Cabinets are a funny thing. Clients often wonder what the difference is between various price points and companies. There are a number of factors that come into play with picking the right company to design, build, finish, and install your cabinetry. Let’s take a closer look at these categories.

Design

At Alair, we stress good design more than a lot of companies and at this particular location we are absolutely adamant about it. Good design in a kitchen is an absolute deal breaker, as it can make one of the most used sections of the house either an absolute joy to be and work in or a frustrating and clumsy workspace that makes you mad every time your in it.

Good design starts with accurate measurements of not just the cabinets but the space surrounding them as well. At Alair, we have the designer responsible for designing the kitchen come on site, so they can both accurately measure and get a feel for the surrounding space as well. From here we have our designers draw up the kitchen showing 3d renderings as well as layout views of each part of the kitchen. We make sure that they are supplied with the actual appliances you will be using so that at the end of a project we don’t end up with a fridge that is “just” an inch too big. Our designers are experienced and do this for a living. They understand the fundamentals of kitchen design and are able to make sure the space you have is as efficient and functional as possible. Going through this process will save countless hours and dollars in the future a leave you with a product that you love being in.

Build

Build quality is a big variable for clients and often why we like working with bigger suppliers that have proven track records and built in quality control checks. Good companies will check quality as they go, not just at final inspection. This leads to small things being caught and taken care of before massive changes are needed to correct things. Another thing that clients often miss is, a good cabinet company will have the same quality control checks whether they are doing the quality checks for your laminate laundry cabinets or your custom stained solid wood kitchen. Effective machining methods, quality supplies, experienced operators and third party quality control sets the client up for a successful and beautifully built cabinet.

Finishing

High quality, repeatable, durable finishes are a huge factor in the look and appeal in quality cabinetry. At Alair we encourage the use of companies with dedicated finishing departments who are able to provide our clients with full finish samples that are an accurate representation of what the clients will be receiving. Small Mom and Pop shops, often fall short in this category lacking the equipment necessary to deliver consistent and accurate finishes. Clients often get a finish and don’t have a second thought about it until a year later when a door is damaged. Our large producers, are able to still match this finish and can have a new door delivered and installed for you and life goes on without a hiccup. Some shops have a hard time matching an old finish and that dent then ends up being a costly mistake requiring all doors to be resprayed.

Installation

This final step I have seen done in a laughably bad way that has left clients devastated and calling Alair homes to help them. Very consistently I find out that the installer in these situations is not a professional. In order to cut costs people try to have untrained installers try to put in their newly purchased cabinets with disastrous results. Islands don’t line up, fridges don’t open, drawers bump into each other, sinks off center from windows, I have seen it all. The difference a trained professional makes is that he is able to analyze and account for site conditions and still install your cabinets so that you would never know the difference. He or she understands the important lines in the kitchens and what are the visual markers and identifiers that are most important for installing the cabinets in the most effective way. Go with a professional, you’ll save yourself time stress and money.

Questions

If you have any further questions about the world of cabinetry be sure to give us a shout here at Alair Homes Toronto and we can walk you through this expensive and involved purchase for your home.