My wife and I are thinking about new cupboards for our kitchen and maybe even our bathroom. We had a cabinet maker give us a quote for the kitchen ($5000 plus). Man, new cupboards are expensive eh?
We are looking into DIY cupboards (we could probably install them ourselves), they are somewhat cheaper - any tips / advice / suggestions / comments on this venture?
Howie
Installing cabinets are not too difficult. The main thing to keep in mind is to keep everything level and square. No house is going to be perfectly square and level. If you have never done anything like this you should look into buying a "How To" tape on cabinet installation. The installation process is definately a two person job! Invest in a few tools to mae the job easier (laser level for one). You will save yourself at the very least $1500 by doing it yourself.
Know of one?
Plan, make drawings, measure, plan. Installing them is not difficult, but reading books on the matter is helpful, go to your nearest public library and/or to the book section of your hardware store and sit and read/browse the books. I did the very same thing 9 years ago, I would do it again, but I'd never ever buy non solid wood doors again, the veneer of the ones bought is peeling off at the corners. Did I say plan and measure?
HD has an installation kit that includes a video, but dealing specifically with their "Mill's Pride" line.
We installed Mill's Pride in our old kitchen but didn't live there long enough afterwards to find out how durable they are.
MB
On 08/13/04 12:35 pm Howie put fingers to keyboard and launched the following message into cyberspace:
It's a huge, challenging project. You won't save money if your time is worth much, so money should not be your motivation. Some people like to do stuff themselves, and can learn and succeed as they do. Does it have to be finished on a schedule (you won't meet one on your own)? And will you (and your family) be happy if your inexperience yields a flawed result? On the other hand, do you know how to deal with contractors (who seem most skilled at covering up mistakes, and fighting you over the ones they can't cover up)?
But I still did one myself and don't regret it. See:
Some former neighbors installed Mills Pride white melamine with oak trim cabinets in their kitchen shortly before selling it. The next people who lived there (three school teachers, no children) were there for two years, and they had to replace it before they could sell the house.
Not off hand, but your librarian may. They do that kind of thing for a living.
In the former house we built, the bids for cabinets ran $ 13,500 to $
15,000 so I said "WTH, I'm gonna be a cabinetmaker".I have had quite a lot of W/W experience but not a lot doing "fine" work. A neighbor was running a successful cabinetmaking business out of his 3 stall garage (the 13.5K bid) so I went and checked out what he had for tools. I had recently retired so I "had the time". I ended up buying myself some nice retirement gifts: Delta Unisaw (aka "cabinet saw") w/ biesemeyer fence $1600, A lot of 12" 24", 36" bar clamps, a new Dewalt VSR drill to go with my exisitng Craftsman one and also a book: "Building kitchen cabinets". I already had a 12" DeWalt mitersaw, 4X21 belt sander, router w/table etc.
In the end, I ended up using 3/4" Oak ply for the cases and made face frames for the wall cabinets (for increased resistance to racking or sagging) but did the "Eurostyle"-No F/F for the base cabinets. The neighbors "shop" didnt seem to have any doors around and said he could order raised panel Oak cabinet doors for less than the cost of the lumber- I checked, he was right. The doors cost ~ $ 10.35 sf. delivered!!
In the end, it DID take time, my total cost including the tools and all BLUM hinges and drawer glides was $ 4000.00
I asked the neighbor: "So I guess I saved about $ 10,000 in (your) labor ( plus his profit) and he said: Yes, thats about right.
It was a BIG job.. 44 drawers and 26 cabinets and a bunch of Sf of granite countertops for the whole (Large) house- but all the visitors looked at the Kitchen and it "Wowed" em..... that was worth a few bucks too.
I'd never consider this if I didnt have unlimited (retired) time and a fair amount of previous w/w experience.
R
Do they visually match? Is the reveal between drawers and doors the same?
The reveal is the same..I carefully measured and ordered the doors to ensure that. No one ever noticed til I told them.
R
I don't post there often. The "pros" there don't need my help.
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