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We deliver direct to most locations from Maine to California at no extra charge. Call us for purchasing assistance, 207-667-4439.
If you can find a cabinet built this well or better, I want to know who makes it. Send me an email.
Before you purchase any cabinet, you should examine the way the cabinet is built. The best way to do this is to view the cabinet without a counter top. Don't base your decision on well written specifications. You need to actually inspect the cabinet or see pictures like these to see quality materials and workmanship or possible flaws.
A top view will quickly tell you if the cabinet is made from quality plywood and real wood. The plywood should have three or more solid layers ( not layers that look like sponge ) and should not have patches on the surface. Outer veneers should be grade "A" real wood. You don't want a wood grained vinyl or some type of plastic coating.
Look at the joints and the cuts. The joints should be tight fitting. The cuts should be smooth, not torn or extremely rough. You don't want splinters or wood that will some day peel. Small imperfections are O. K., but avoid any ragged edges. There should be no gobs of glue. If there are signs of glue that resemble a spider's web, then the manufacturer used hot melt glue. This glue is not strong, and is used more for hobbies. It does not hold for long. Our cabinets are glued with furniture grade glue and clamped until dry.
The side of the cabinet should be plywood with a matching wood species on the exterior. You don't want wood grained vinyl on the exterior. If vinyl is used, the cabinet side will not age to the same color as the door. Vinyl is also impossible to fix if it is damaged. Vinyl tends to peel and blister.
Our finished ends are flush with the cabinet frame, with no obvious groove or seam. Most cabinet brands have an unsightly seam on the end. Our finished ends are unique because of our miter-locked joint. This fine furniture joint is superior and almost invisible.
You should examine the face frame assembly. The joints should be tight, and stiles and rails should be sanded flush where they join each other. Frames should be glued and screwed together for longevity, and doors and frames should be made of the same wood species. Some companies use one wood species for the door and another for the frame. This can cause the frame to age to a color different than the door.
The picture to the left shows our beaded frame ( for beaded inset style doors and drawers). The bead is cut into the frame - not applied as a molding. Our F. E. brand frames are 3/4" thick and 1 3/4" in width.
Avoid cabinets with rough or splintered edges.
Inside the cabinet you should see real grade "A" wood. The side panels and floor should be cut with a smooth edge and be tight fitting. The finish should be baked on. A hardwood interior will withstand wear better than an interior finished with a wood grained vinyl.
Under the hardwood veneer the cabinet should be made of plywood to resist warping. Plywood will hold a fastener better than MDF or particle board.
If you see gobs of glue or torn edges you should move on to a better product.
Pull the drawer out and remove the drawer box. Then examine the mount in the back of the cabinet. If a plastic mount is used, it will not last. Some companies use a slide that looks like ours, but it is mounted to a plastic holder that can break with use. ( How many plastic items have you bought that later broke? ) Also check to see what is holding the mount in place. Staples or short screws through pressed board or a thin back may break free. Our mount is stainless steel, and it is screwed into a wooden horizontal rail in the back of the cabinet. The front is also screwed into the cabinet. This system will not fail.
When you pull the drawer out, it should slide all the way out ( called full extension ). This gives you full access to the interior. When you close the drawer, it should pull itself shut, sliding smoothly like as if on glass. The dovetails should be extremely tight, multi-beveled, and glued. We recommend hardwood drawer boxes. Test the wood to see how hard it is ( finger nail test ). Avoid splintered dovetails and sides with cracks.
Examine the bottom of the drawer. The bottom should be plywood and be captive by all four sides of the dovetailed drawer. The sides of the drawer have a slot that accepts the plywood bottom and locks it in place. The bottom is then pinned and glued. The bottom of our drawer is additionally supported by the steel drawer slide. This image shows the drawer release ( red lever ). We also force a small amount of hot melt glue into the crack on the under side of the drawer box to act as a sound deadening cushion. We do not use this glue to hold the drawer together.
Look closely at the dovetails and drawer box. You don't want a soft splintered dovetail. We don't use soft sycamore like some cabinet companies; these are hardwood birch drawers. The drawer head is attached with an adjustable screw system so that the drawer head can be adjusted if needed. Our doors and drawers are pre-adjusted and usually do not require much fine tuning in the field. Some cabinet brands require major field adjustments that may take many hours in addition to normal installation.
Inside shelves should be 3/4" thick plywood and adjustable. Our Fashionable Enclosures base cabinets have a locking, plastic coated metal shelf clip. The edges of the shelves should be finished. Some cabinet sales people suggest you use particle board or MDF for your shelves. They might say plywood isn't as stable as engineered wood. Well, don't believe everything you are told. Try setting a wet glass on a particle board shelf and then on a plywood shelf... We all know which one will last longer. We are not suggesting you store wet items in your cabinets, but plywood of good quality will not delaminate, flake apart, cup, or twist. Quality plywood shelves outlast the MDF/particle board versions.
The image to the left shows a shelf bored to fit the locking shelf clip. Again the shelf should be plywood and have nice sharp cuts on the edges.
The shelf clip should be metal and allow for adjustment. Plastic shelf clips break. This clip is metal with a plastic coating to make it less noticeable.
The toe kick should be of matching wood species and finish. Particle board toe kicks laminated with vinyl will quickly delaminate. We offer a number of decorative furniture toe styles. See our cabinet CD ROM catalog for details. If you want a standard style recessed toe kick like the one shown, we ship loose matching wood toe kick cover with your order. Our cabinets come with a stable plywood sub-base to accept toe kick cover. This makes for a sturdy area that can withstand the occasional toe bump or accept a kick heater.
Even the underside of our F. E. brand cabinet is neat and well assembled. This image shows the toe kick sub-base ( under the bottom of the cabinet ). The plastic skid is to be removed before installing.
Purchasing Cabinets On-line
We have serviced the New England area for over 25 years. We began shipping nationwide from our on-line store in 1996. If you buy cabinets from us, you will be working with an award winning design expert. This expert will guide you through the process and help you create a marvelous space. For more information, please give us a call at 207-667-4439 Monday - Friday 10 AM - 5 PM EST.
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