A functional cabinet assembly can change your whole visitor experience. Whether it’s a kitchen or bathroom, cabinets play an important role in organizing your space. It is the cabinets where you store your kitchen equipment, personal belongings, and other essential items. During remodeling, People often get confused to choose the best cabinet options for their space. There are mainly two types of kitchen cabinets.
1. Stock Cabinets
2. Custom Cabinets
Before choosing any of them, you must understand the difference between those two to make an ideal decision for your space. Let’s dive in
Stock Cabinets
Stock Cabinets are pre-manufactured, generic in design, and ready to deliver cabinets. These cabinets are made using standard measurements and sizes which makes them a faster solution for quick kitchen remodeling. Stock Cabinets follows the ‘What you see is What you Get’ approach means they are sold as it is. You can’t make any alterations or customizations to them. As Stock cabinets are fabricated in standard sizes, they’re a good budget-friendly option. When buying, you’ll only see the variations in colors and finishes while their size and style remain the same. You can easily find them at home improvement and furniture shops. As they’re ready to install they can be delivered instantly as you buy them. Here are the upsides and downsides of installing In-stock cabinets:
Pros of Stock Cabinets
- Save building and shipping time
- Ready and Quick Installation
- Budget-friendly
- Convenient option for your own as well as rented homes
- Replacement is easy if damaged
Cons of Stock Cabinets
- Limited Style, color, and finishes
- Can take damage if not installed correctly
- Chances of defects are more as compare to custom cabinets
- Limited Specifications
- Can’t fit in a space with unique layout
Custom Cabinets
Custom cabinets are professionally designed to fit your space unique requirements. These cabinets provide you the size, style, and color you desire. A professional cabinet designer will measure your space and help you craft cabinets that fit your needs or requirements. Customized cabinets are often designed on pre-order and are made with considering client’s unique demands. As they’re made on an order basis, take weeks or months to deliver. After delivery, it will be installed by professionals. You can also add custom features like extra spice-rack, drawer, etc to increase your functionality. Basically, with custom cabinets, you will get exactly what you want. Though Custom cabinets are available in an extensive range of sizes, colors, styles, and finishes, it can be expensive too. Material used to make custom cabinets is often more durable and long-lasting than stock cabinets. Here are its Upsides and Downsides:
Pros of Custom Cabinets:
- Fulfill Unique Color, Size, Shape, and Material requirements
- Low Damage risk as professionals installed them
- Offer high Returns on Investment (ROI)
- More Durable than Stock Cabinets
- Can be fit to any Layout
- Increase the functionality by utilizing all the space
- Available in wide range of colors or designs
- You Can Add extra drawers and racks
Cons of Custom Cabinets
- Requires more labor and installation time.
- Pricing is higher than Stock Cabinets
- Delivery takes up to 10 weeks or more
- Expensive to replace if damaged
Cabinet Care and Maintenance Tips
Whether you choose In-stock cabinets or custom cabinets, maintenance plays an essential role. With proper care, your cabinetry can provide you a lifetime of use and satisfaction. Adequate care includes careful cleaning, polishing, and damage prevention. Here are some useful tips that will help you to achieve these aspects:
Make a Cleaning Schedule:
Timely cleaning is the key to keep your cabinets long-lasting. It’s better to add a cabinet cleaning task in your calendar. You can do so once in 15 days or more often according to your kitchen activity.
Basic Cleaning:
Grease and dirt can destroy the whole look of your cabinets. Make sure to wipe the cabinets first with a clean dampened cloth and then clean with a soft dry cloth to remove the remaining moisture. If water alone is not working on cabinet stains, you can mix the little mild dishwasher soap with it.
Avoid Extra Moisture:
Moisture is one of the biggest enemies of your cabinets especially for the cabinets near the sink and dishwasher. Remember to wipe off the spilled water from the area immediately. Avoid hanging dish towels or other wet items over cabinet doors. Also, make sure not to place your coffeemaker or other appliance that releases steam under your cabinet surfaces.
Avoid Harsh Cleaners:
Cleaners containing a high amount of ammonia, bleach, and citric acid can damage your cabinet surface. Instead, use a mild cleaner.
Adequate Cleaning Tools:
One scratch is enough to break your cabinet aesthetics. Using the right tools will help you avoid this accidental damage during cleaning. For example, using soft clothes and brushes is ideal for cabinet cleaning while abrasive sponges, stiff brushes, and metallic brushes can harm your cabinets.
Avoid Direct Sunlight:
Exposure to direct sunlight may damage your natural wood cabinet looks by fading its color. You can use window coverings to reduce the amount of sunlight directing on your cabinets.
Conclusion
There’s nothing wrong and right between stock and custom cabinets. You can choose either custom cabinets or in-stock cabinets, totally depends on your preferences. It’s your decision what you can comfortably afford and how quickly you need the installation. If you have a limited budget and time, stock cabinets are a great option. On the other hand, if you want exactly like you dream or want to give the style, material, and size of your own choice, you should go for custom cabinets. Overall, the goal is to find what works best for you. Stone Cabinet work’s designers can help you to decide what is best for you. We offer an extensive range of pre-assemble (stock), custom, and semi-customized cabinets with installation services for your home. Be sure to consult stone cabinet works before making a wrong call.
FAQ’s
Q1. What are Semi-Custom Cabinets or cabinetry?
Ans: Semi-custom cabinets are basically the same as stock cabinets in size but offer a little customization to resize cabinet doors and drawers. If we put it simply, Semi-custom cabinets are the lower-cost alternative to fully custom-designed cabinets. They’re typically 20 -25% more expensive than stock cabinetry.
Q2. What style of Cabinets are there?
Ans: There are numerous cabinet styles that can match your home theme. Some of the popular ones are:
- Traditional
- Contemporary
- Glass-front
- Rustic
- Shaker
- Country
- Craftsman
Q3. What do I need to know before installing new stock cabinets?
Ans: Before choosing the cabinets, you should first take a look around your existing appliances. Know where the sink, gas, refrigerator, and microwave fit in. Keep these things in mind prior to installation can save your time and increase your functionality.