Hello, I’m Brian O’Connor, President of Wolverine Cabinet Company. The following Frequently Asked Questions include some of the most common questions I’ve encountered in my 23 years in the custom cabinet business. After reading these, if you still have a question that you can’t get answered, please fill out the form on our
Contact page. I’ll get you a personal response, and I’ll add your question to our FAQs, because it’s likely that someone else is wondering the same thing you are.
Brian O’Connor
President
Q. How do I begin to shop for cabinets?
A. This website is a good start because it focuses on education. Learning as much as possible about cabinets, countertops and accessories will make all of your decisions easier.
Also, it is very important to be actively involved in the planning of your kitchen, including all the details. Leaving important decisions up to your kitchen designer can be risky if you’re not fully informed. Be sure to convey the vision for your new kitchen, including how it blends into the rest of the home, whether it will be used for entertaining, and any special or unique requirements you may have. Don’t settle for an answer unless you’re fully satisfied. The project is too important to have any regrets or buyer’s remorse.
At Wolverine Cabinet Company, I won’t sell you cabinetry until you clearly understand everything about each cabinet you are buying as well as the layout and design that I have worked with you to develop. Kitchen projects can quickly become overwhelming, but if you stay fully informed and work in concert with your designer and supplier, you’ll be very happy with the end result.
Q How can I set a realistic budget for my kitchen?
A. Separate the big ticket items: Cabinets, Countertops, Appliances, Flooring. Next, educate yourself about your choices, and then go shopping. Get at least two prices on each item. Finally, add the costs up and you’ll have a high and low number. Your budget is between the two.
Q How can I get a new kitchen on a small budget?
A. Cabinets make up a large portion of the overall cost of a kitchen, and you will find that cabinet costs vary greatly. Things that impact the cost of cabinetry include:
- Materials used to produce the cabinet box, door and drawer.
- The wood species.
- The door style.
- The type of overlay for the door and drawer fronts.
- The application of any stain, glaze or other finish
- The quality of hardware components (hinges, slides and pulls).
- The variety of available cabinet sizes.
- The variety of available accessories in a particular line of cabinets.
When talking with a designer it is best to let them know up front what your budget is as well as the things that are most important to you in the design of your kitchen. A good designer will fit you with a line, or brand, of cabinetry that will allow you to stay within your budget and still deliver the most important features you are looking for.
Shop for cabinets based not only on price, but also based on quality, value and service. Buy cabinets from the place that gives you a good balance of each of those things. And while you’re shopping, because there are so many options and styles to choose from, be sure you’re always comparing “apples to apples”. Remember that your cabinets are a permanent part of your home, as opposed to appliances and countertops which can more easily be replaced as your budget constraints change over time.
With regard to counter tops, you will find that prices vary at least as much as cabinets due to the wide differences in available materials. Generally speaking, plastic laminate countertops are the least costly. With advances in technology, however, the variety and quality of plastic laminates now available is truly amazing. Downgrading from solid surfaces or granite tops does not necessarily mean a downgrade in appearance or performance.
One way to save money on your new kitchen is to install the cabinets yourself. I have over 20 years experience installing cabinets so I can offer you tips on tackling this seemingly impossible job on your own. A good designer can make the installation process easier for DIYs if they know ahead of time that you’re doing it yourself.
Q. How do I choose a designer?
A. Perhaps the single most important step in achieving your goal of a dream kitchen is the choice of designer. Find someone who is knowledgeable about the products, has years of experience designing kitchens, who listens to your requirements and incorporates them into the design. The designer should also be willing to spend the time educating you on the basics of cabinet design and cabinetry styles as well as the pros and cons of the final design. Once you feel completely comfortable with your designer, the rest of the purchase process will actually be enjoyable.
Q Should I expect to pay for design work done on my kitchen?
A. Yes. You will pay for kitchen design work either in the form of an upfront fee or a cost buried in the price of the cabinet package. Some places will offer discounts if you bring in a complete design and specification sheet that is ready to order from. Expect to pay between $100 and $500 dollars for kitchen design work.
Q. What type of wood is right for my kitchen?
A. The are literally hundreds of combinations of wood species, stain colors, wipes, glazes, and paints to choose from, which can make the selection process very challenging. To narrow down the choices, I often recommend that you first determine what you don’t like and take that off the list of possibilities. Do you like dark wood or light wood? Do you prefer a subtle grain structure or a more pronounced grain structure? What types of wipes or glazes would you consider vs. definitely not consider?
If you already know what your walls and floors will be, then consider using a wood color that will contrast with them. I believe that too much of a good thing quickly becomes a bad thing. For example, people building a log home will naturally consider knotty pine or hickory cabinets. But when these cabinets are used in a kitchen with solid pine walls, all the colors tend to blend and the look becomes boring or even overwhelming due to too much grain structure. Using a subtle grained wood in a contrasting color gives the cabinetry separation from the walls and lends definition to the overall look of the kitchen.
Q If I’m remodeling, does it make sense to re-do the kitchen I have while keeping the same cabinet boxes?
A. In some cases, yes. If the cabinet boxes are in good condition and the layout of the kitchen works well, then a kitchen refacing might be right for you. I will be happy to come to your home to do a kitchen assessment that will help you determine if refacing is a good option for you.
Q. What are the pros and cons of face frame cabinets vs. frameless cabinets?
A. Face frame cabinets, standing independently, are sturdier and stronger than frameless cabinets because they have a frame bracing the front of the cabinet opening. However, when frameless cabinets are screwed together in multiples and then screwed to the wall, they are as sturdy as they need to be.
Frameless cabinets are also called “full access cabinets” because the interior of the cabinet is wide open compared to a framed cabinet, which typically has an opening that is about 2” narrower than the cabinet interior.
Doors on framed cabinets open wider than doors typically found on frameless cabinets. The exception to this is when a special hinge is used on a frameless cabinet in order to obtain a door that opens fully.
Doors for face frame cabinet are available in a variety of overlay styles, including standard overlay, full overlay, half inset and full inset. Doors for frameless cabinets are available only in the full overlay style. The various overlays create very different appearances on a complete kitchen.
Understanding the differences between framed and frameless cabinet designs, and choosing one of them, is a good first step toward narrowing down the type of cabinetry that is right for you.
Q How do I choose what my counter tops are made of?
A. First, by setting your budget for counter tops. Plastic laminate is the least costly. Solid surface material such as Corian or HI-Macs is the next step up in cost, and real granite and stone surfaces are the most costly. Less common but viable options for counter tops include solid wood butcher block surfaces and cement surfaces. Sometimes using a combination of materials is a good way to meet budget constraints. For instance, using a less costly material on an island than what is used on the perimeter cabinets, or vice versa, can save money.
