Top 10 Things To Look For in a Cabinet Manufacturer

What people look for when they seek the top 10 cabinet manufacturers are the best of the best. Of course, there are millions of kitchen and cabinet companies out there that all have great things to offer their customers. As far as who is the very best, is going to be a matter of opinion. 

There are a number of details about a cabinet manufacturing business that can give you a good idea of whether or not they are going to be able to suit your high-quality needs. Some of the top-rated cabinet manufacturers use all of the business resources that are available so that they ensure top-quality products and valuable customer relations.

If you are looking for a great manufacturer, or are doing research to learn how to make your own business among the top 10 these top things to look for when considering a cabinet manufacturer can be helpful and give you a peek at what the company really has to offer. 

1. How Long They Have Been in Business

Of course, there are many businesses that are just starting out. The length of time in business may or may not have a part to play in the quality of work they will bring to the table. However, one of the main things to consider when looking for a high-quality business is whether or not they have been around long enough to establish a reputation.

When choosing brand new businesses to work with, unless you know the company, you never really know what you are going to end up with. There is a possibility that you could be discovering a prize gem that nobody else even knows about. There is also a possibility that you could become part of the company’s learning process because they fall way short of your expectations.

One thing is for sure when you deal with a well-established business. They will have a good reputation or a bad one. If they have a good reputation because they have done customers right over the years it is a good sign. If they have a bad reputation for missing the mark, you might want to look elsewhere.

2. What Kind of Accreditations They Have

When kitchen and bathroom cabinet manufacturers have been around for a while they seek to gain accreditations that show that their products have been tried and tested. One of the more popular accreditations is from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, (KCMA). 

Keep in mind that just because a business does not have an accreditation stamp of approval does not mean that they are not a quality business. However, if you are comparing businesses to businesses the ones with high-quality accreditations and great reviews might carry a little more weight when it comes time to make the decision to choose the one that is best for you.

3. Are They Strictly Cabinets?

Here is the tricky part. One of the elements of a business where it loses quality is when it offers multiple products much like a department store does. Sure, many people love to shop at Walmart and Target but when it comes to high-quality items, the wise go to other places. 

When a business specializes in cabinets it means that they are most likely experts in that field. It may be different types of cabinets such as kitchen, bathroom, garage, and other rooms – but it is all cabinets.

If you are considering a company that offers cabinets, flooring, roofing, concrete, and plumbing you will most likely be dealing with a group of individuals that hire various contractors as third parties. Although you may get some great cabinets out of the deal, the odds are you won’t.

4. How They Treat Their Customers

You can tell a lot about a company by the way they treat their customers. Of course, there are customers that cause problems and become belligerent when they don’t get what they want, but the way that the company treats them says a lot about the company.

A high-quality company will care about the customers that they serve and will look out for their best interests before they try to make a few bucks. If the company you are pondering whether or not to work with has a history of being kind and fair to its customers, they are definitely a keeper.

5. Their Location

One very important factor that should not be overlooked is where the company is located. Are they close to you, or are they across the country – or even worse, in another country? Depending on your situation it could be best if the manufacturer was close to you. Every city in the country will most likely have cabinet manufacturers, if they are in your area it can help to resolve any issues that might become of a transaction. Instead of waiting for them to pick up and re-ship any damaged or mistaken.

In any event, you could miss out on some of the highest quality products if you are unwilling to get them from a manufacturer that is far away but willing to ship.

Depending on your preferences and how far you are willing to venture out into the world to find the absolute best manufacturers, the location of the business might not matter…unless they are in another country. It’s best to stick with manufacturers that are in the United States.

6. The Kind Of Material They Use

Although it may not be completely obvious to some consumers, there is a huge difference between plywood and particle board. While plywood is made up of layers of wood that are stacked upon each other and glued together, particle board is made up of sawdust and wood particles that are glued together and molded to look like plywood.

Particle board will crumble and fall to pieces in a short amount of time, especially if it is exposed to moisture.

You always want to be sure that the material the company uses to build its cabinets is either high-quality plywood.

In addition to the plywood, it is crucial that the hardware that the company uses for the functionality of the cabinets is of high quality.

• Hinges

• Handles

• Soft-closing technology

Every little detail that makes up the cabinets can determine how well they will work and how long they will last. Make sure that the materials they use for your cabinets are high quality and not cheap hardware that will fail within a couple of months.

7. Customizable Cabinets

When you order your cabinets from the manufacturer it is best to make sure that each cabinet order can be customized to fit whatever job you are doing, or whatever the needs are of your home. Cabinets are not a one size fits all solution, every kitchen and bathroom will have its own unique characteristics that will call for customized measurements or features in one form or another. Make sure that if you need to make adjustments when the cabinets arrive that you can, or at least you can have a professional make the changes. If there is no way to customize your order, you should look elsewhere…quick.

8. The Quality of Their Work

The last thing a person wants to do is order something that costs a lot of money and end up with low-quality work. If a consumer wanted bad quality stuff they could have hired a cheap handy person to build the stuff out of scrap wood.

When a manufacturer produces high-quality products there will be evidence. If the company has a reputation for quality online, you can probably bank on the fact that their work is good. If you hear complaints or see bad reviews about the quality of their work, you might want to steer away from them.

9. Are the Cabinets Fully Assembled?

Depending on the situation of your order it is probably best if the cabinets themselves come completely assembled and ready for a contractor to install them. If the cabinets are shipped as pieces and have to be assembled on the job the amount costs for the total job might be much more than anticipated, and the quality of the cabinets themselves might be lower than anticipated.

Although there are places like Ikea and the like that send boxes full of wood, hardware, and confusing instructions on how to assemble the desired product, in the end, what you have purchased is the parts of the product, and not the product itself. After all, a manufacturer is where they make the cabinets, not where they cut the parts for them. Make sure you are getting what you pay for.

10. What Kind of Warranty is Offered?

As with any company that has confidence in its own brand, there should be a great warranty in place that gives you peace of mind that if there is an issue with the product you can have it repaired or replaced without a bunch of red tape and hassles. 

While some companies will offer a 5-year warranty, others will offer a lifetime warranty without any strings attached. When shopping for a great manufacturer look for the ones that offer solid, longstanding warranties that offer support, and no hassles.

Conclusion

There are plenty of ways to decipher whether or not the company you are considering is worth your time. Keep your own situation in mind when making a decision. Not all circumstances are alike and what might be good for one scenario, could be not good for the next. However, every situation can agree that quality should never be compromised and that even if you have to pay more for good products, it ends up costing less in the end because good products last longer and don’t need to be replaced often. Go for quality over quantity every time and you won’t lose.