Best Places to Buy Affordable Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets Online
Best Places to Buy Affordable Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets Online
Shopping for unfinished kitchen cabinets online gives you more control over the final look of your kitchen, but price shouldn't be the only consideration.
Cabinet construction, materials, assembly method, available sizes, shipping costs, lead time, warranty, and customer support can make a significant difference in the overall value of an unfinished cabinet purchase.
If you're comparing affordable unfinished kitchen cabinets online, here are the most important things to look for before placing an order.
What to Look for When Buying Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets Online
Two unfinished cabinets can look very similar in a photograph while being constructed very differently. Before comparing prices, check exactly what you're getting.
Cabinet Box Construction
Look beyond terms such as "wood cabinet" or "all wood" and review the actual materials used in the cabinet box.
American Made Cabinets uses plywood cabinet construction rather than particle board, MDF, or HDF.
Face Frames, Doors, and Drawer Fronts
These are some of the most visible parts of the cabinet and are especially important when purchasing unfinished cabinetry you intend to paint or stain yourself.
Our unfinished Shaker cabinets use solid maple face frames, solid maple door and drawer-front frames, and maple plywood recessed center panels.
Drawer Construction
Don't assume every cabinet advertised as "all wood" uses the same drawer construction.
Our drawer boxes are made from birch plywood. The drawer fronts and backs use installed dowels with moisture-activated adhesive that fit into corresponding holes in the drawer sides. Dados along the bottom of the drawer components capture the 1/2-inch plywood drawer bottom.
Hardware
Check whether features such as soft-close hinges and drawer glides are standard or optional upgrades.
Soft-close hardware is standard on American Made Cabinets cabinetry.
Assembly
RTA cabinets can reduce shipping size and allow the homeowner or contractor to assemble cabinets at the jobsite, but assembly systems vary considerably.
American Made Cabinets uses pocket-hole RTA construction, and the cabinet doors arrive pre-hung to the face frames. This simplifies assembly compared with many conventional RTA systems.
Are Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets Cheaper?
They can be, but "unfinished" doesn't automatically mean inexpensive.
A better comparison is the total cabinet package: construction, materials, hardware, shipping, finishing requirements, warranty, and service.
An inexpensive unfinished kitchen cabinet made with lower-cost materials may not provide the best overall value simply because its initial price is lower. At the same time, unfinished cabinetry requires the customer to supply the labor and materials necessary to finish the exposed unfinished surfaces.
For homeowners who want control over the final color or stain, unfinished cabinetry provides an important advantage: you aren't limited to a manufacturer's selection of factory colors.
How to Compare Places to Buy Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets
Rather than relying solely on a "best cabinets" list, compare each cabinet supplier using the same criteria.
Before ordering, ask:
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What materials are used in the cabinet box?
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What are the doors, drawer fronts, and face frames made from?
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Are soft-close hinges and drawer glides included?
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Do the doors arrive pre-hung?
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How are the cabinets assembled?
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What cabinet sizes and configurations are available?
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What is the actual shipping charge?
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How long will the cabinets take to ship?
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Are sample doors available?
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Is cabinet design assistance available?
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What warranty is provided?
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Can replacement parts be obtained if something is damaged or a mistake occurs during installation?
Those questions provide a much more useful comparison than price alone.
American Made Cabinets Unfinished Maple Shaker Cabinets
American Made Cabinets' Unfinished Maple Shaker Cabinets are made in Louisiana for homeowners, contractors, builders, and remodelers who want the flexibility to apply their own paint, stain, or clear protective finish.
Our unfinished cabinet line includes:
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Made in the USA
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Solid maple face frames
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Solid maple Shaker door and drawer-front frames
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Maple plywood recessed center panels
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Birch plywood cabinet boxes
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Birch plywood drawer boxes
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No particle board, MDF, or HDF
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Soft-close hinges and full-extension soft-close drawer glides
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Pre-hung cabinet doors
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Pocket-hole RTA construction
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20-year warranty
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Free cabinet design assistance
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Sample doors available
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Made to order
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Ships in approximately 4 weeks
Orders of $2,500 or more ship free. Orders under $2,500 ship for a flat $65.
Shop Unfinished Maple Shaker Cabinets
Finishing Unfinished Maple Cabinets
One of the main reasons to choose unfinished cabinetry is control over the final appearance.
The unfinished maple exterior surfaces can be painted, stained, or protected with a clear finish. However, maple requires proper preparation, particularly when staining.
The cabinet interiors are different. They already receive a clear natural protective finish and should not be painted or stained.
Before beginning your project, read our Cabinet Finishing Guide for Unfinished Maple Cabinets. It explains preparation, sanding, staining, painting, and clear-finishing specifically for our unfinished maple cabinetry.
Consider a Sample Door Before Ordering
Wood grain, stain colors, and paint colors can look different on a computer screen than they do in your home.
A sample door allows you to see and feel the actual unfinished maple and, importantly, test your proposed finishing process before applying it to an entire kitchen.
Shop Shaker Cabinet Door Samples
Sample doors are fully refundable with a cabinet order.
Get the Layout Right Before You Order
Construction and price matter, but ordering the correct cabinet sizes matters just as much.
Before placing an order, verify wall dimensions, appliance openings, corner clearances, fillers, cabinet heights, and the overall layout.
If your cabinet plan isn't finalized, use our Free Cabinet Design Service to have your measurements and proposed layout reviewed before ordering.
You can also visit the Cabinet Learning Center for detailed guidance on measuring, cabinet layout, finishing, assembly, and installation.
So, Where Should You Buy Affordable Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets?
There isn't one cabinet supplier that's right for every project.
The best choice depends on what matters most to you: initial price, construction materials, customization, assembly, lead time, shipping, warranty, or support.
If you're looking specifically for affordable unfinished maple Shaker cabinets made in the USA, compare American Made Cabinets based on the specifications rather than simply taking our word for it.
Compare the materials. Compare the construction. Compare what's included. Compare shipping and lead times. Compare the warranty and the support available before and after the sale.
Then choose the unfinished cabinets that provide the best combination of price, construction, flexibility, and service for your project.
