Should I Stay Away from Prefab Cabinets?

Short answer: not necessarily.

Prefab cabinets can be a great choice if you know what to look for. The biggest factor to watch is the box material. I recommend staying away from cabinet boxes made of MDF or particle board, especially if they’ll be anywhere near water. Once saturated, these materials can deteriorate very quickly.

Here is an example of a particle board box

That said, any cabinet—even our custom ones—will eventually break down if exposed to water for long enough. The key is how long it takes before that happens. The real issue isn't finding a waterproof cabinet (because none truly are), but choosing one that gives you enough time to catch and fix a leak before major damage occurs. Water leaks are often subtle and go unnoticed until the cabinet or wall starts falling apart. A particle board cabinet might only last a week under constant water saturation. A plywood box, however, could hold up for months before showing signs of damage. That’s a major difference—but regardless of material, any water leak needs to be addressed quickly.

What Are Some Good Brands for Prefab Cabinets?

Despite some of the drawbacks, there are excellent prefab cabinets available that are built with solid materials and strong construction. One brand we trust and carry is Northpoint Cabinetry. Northpoint cabinets feature plywood boxes, solid wood face frames, doors, drawer fronts, and dovetail drawer boxes. While their paint and stain options are limited, the finish itself is impressively smooth—honestly, it’s better than what we or any human could do by hand. That’s the result of their high-end factory machinery, though we strive to get as close as humanly possible.

Another strong contender is KraftMaid, probably the most well-known and respected prefab cabinet brand. Their construction is solid, and they offer a wide range of finishes. KraftMaid uses a full-width top stretcher across the top of the base cabinets—just like we do in our custom cabinets—instead of brackets to hold the box together. You can find KraftMaid cabinets at Lowe’s as a special order item. The downside is that they tend to have long lead times. Still, if you plan ahead and don’t mind the premium cost, they’re a great option.

Modifications We Recommend for Prefab Cabinets

With a little help, Northpoint cabinets can come very close to KraftMaid quality. That’s why we recommend ordering them unassembled, so we can assemble them ourselves using glue and staples. This ensures clean, tight seams inside the cabinets. While most homeowners might not notice, those small gaps and misalignments drive a cabinet maker crazy! The picture below shows the inside of one of our custom cabinets, where all the seams are tight and clean.

Most prefab manufacturers do not glue their seams—likely to save on labor costs. To be honest, this probably doesn’t affect durability enough to change their system. Once the cabinets are installed and screwed to the wall and to each other, they’ll hold up for longer than most people live in a home. But if you care about detail (and we do), this is worth addressing.

What You Sacrifice by Going with Prefab Cabinets

  • Color options: Any prefab brand will have a limited selection of paints and stains.

  • Seams on cabinet joints: Because prefab cabinets are made in 3" increments, you’ll have visible seams where cabinets are joined. A skilled installer can minimize their visibility, but they won’t disappear entirely.

  • Limited crown/trims: Since prefab cabinets are prefinished, the moulding and trim will also be prefinished. That limits your design flexibility. (Unfinished prefab cabinets are available from some brands and can help with this.)

  • Limited sizes: Prefabs are only available in certain widths and heights. If your layout includes odd-sized spaces, fillers will be needed. Again, a good installer can make this look good.

  • Lead time: Depending on the brand and supplier, prefab cabinets can take a while to arrive. One of the things we love about Northpoint is that they can ship assembled cabinets in 10 business days and unassembled cabinets in just 3–5 business days. So yes, if you order on Monday, you could theoretically have cabinets installed by Friday.

What You Don’t Sacrifice by Going with Northpoint Prefabs

If you order your prefab cabinets through us—and let us assemble them—you’re getting a very high-quality cabinet. You’re not sacrificing durability. Northpoint’s cabinets are built using full dado construction, just like our custom ones. That means the shelves and parts are grooved into place, creating a locked joint that won’t fall apart. The only way a shelf would fail is if the side panel was pulled away from it entirely—not something that happens under normal conditions (outside of, say, a college party).

You’re also not sacrificing quality in doors, drawer fronts, or drawer boxes. In fact, we use Northpoint dovetail drawer boxes in our custom cabinets when a client upgrades to them. With their prefab line, these drawer boxes come standard, along with solid wood doors—another standard feature that’s an upgrade in many custom options.

Finally, you’re not giving up speed. Northpoint’s lead times are among the best in the industry—3 to 5 business days unassembled, and 10 days assembled. So if you’re in a hurry, they’re a great choice.

Finally, don’t skimp on the installer

Next to selecting the right brand, the second biggest factor in successfully using pre fabricated cabinets is finding a good installer. With someone who pays attention to detail, you could make these cabinets look really nice, and maybe even fool someone into thinking they were custom.