Making New Cabinets or Buying Ready Made

If installing new cabinetry is your choice, you must decide whether to buy ready-made or to make your own.

Making New Cabinets

If making new cabinetry is an option for you, Rockler has a full range of cabinetry building supplies from drawer building supplies to screws and fasteners to custom door and drawer programs to help you complete the project. Making new cabinetry is a rewarding and fruitful experience for woodworkers, but it can be a challenging and complicated project. It can elevate the pride of home ownership to heavenly new levels, or end in nightmarish disaster. It is not a project for the beginning woodworker and is challenging enough to tax even the intermediate woodworker or handy- man or woman’s skills and tool availability. See our article on Making New Cabinets for more information.

Buying Ready Made Cabinets

If you are not prepared for the challenges and expense of making your own cabinetry, you’ll want to consider buying ready-made. Most manufacturers offer several quality grades and lines of cabinetry that are easy to maintain. Modern prefabricated cabinets are engineered to be storage-intensive and you can choose from dozens of storage options, including slide-out shelves, bins, and drawers to fit your specific needs. You can further embellish ready-made cabinetry by adding your own crown or dentil moldings or other decorative elements. (See Accessories below.) If purchasing ready-made cabinetry is your choice, there are some very important considerations you’ll want to keep in mind. So that you can make your new cabinetry purchase with informed confidence, see our article on Buying New Cabinets .

New Hardware

Whether you make your own new cabinetry or buy ready-made, it’s the addition of unique hardware - knobs, pulls, hinges, and accessories - that is the secret to achieving a stunning appearance. Rockler has an almost unlimited number of styles available to fit your needs. The addition of sparkling new hardware adds the glow that will make your new kitchen cabinetry shimmer. You’ll be amazed at the dramatic new presentation of your newly installed casework. See our Knobs and Pulls page for some sensational hardware options for your new cabinets. Or see our page on Hinges for the latest in hinge technology.

Accessories

Significantly enhance the look of your new cabinetry by adding classy and easy to install accessories and architectural moldings from Rockler’s wide selection of trimmings. Friends and family will be astonished at the sensational appearance that you can create on your new cabinetry with only a few feet of crown molding or dentil molding. If a more exciting presentation is your preference, consider split rope topper molding, fluted and beaded molding with rosettes, or other carvings. And there are lots of awesome accessories to choose from, including pantry slides, corner shelves, drawer organizers, pullout trash bins, and appliance garages. The proper accessories can add a touch of elegance. See our Accessories page for the latest trends.

Books and Resources

The Kitchen Idea Book -- Planning the kitchen of your new house or a remodel of your old kitchen?

Kitchens That Work -- From the publishers of Fine Woodworking magazine...

Making Kitchen Cabinets -- Watching Paul Levine will convince you that creating a beautiful kitchen is as easy as building one simple

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