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Do I need a contractor for my kitchen project?

So you want to save money by buying our unfinished or custom-finished kitchen cabinets. Can you also save money on the installation, which often doubles your overall costs? There are many projects and do-it-yourself (DIY) jobs in the average home that do not require bringing in a professional. Who doesn’t like saving money when we can successfully accomplish a project on our own, on our own schedule?

However, there are home projects that require the services of a trained, experienced, and licensed contractor. A project in the hands of someone that is not qualified could end up costing much more than hiring the correct professional in the first place. You can almost always save time (and possibly money) when the job is done correctly the first time. And you are better off handling dangerous or risky conditions with an expert.

This rule of thumb is a good basic starting point: Do you have mechanical, electrical, or plumbing issues in your project? You might be skilled and knowledgeable enough to tackle one or more of these issues, and perhaps bring in a professional for the other items.

I just need kitchen cabinets, do I need a contractor?

If you are only removing and replacing your existing cabinets, you might not need a contractor. This is often the case with very simple kitchen renovations. For example, if you can disconnect and reconnect the plumbing under your sink, your electrical outlets are staying and you’re not adding any new ones, you’re not changing your type of range, not adding a dishwasher, then you might not need a contractor.

Why would my renovation affect anything mechanical, electrical, or involve my plumbing?

Are you considering taking a wall down in your kitchen to create more space? Does your kitchen design include a new island that will need an electrical outlet? Are any of your appliance locations changing? At the very least, your plumbing will need disconnecting and reconnecting. While some of these items are usually straightforward tasks, there can certainly be more involved things that come up.

If mechanical, electrical, or plumbing issues are involved, the rule of thumb is that these concerns should be handled by an expert who knows how to tackle any issues that may arise. Investing in this particular aspect of your project can avoid major costs required to fix DIY mistakes or gaps. And we are talking about your home, where your family lives; another reason your investment is well spent.

What exactly is a contractor?

A contractor is an individual who helps you with either part of your new construction/remodeling project or who coordinates every aspect of your project. A contractor has knowledge of town permit requirements, available tradesmen for the particular jobs to be done, or may have his/her own skill set to accomplish your project.

As you approach your project in the planning stages, it’s a good idea to prepare a list including:

Your project goals from top to bottom, ceiling to floor
Your timeline, ideal start and finish dates
Budget
DIY items you would like to keep for yourself

Hiring a contractor for your kitchen project may save a significant amount of time and money in reaching your ultimate goal, leaving you to finish other projects in your home that are perfect for your level of DIY expertise.

The Best Cabinet Installation Tools

20. July 2023 · Write a comment · Categories: Built-in Installation, Kitchen Cabinet Installation · Tags: custom kitchen cabinets, kitchen, remodeling, unfinished kitchen cabinets

Are you remodeling your kitchen, bathroom, or other rooms with new cabinets or bookcases? Installing them yourself can save money and allow you to spend your money on even better products. If you buy unfinished cabinets and paint or stain them yourself, you can save even more. Here is what you need to get the job done.

Depending on your level of carpentry skills and how many home improvement projects you do, you may already own some of the tools in this list. Not all items will be needed but many will be helpful depending if you are working alone or have assistance.

It is also important for your budget to consider the cost of the needed tools over hiring a professional. If the rate to hire is less than or equal to the cost of new tools, it may be worth it to leave the job to the pros.

Investing in the right tools will enhance the quality of your installation, reduce debris, and save you money. All of which every Do-It-Yourselfer is looking for.

Required Tools

Tool or supply	Purpose/Reason for Tool or Supply
Cabinet claw/clamps	A cabinet clamp is a helpful tool that will hold the face frame together securely while you are assembling your cabinet. It also keeps everything in place while screws are installed.
Tape Measure	A tape measure will be needed to identify several measurements for your installation including where the cabinets will be hung, openings for appliances, distances between structures, locations of outlets, etc.
Pencil	A pencil will be needed to mark measurements taken while installing, and maybe to take notes as you go.
Printed Layout	Print your Prime Cabinetry design, provided by our design team, for ease of installation. Having the layout to work from will ensure you remember exactly where each cabinet is meant to be installed while you are working.
Power Drill	A power drill is commonly used for assembling cabinets, hanging cabinets, installing knobs and pulls on cabinet doors, etc.
Laser Level or standard 72” level	A level or laser level is a control tool that provides a reference for ensuring your cabinets are perfectly horizontal to the floor. This is needed for countertop installation to run smoothly as well.
Stud Finder	As the name implies, this handheld device helps you locate the framing studs behind the drywall. It can also help you locate plumbing and electric lines in some cases so you avoid running into those.
Touch Up Kit/Putty	A touch up kit can be purchased from Prime Cabinetry when you order your cabinets. It is used to cover any small dings that occur during assembly and install and nail holes.
Trim Nailer	A trim nailer is most often used to install crown molding, toe kick, scribe molding, light rail molding, base moldings, etc. You could use brads and a hammer but most installers would say this tool is a necessity for cabinet installation.
Miter Saw	A miter saw is required to cut cabinet trim and crown molding at precise angles. It is also used to cut filler strips and some skin panels.
Wood Block	A wood block is used for installing crown molding. When working with full overlay cabinets the ¼” reveal of the face frame is not enough for the crown to be nailed to. The wood block is installed first, then the crown is nailed to the block.
Table Saw	A table saw is an electric woodworking tool with a circular blade mounted on an axel. The blade protrudes through the top of a table and provides support for the wood being cut.
Philips Screwdriver	A screwdriver designed to to be used with a phillips-head screw. This type of screw has an X shaped top and is what we use most in our cabinet assembly.

Optional Tools

Tool or Supply	Purpose/Reason for Tool or Supply
Jigsaw	A jig saw is ideal for cutting curves and complex shapes into wood or drywall. For cabinet installation it is commonly used for cutting outlet and plumbing holes, modifying universal cabinets, making short crosscuts on a board, etc.
Cabinet Jack	A cabinet jack is made for holding upper cabinets in place while hanging. This is an ideal tool to have on hand if you are limited on manpower or are working alone. If you have a crew installing the cabinets one may not be needed.
Cabinet Hardware Jig	A cabinet hardware jig is a great tool that helps you install your cabinet knobs or pulls to the doors perfectly every time. This tool is not required as there are other tricks out there to install your cabinet hardware but it is certainly useful.
Hearing Protection	Avoid ear damage from saws and nailers. Noise reducing headphones or earplugs are nice to have because construction sites are always loud.
Shop Vac	Anytime you are removing cabinets and sawing wood there is bound to be dust. A shop-vac is simply more durable for this type of use and with its five gallon size tends to clean debris best.
Wood Glue	Wood glue is a great option for assembling your cabinets. However, it is not required for assembly because our cabinets are sold with the needed brackets and screws.
Staple Gun	Staples and a staple gun is another great option for assembling your cabinets. However, it is also not required for assembly because our cabinets are sold with the needed brackets and screws.
Crown Moulding Jig	A crown molding jig is used to simplify difficult inside and outside crown molding cuts. Angles are tough so this handy tool really helps you master mitered corners and other angles.
Multitool/Oscillating Tool	A multitool is a power tool that oscillates allowing you to sand, saw, and cut different materials. It is helpful for a number of tasks with cabinet assembly and installation including trim cutting, grout removal, cabinet modifications, drywall cutouts, etc.
Shims	Cabinet shims are slender pieces of wood, cut into a wedge shape, that are used as a solution for things like leveling base cabinets on an uneven floor or flushing side panels for decorative door application.

How To Install A Blind Kitchen Corner Base Cabinet

20. July 2023 · Write a comment · Categories: Kitchen Cabinet Installation, Kitchen Design Tips · Tags: custom kitchen cabinets, kitchen, remodeling, unfinished kitchen cabinets

What is a Blind Corner Base Cabinet?

If you buy our unfinished or custom cabinets online and plan to install them yourself, you need to know how to handle the corners where two rows of cabinets meet. One option is to install a diagonal corner cabinet, such as a Lazy Susan, with a door in the corner. However, a more standard approach is to have the two rows meet at a 90 degree angle. With this approach, a blind corner base cabinet is installed such that a portion of the corner cabinet is hidden by the one adjacent to it. The hidden section provides storage without giving up space in a corner.

What is the Cabinet “Pull”?

Blind base corner cabinet installation requires a minimum and maximum “pull.” You must “pull” the blind cabinet a certain number of inches from the wall to create proper clearance for the door and drawer to open without interfering with the adjacent cabinet.

Measure the pull distance from the wall to the opposite edge of the blind corner base. The number of inches left over between the wall and the cabinet is known as dead space. The need to pull a blind base cabinet from the wall is what makes it unique in how it functions, since no other cabinet type requires this.

In addition, you usually need to add a 3” filler strip to join an adjacent cabinet to the blind corner base while leaving enough room for the doors and drawers to open properly. Without this filler, the doors and drawers that meet in the corner may be too close and will hit each other when opening.

Attach the filler to the stile of the blind corner cabinet. The stile is the vertical strip of wood that extends beyond the door and drawer in the direction of the open blind side.

In the aerial view below, you will see an example of a blind base cabinet installed and labeled with what is required for it to function properly. Here we have shown both the minimum and maximum pulls.

Minimum vs Maximum Pull

The amount of stile that is visible depends on how far the corner cabinet is pulled from the wall. See below a visual of how much stile will be seen based on the respective minimum and maximum pulls applied. If the blind base is installed at minimum pull, you will see less of the stile. Alternatively, if it is installed at maximum pull, you will see more of the stile.

Blind cabinet at minimum and maximum pull distance.

In the images below you will see examples of blind bases with built in clearance installed and what is required for them to function properly. Most blind base cabinets are not made this way, but it is possible to have them made to extend all the way to the wall to make maximum use of corner storage space. However, it may be hard to reach all the way into the corner.

Diagram of blind cabinet with filler strip.

Blind base cabinet installation layouts.

How Supply Chain Problems Affect Cabinet Manufacturers, Contractors, and Homeowners

04. March 2022 · Write a comment · Categories: Buying kitchen cabinets online · Tags: custom kitchen cabinets

Supply chain problems for cabinet manufacturers

If you’re a kitchen contractor or homeowner who has tried to order cabinets for a remodeling project, it’s no surprise these days to see lead times of months instead of what used to be weeks. Why this big change? Over the past 18 months, the pandemic wreaked havoc up and down the supply chain for raw materials. Lockdowns led things off, leading to labor shortages and shipping problems that are still causing problems today.

The cabinet industry and other manufacturers have been working with government officials to address these supply chain issues. Still, the web of interdependency across all industries means that any solution will require slow and steady collaboration. There’s no quick fix even as demand for kitchen cabinets continues to rise.

How a raw materials supply chain works

Whether we’re contractors or homeowners, most of us have had little reason to pay attention to how the finished products we purchase off the retail shelf or from a warehouse get there in the first place. The supply chain for raw materials has to connect four links before the final product is available for purchase and installation.

Steps in the supply chain of a kitchen cabinet

Lumber suppliers source wood from a reliable source.
Lumber suppliers purchase wood and ship the lumber from its source location to their warehouses.
Cabinet manufacturers purchase wood from lumber suppliers and have it shipped to their factories for construction.
After the cabinets are built, they are sold and shipped to contractors or directly to consumers.

At every point along the way, a shortage of some or all raw materials and/or labor or transportation will cause a delay at the next point in the chain.

What’s going on with the cabinet manufacturing supply chain today?

Economics 101 tells us that rising demand causes prices to go up too. A surge in demand has driven up the cost of raw materials for cabinets. With people at home during the previous year’s lockdowns, many homeowners decided to make changes to their living spaces, and kitchen remodels are consistently high on the priority list. If you look around, it seems like everyone is building or remodeling!

Employee shortages are another significant piece of the puzzle. There are employee shortages at shipping ports, transportation hubs, trucking companies, and factories. Demand means there’s plenty of work to do, but not enough of the right people – in the right places – to do the work.

Today, kitchen cabinet manufacturers must somehow solve the problem of more expensive materials and harder to procure, as well as a lack of workers. Some manufacturers have managed to mitigate shortages on the materials front by finding different suppliers, but high costs remain an issue.

Near the end of the chain, kitchen cabinet contractors experience a shortage of cabinet parts and longer lead times for delivery, making it challenging to complete a project on time. And homeowners are unhappy because their kitchen renovation, which would have taken approximately eight weeks total in 2019, could now take months just for the cabinets to arrive.

How cabinet manufacturers are navigating supply disruptions

Cabinet manufacturers faced drastic increases in the expense of importing materials. Swings in the supply and demand for shipping containers have caused shipping prices to rise. Most manufacturers have had to increase product costs or shipping fees as high as 20% to continue supplying products, switch to lower quality lumber and parts to keep costs down, or some have completely been unable to keep up with providing cabinets to their contractors.

Only cabinet suppliers with extensive manufacturing and warehousing capabilities or local sources for material have maintained strong inventory or production levels despite all the current industry challenges.

Kitchen Cabinet Layouts for Design Symmetry

02. August 2020 · Write a comment · Categories: Buying kitchen cabinets online, Kitchen Design Tips · Tags: custom kitchen cabinets

This is a quick article on kitchen layout design, assuming you are lucky enough to be able to plan your own kitchen layout or redesign a poorly laid out kitchen. Where your appliances are located will determine how easily you can work in the kitchen or how crowded it will feel if too many people are in there at the same time. If you have the flexibility, separate your kitchen space into three sections. Place your food storage (refrigerator, freezer and pantry) apart from your cooking appliances (range, oven, cookware), and apart from your clean-up area (sink, dishwasher and dish storage). See below for some common examples.

Also consider the symmetry of your layout and select base and wall cabinets that align with each other vertically as much as possible. For instance, place a 36-inch wall cabinet directly above a 36-inch base cabinet. Try not to choose too many different sizes of cabinets or it will look more like a puzzle than a well laid out row of cabinets.

How to buy custom made cabinets online

23. June 2014 · Write a comment · Categories: Buying kitchen cabinets online · Tags: buying online, custom kitchen cabinets, unfinished kitchen cabinets

by Melanie Randall

When you’re shopping for new kitchen cabinets, start by trying to figure out what you like. I don’t care how good of a salesman you’re dealing with–no one knows your taste but you. It just might take a while to find examples that you like.

These are the steps you need to follow if you are looking to buy custom kitchen cabinets online. Online shopping can be much easier than going to a kitchen design shop or having a designer come to your home because you don’t have to deal with pushy sales people telling you what you like and don’t like or taking up hours of your valuable time.

Take look at your current kitchen first. Get a notepad and a pen and start writing down your dislikes about your kitchen and the things that you absolutely hate about the current kitchen and would like to change. Maybe you want to add a corner cabinet or some more drawer cabinets or completely change the style.

Next, try to visualize what would make those things more comfortable for you. For example, how would you change those things be more useful for you? Write them down. You don’t have to be a kitchen designer to know what you like.

Then get online and type in “buy custom kitchen cabinets online” or something similar. From there you’ll be able to narrow your search down to your exact taste in kitchen cabinets.

Number one “NO NO” is to avoid picking out too many styles and colors. This will just make your decision even harder. You’ll have too many things to choose from and you won’t know what to pick because you’ll be afraid of making the wrong decision. Keep it simple, if have a doubt about something than just don’t pick it.

Once you have a few things picked out, try to find a custom cabinet shop online that will let you design your own kitchen, with their help of course (most online shops will help you for free). They should help you with the design and show you how to measure and order.

You should start with the best of the best online cabinet shops, which is here!

How to measure before ordering custom cabinets online

1. Measure accurately. Start by noting the overall dimensions of your current room on a piece of paper, imagine you are looking down from the ceiling (top view). Be sure to indicate the overall wall length, floor to ceiling height and height/location of any soffits, doorways, windows and any other openings. Mark: the location and dimensions of all windows and doors including trim, indicating which way the doors swing. It might also be helpful to note size/location of your present cabinets for reference.

2. Note where the center of the sink is, either from left wall or right wall, appliances, water supply and gas lines are on your plan. And Don’t forget to indicate all electrical outlets, switches, heating and air conditioning registers too.

3. Write down model numbers and sizes of appliances: wall oven, cook top, range, dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, sink(s), freezer etc, so you’ll know how much space they will take and how the doors open.4. After all the “un-movables” are noted on your plan, then begin with the main corner of the kitchen and determine cabinet placement for the rest of the room. Don’t forget to take door openings, windows (very important), appliances, access and traffic flow of the room into account.

You are almost ready to order custom made cabinets online. Now you should start picking out cabinet door styles and hardware. There are a million different styles, you’ll get lost, remember to keep it simple.

Most custom cabinet shops online will help you with the selection of door styles or hardware. If you have seen something at another website or HGTV you should look for that or just tell them exactly what is it that you are looking for.

How to choose a good reputable custom cabinet shop

First of all, look for any affiliation with the “BBB” or any other performance guarantee association that they might have, like “National Association of Remodeling Industry” (NARI), or”National Kitchen And Bath Association” (NKBA).

Having these types of associations with these types of performance-guaranteed companies is a MUST. This way you reassure yourself that the company you are dealing with is not a fluke, they will not run away with your money and they will deliver the purchased product with your satisfaction guaranteed.

Check for stats at the Better Business Bureau and if you do have any problems or issues, they will resolve them fast and in a courteous manner.

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