Custom can refer to the wood species,
finishes, accessories and cabinets that are built to a specific
size. Those are a few of the distinctions, below is a chart that
shows the differences that we feel are the most important when
considering a “custom” purchase.
We feel the benefits of working with a
well-established, accountable cabinet company, with set standards
and a warranty far outweighs anything a local shop can offer.
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Management
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Often a single person with a shop.
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A well-established business with a state of
the art factory and well-trained employees.
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Cabinet Build
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Often builds cabinet boxes and purchases
pre-made doors.
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Builds boxes, stress tests them and often
build their own doors.
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Finishes
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Hand-sprayed. Most local shops in CA use a
pre-catalyzed lacquer to finish.
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Machine sprayed and finished with a heat
sealed, catalyzed conversion varnish. Dust and particle free,
climate controlled environment for finishing.
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Accountability
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Often single person who can close their
doors at any time.
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Companies with 30-100 years of longevity and
dependability behind them.
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Pricing
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Can vary considerably, dependent on materiel
availability, personal needs
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Stable and comes with a warranty.
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Material
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Often use multi-purpose materials which can
be lower grade because they do not have the purchasing power of a
larger operation. Instead they use whatever is available at best
price at the time of job.
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Always using “Select and Better” or Grade a
kiln dried woods. Can make better purchases due to quantity of
purchase.
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Delivery
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At the discretion of the shop.Incidentals
can hold up finish times.
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Accurate, on-time ship dates at time of
order.
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Environmental
Considerations
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Local shops are not subject to oversight on
materials, finishes or processes used.
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Manufacturers must meet all standards set up
by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association as well as the CARB
2012 standards in order to ship materials into the state
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