaking of remodeling a kitchen, bathroom or other area of a home or office that requires cabinetry. At our business we specialize in American made cabinets usually considered custom or semi-custom.

Most online wholesale distributors specialize in imported stock brands, and that's what makes us different from the rest. We represent the best of American ingenuity and craftsmanship, as well as attention to detail and quality. And the ability to custom fit cabinets to your kitchen regardless of size or scope of the project.

When you're ordering wholesale cabinets you can expect a little less hand holding on the front end. But we know every customer is different and require different types of service. Here at Cabinet Pro Supply we are versed in all types of design and construction, so you can rest assured we can help you get through your projects from start to finish with very little difficulty. While we are geared toward the cabinet professional, we work just as easily with do it your selfers who are taking on their own kitchen remodels. If your looking to save money, and still get high quality cabinets which are the foundation of every kitchen, you can trust that Cabinet Pro Supply is the "right way to buy cabinets".