Factory Made or Custom Cabinets?

Most people, if given a chance to ponder, would say custom cabinets are better than factory made cabinets. They would be shocked, however, if they realised just how overwhelmingly better an option custom cabinets can be. Let us look at the advantages of each type to understand this concept thoroughly.

Price

This sways in favor of factory made cabinets. The same could be said for anything mass produced versus something thing custom made. Paying for a skilled tradesman to measure and fit something is always going to cost more than paying for a generic cabinet model you might purchase in a hardware store. With cabinets in particular, people are often shocked by how minimal this price differential tends to be. Even with a completely prefabricated set of cabinets the components can be costly and if installation is done by a professional the cost can rise quickly. So, don’t necessarily dismiss custom built cabinets as being an option.

Fit

This factor is completely in favor of custom cabinets. With factory made, they tend to be manufactured in standard sizes and there is very little modification that can be made to them without rendering them nonfunctional. Basically, if your factory cabinets fit perfectly, it is not because they fit the space, but more often because the space fit the few size options the factory made available. A custom option, on the other hand, builds the cabinets specifically for the space in question.

Uniqueness

Again, this realm belongs almost completely to custom applications. A cabinet factory will have a catalog with color and design choices. Again, if the environment and client have needs that are to be found in that catalog, great. Otherwise, the client is going to be disappointed. With a custom cabinet, the client can specify virtually any possibility found in the cabinet world. Hardware is chosen because that is what the client wants, not because that’s what the factory decided the client should have. Trim and design elements are also within the control of the client as opposed to some nameless designer far away.

Considering the surprising equity of cost between custom cabinets and similar quality prefab units, there is really very little reason not to opt for custom units. On one hand you get to select the closest size, color, and design options to your application for a slightly lower price or you get to specify the precise, perfect fit for the space for a negligible price difference.