Cheapest Kitchen Cabinets

A few years ago, there was a large housing boom. Costs were down, so many people were taking the opportunity to buy or build houses. Because of this, many people were looking to build or rebuild kitchen cabinets as cheaply as possible. In order to do this, many kitchen cabinet builders looked to countries overseas in an attempt to cut down their own costs. However, the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (the KCMA) has standards that limit how cheap materials can be. The cabinet manufacturers overseas did not have these minimum standards; in order for American companies to be able to bring these materials and goods into the country, the KCMA required that these foreign companies meet their standards. By doing so, foreign companies were able to make kitchen cabinets that were low-cost but still durable.

Before the KCMA raised standards, discount cabinets had been made from two different materials. The first of these is called particle board or chipboard. Particle board is a man-made product made from small wood chips, wood shavings, or sawdust. The wood particles are combined with a glue-like binder, and then pressed until it creates a firm, solid board. The second discount building material is fiberboard. Fiberboard is similar to particle board in that it is wood pieces bonded with glue-like resin and pressed until solid. The difference is that particle board is weaker and less durable than fiberboard. Cabinets made from these weak materials had other disadvantages. They were often held together with staples or dowels. Unfortunately, these don’t hold up under large amounts of weight, buckling or breaking. In addition, these cabinets were often coated in a veneer surface. A veneer is a thin slice of wood that is glued to the particle board or fiberboard panels to create a flat, smooth surface. Before KCMA raised standards on foreign cabinet manufacturers’ products, particle or fiberboard cabinets were coated in a cheap veneer which, under contact of water, would warp or distort. These cabinets, made from cheap and inferior materials, did not compare with the higher quality American-made cabinets.

After improvements were made according to the KCMA standards, foreign cabinets were made with stronger materials. Instead of particle or fiberboard, cabinets were made with solid plywood sides and wood face frames and doors. In addition, instead of the weaker dowels and staples, cabinets were held together by cam locks. Cam locks are a type of fastener in which a bolt-like piece screws into two sections of cabinet and then tightened to a secure position. “Cheap” is now a misnomer for the discount cabinets. These imported cabinets are now a logical alternative to American-made brand name cabinets, which could cost up to three times as much as the “cheap” cabinets. Discount cabinets can now be found anywhere, including big box (large chain) stores.

There are, however, two main disadvantages to purchasing discount cabinets. The first is that many manufacturers carry only five or six different types of cabinets. This means that your choices will be quite limited. Also, these RTA (ready to assemble) cabinets require time and labor in order to put them together. If limited styles and home assembly are not an issue, the great news is that, with cam lock fasteners, these RTA cabinets can often be assembled using only a screwdriver, making them a cheap and easy alternative to expensive brand name cabinets.

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