by Catharine Beale

Created on: June 14, 2008   Last Updated: July 12, 2008

Think new kitchen cabinets will cost about the same as a reasonably priced, new bedroom set? Wake up and smell the coffee. When it comes to kitchen cabinets, sticker-shock prevails. You can spend more on cabinetry than on appliances, flooring, lighting, even plumbing. According to data from the National Kitchen and Bath Association, cabinets take up half the budget of kitchen remodel.

Why?

Cabinetmakers are fine craftsmen - or so you'd think. Today's cabinets are cut on automated machines, measured to standard sizes out of plywood, Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) and/or Oriented Strand Board (OSB), then finished off with laminates or, if you splurge, wood veneers. The cost of labor for this work sends price points off the charts. But wood prices are way out of whack, as well. No kidding - these prices are insane.

Want solid wood? Wood used to be cheap and local. Not anymore.

Until recently, record demand from the housing sector pushed the price of wood to new highs. They're still recovering. Floods and fires are burning trees up before anyone can get to them. So be prepared to pay through the nose for that feature.

Even OSB - "engineered wood" panels built out of shredded, compressed, quick-growing trees - is not so cheap anymore. Wood is an expensive natural product, and they're running out of more of it every day. And anyway, manufacturers have learned people like wood veneer as much as the real thing, so you won't have to compromise looks for affordability.

One area you should NOT cut corners: Drawers and drawer-guides; they'll get daily use, and you want them to last. Stay away from anything stapled together - look for dovetail joints and good construction.

At the low end you'll find basic RTA ("Ready to Assemble") and Stock lines, typically constructed of particleboard. DIY-palaces Home Depot and Lowe's sell half the country's kitchen cabinets, a sign that many homeowners are willing to do the heavy lifting for good looking, reliable cabinetry.

You can save around 50 percent off the cost of your cabinets by doing the installing yourself - and maybe spend the savings on a fancy new granite, pewter or stainless steel counter.

Ikea's RTA cabinets are some of the best bang for a buck you'll ever see. Sleek, highly functional designs, modular mix and match, they may not last forever, but no one can say they aren't pretty darn good for the money.

Like Ikea, internet suppliers let your fingers do the walking through the most common and popular options: pull-out cutting boards, spice drawers, pull out trash slides, corner storage and dividers to customize your drawers.

Mullion doors update the traditional cabinet door with glass windows to showcase the interior. The RTA Cabinet Store stocks kitchen and bath storage with a half dozen wood finishes to choose from, as well as sample layouts: www.rtacabinetstore.com.

On the up side, modern cabinets are no longer a simple box to dump your dishes and cookware into. There are some cool options offered even on low-end models - Pullout shelves. Fully extending drawers. Even Lazy Susans for ultimate access inside corner cabinets.

Plywood interiors may not sound pretty, but plywood is less prone to damage from moisture. And it's pretty strong - a good sign of superior workmanship and materials.

Pricier units are plywood-based and custom-crafted, set up with any option your little heart desires. Dovetail joints in drawers and interior finishes to match the exterior are the norm.

You may have to wait, and you'll pay through the nose, but if money is no object, nothing is impossible for today's kitchen cabinet customer.

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