The difference in price between Chicago quality custom cabinets and the beautiful but pre-fab displays you see at your big box store are significant. To be precise, custom cabinets can cost as much as 30% more than their stock cabinet counterparts, and that excludes super-custom accents, exotic wood options, etc.

Price aside, there is much more to take in when discerning between custom and pre-fabricated kitchen cabinets, and we feel the majority of the differences are notable at first glance or operation.

Chicago Quality Custom Cabinets Are Visible at First Glance

If we were to put a set of custom and pre-fab cabinets, in similar or identical styles side-by-side - we're confident you would be able to tell the difference in 15-minutes or less.

The way they look

First, we'll take the "love at first sight" approach. Right from the get-go you are going to notice that everything about the custom cabinets looks more solid. Things will be completely in alignment, which is almost never the case with pre-fabricated cabinets. In the case that a brand-new, pre-fab option looks square, within a month or two, you would begin to notice the doors are not quite plumb.

Then, there are the finishes. While you can never guarantee a uniform natural finish - wood is irregular by nature - custom cabinets guarantee there will be zero drips or unfinished areas. Nor will there be finishes that don't wrap around to the "unseen" interior portions of the cabinet. Quality custom cabinetry are much more uniform and continuity is inarguable.

The way they're organized

Pre-fab cabinet manufacturers have done a great job when it comes to replicating the organizational ingenuity created by custom cabinet makers. However, those options aren't customized. When you order custom cabinets through a full-service design and build team, your cabinet interiors will be especially designed for your household and your kitchen item inventory.

The way they feel

Next, we'll move on to how they feel when you open and close them. Custom cabinets are made from solid, hardwood and the weight of the doors is evident when you open and close them. The hinge motions are smooth, whisper-quiet and perfectly balanced, which makes for a pleasant open/close experience. The same idea translates to when you open and close the drawers. You will notice even, balanced tracks, smooth operation and slam-resistant closing technology.

Move through the bank of cabinet doors and drawers in the pre-fabricated cabinets and you'll notice that the doors and materials feel much lighter and less weighty. Some doors click or creak even if others are quiet.

The way they hold up

Now, we get to the real nitty-gritty difference between cabinet quality. Custom cabinets are going to outlast pre-fab cabinets by at least three-times as long, and you will require far fewer repairs and/or parts replacements over the course of your cabinetry's lifetime.

If custom cabinets are out of your price range, talk to the Kitchen & Baths Unlimited team about combining Chicago quality custom cabinets with semi-custom cabinet options.