There are plenty of American made cabinet companies at the same budget point that have quicker response times and who employ your fellow citizens.

Raee. They are assembled in MN, the components are imported from China.

Anytime you usually see the term "assembled in the USA" the components are not from the US.

Thanks, aries. They state "manufactured" --not "assembled"-- which is certainly misleading then.

Thertastore.com

Looks like they could be 6 square cabinets.

I am not associated or have personal experience with them. I came across them looking at rta sites.

raee - where in OH are you, and can you recommend your cabinet maker?

Look at local custom makers. Look at American Woodmark/Shenendoah at the box stores. Look at Aristokraft. Look at about a dozen more companies that are American made. Most RTA stuff online is made in China or made from components made in China. And they change names every year or two or go out of business because their business model is all about making the cheapest possible product to get the cheap sale for now and not worrying about if that customer is happy a year from now.

Heck, if you are at the rock bottom price point, get Ikea. It's at least not made in China. And it's good quality. If you can't afford Ikea, then you can't afford to do a kitchen remodel right now at all.

Hollysprings - where are Ikea cabinets made? A lot of their stuff is made in China, are the cabinets made elsewhere?

Ikea boxes are made in Danville, VA. THe Blum hardware is made in Austria or the US. The doors are sourced from various locations worldwide, including Poland and China. National Geographic did a factory tour in one of their Ultimate Factory series if anyone is interested in some of their manufacturing methods.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea Factory Tour

There is an online dealer in North Carolina. They can't say they are 6 square but the specs etc are identical so..... Google Ultimate Kitchens Direct. Pricing is in line with Cliq when Cliq has their 15% off, and when Cliq is at 20% they become a bit less expensive.

I am not associated with either of these companies - simply looking at cabinets myself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ultimate Kitchens Direct

Look at Kitchen Cabinet Kings - high quality stock cabinets, responsive customer service, and great prices.

I purchased the Ice White Shaker online with them last year, and was very happy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Cabinet King's Cabinets

I posted an issue I found with 6Square cabinets. I tested the "painted white" 6square cabinet sample against a cheaper RTA style cabinet sample (both white although 6square is not a bright white more of a linen). The 6Square painted white would not allow a cleaning of stain of spaghetti sauce i tried and let dry and then tried to clean with water and progressively more cleaners. Stain would not come off of 6square even though it easily came off cheaper RTA - a faint orange stain remained on 6square painted white. 6 Square uses a strange very flatish/satin low sheen looking paint and it might be an issue if you are worried about possible stains. Test for yourself on some samples.
Cliqstudios was very helpful and responsive. Designer was super helpful but didn't add too many creative ideas to the design - but you can only do so much over the phone. I would not hesitate to order from Cliq studios other than we cannot get the 6square white because of the staining potential.

Note the difference in color of the two white cabinet samples, 6 square on right. You can also see the stains that would not come off no matter how i tried. I tested juices, spaghetti sauce, olive oil and a few others trying to simulate if a kid had dripped something on a cabinet and you didn't notice it for a few hours (it happens).

At least the RTA i looked at had a few other advantages - thicker frame and a thicker center panel - the 6square center panel is 1/4" MDF and the RTA I found was 3/8's MDF (much thicker and more sturdy).

The RTA door had a much more semi gloss or gloss style paint coating and the 6square had a satin/eggshell/flat type coating which probably contributed to its inability to be easily wiped off and retaining stains. Note; only the spaghetti sauce stained the 6square.

This post was edited by goodguy2k2k on Sun, Apr 14, 13 at 20:53

Check out Conestoga cabinets - at least so far they seem to have many more options. Have to find a dealer though. I found Norherngraniteandcabinetry for conestoga. There may be more. not sure about Conestoga paint though but apparently many custom cabinets makers, etc use Conestoga for parts of their cabinetry. Made is USA too.

The Home Depot brands were not impressive for what you go (particle board sides) etc and not the cheapest for the quality.

Aristokraft was pretty cheap looking (at least the line we looked at)...particle board sides and a poor paint coating and just overall finish looked builder grade when compared to the RTA i found.

if you look around, I think you can find much better. It seems some of the big brands (Thomasville, Martha Stewart, Aristokraft, Kraft Maid) spend a ton of money on catalogs and marketing and they have to cut somewhere so i think you don't end up getting the best bang for the buck.

If you are going woodgrain cabinets, 6 square is probably fine and i would recommend Cliqstudios.
but I might end up with the local RTA white cabinet (made in China) if I can find all the cabinets in their line to match my needs.

This post was edited by goodguy2k2k on Sun, Apr 14, 13 at 21:03

Goodguy, which brand is which in your picture? The sample on the left looks a lot more dull than the pure white sample I received from Cliq. I tested the spaghetti sauce after you brought it up, and I had the same experience. No way to get it off.

In my picture above, the sample door on the left is an RTA cabinet received from Cabinets-express.com (a local RTA dealer) but their website does not show the white shaker.

the cabinets express door is very bright white (i took the photo with my cell phone so may not be the best) but you can tell a very big difference in how white compared to the 6square (the door on the right with remnants of Spaghetti stain) which looks almost like an off white, linen/grey hue to it. The sheen on the 6square door is less shiny than the RTA cabinet when you see them in person. The 6square/cliq was my choice until i ran this test. I really wanted to order it and
liked their style, options, etc.

i was just thinking about it and looked at my current cabinets (woodgrain maple) which have had minor food splattered on them in the past past (i.e. cooking, a dropped plate, etc). Due to the wood color you didn't notice stains if you missed a spot when cleaning up splatters. Which got me to thinking "wouldn't it be terrible if an all white kitchen showed stains? ... what could you do other than live with it or repaint" so I did the testing and was disappointed to see the "painted white' 6square samples i received would not let go of a spaghetti stain.

Glad I did the test before I ordered them.

i am 99.99% certain that i am testing, looking at the "painted white" 6square and here is why i can say that with confidence.

Before I got my 6square sample door (and corner samples all in "painted white dayton door style") we met a local 6square dealer and he showed us the "painted white" 6square cabinet door sample. I remember immediately thinking "is that really white?...it looks flat and linen/greenish". I didn't say anything at the time but mentioned it to my wife later...she said she didn't notice.

So I ordered the door samples form Cliq and it is the exact same sheen and off white color. Hard to tell exactly unless you have a real white to compare to (I know there are tons of whites).. I am using the Home Depot Behr 'Ultra Pure White" semi gloss as a baseline for my comparisons. The off the shelf behr ultra pure white is very bright white and matches your typical "bright whites' like white appliances, etc
The 'ultra Pure White" matches exactly with color of the RTA white cabinet in my picture. I showed my wife the same samples side by side and she said "wow, I see what you mean".

So I have two unrelated confirmations that the 6square 'painted white' is an off white with a flatter sheen that might not work for a "wipeable" kitchen cabinet. for a bathroom they might be perfect but not a kitchen where food can splatter or drip.

perhaps 6square never realized this or took the time to test their painted white but it is an inferior paint grade IMO and not suitable for a kitchen.

This post was edited by goodguy2k2k on Mon, Apr 15, 13 at 10:28

Furniture board is a perfectly acceptable material for cabinet sides and backs. If you rule it out, then you are doing so based on prejudice rather than knowledge. Good quality furniture board beats bad quality plywood any day.

Ask about KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program certification. If a cabinet line has that, then it will be able to be cleaned, and also not contribute a bunch of formaldehyde to your home. That is the least that I would want from any cabinet line. You will notice that not one single Chinese line makes the list.

As part of the KCMA testing, there are 4 finish tests.

These tests create, in accelerated form, the cumulative effects of years of normal kitchen conditions of pre-finished cabinets. Cabinet finishes are inspected to ensure that stringent standards of appearance are also met.To test the ability of the finish to withstand high heat, a cabinet door is placed in a hotbox at 120 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 percent relative humidity for 24 hours. After this test the finish must show no appreciable discoloration and no evidence of blistering, checks, or other film failures.

To test the ability of the finish to withstand hot and cold cycles for prolonged periods, a cabinet door is placed in a hotbox at 120 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 percent relative humidity for one hour, removed and allowed to return to room temperature and humidity conditions, and then placed in a coldbox for one hour at -5 degrees Fahrenheit. The cycle is repeated five times. The finish must then show no appreciable discoloration and no evidence of blistering, cold checking, or other film failure.

To test the ability of the finish to withstand substances typically found in the kitchen and bath, exterior exposed surfaces of doors, front frames, drawer fronts and end panels are subjected to vinegar, lemon, orange and grape juices, tomato catsup, coffee, olive oil, and 100-proof alcohol for 24 hours and to mustard for one hour. After this test, the finish must show no appreciable discoloration, stain, or whitening that will not disperse with ordinary polishing and no indication of blistering, checks, or other film failure.

To test the ability of the finish to withstand long periods of exposure to a detergent and water solution, a cabinet door edge is subjected to exposure to a standardized detergent formula for 24 hours. The door edge must then show no delamination or swelling and no appreciable discoloration or evidence of blistering, checking, whitening, or other film failure.

I'd suggest that anyone who has a sample door ought to be able to replicate the testing that earned the certification.

Here is a link that might be useful: KCMA ESP program.

Holly springs - Great Information!

My method of testing was certainly limited and nonscientific.
Unfortunately just testing for stains doesn't say anything about the longevity of a painted surface over time.

I would also agree that a particleboard Structure is not necessarily a negative.

That being said, we recently had a dishwasher leak which ruined existing particleboard cabinet bases pretty easily. Anyone who is seen particleboard soak up any amount of water will testify to the fact that it will basically disintegrate as it becomes unstable.

The reason I say this is our insurance company insisted they could repair the particleboard cabinet even though they were flaking away at the bottoms. Needless to say we weren't too happy about that.

We were not going to reinstall granite on top of a unstable structure like that.
Any movement and the granite would probably crack.

Also, anybody that's done any woodworking knows how strong and durable plywood is. In fact, I have three-quarter inch plywood untreated unfinished left outside with my sons use to shoot hockey pucks off of and years later it's still holding up. Nonscientific by any means but I can tell you particleboard would've been crumbled to dust by this time.

Of course no kitchen will go through that much water and unless a major accident so I'm not sure that the particleboard matters that much it would probably be fine assuming you don't have an incident.

I would also add the particleboard does not take to be changed or manipulated easily. Cutting it drilling it etc., it does not hold changes very well if you ever have to for example shelf or fix something.

I am certainly no fan of products made in China and would rather buy American, that is why I am leaning toward the Conestoga cabinet
Made in Pennsylvania.

Perhaps the more important question we are forgetting is if you do have an issue, will the company purchase them from stand behind the product.

I'm going to have to try some of that hot and cold testing you mentioned though, sounds like fun.

goodguy, may I ask why Conestoga instead of Barker? I was going to look into Conestoga, but the assembly process appears to be a bit of a PITA (glue, splines, etc) vs. Barker's method of screwing the cabinet together.

Now that may well may Conestoga a better cabinet, but I'm not sure I'm for that much work mid-reno.

Great question. I know nothing about Barker. I am going to look into them.
I have not gotten that far with Conestoga. I am just saying that Conestoga has a ton if options and American made.

I am disappointed to see so many people looking at China made junk. Why would you do that? To save a few dollars at the start? It will cost you more in the long run! As someone up thread pointed out.. the finishes are inferior! They stain easily. What is worse.. your tap water will ruin them in just a couple of years.

I am a custom cabinet maker. I have an axe to grind for sure. But.. when an entire country is dumping cheap low quality products on my market I have a right to be indignant since after 30 years in this field it really isn't in the cards for me to switch careers.

Now.. if you are interested in an American made product that is very good quality and cost effective with a 25 year warranty.. then contact me! I can ship all around the country and offer superior design services.. thanks!

kdinca - I hear you and feel your frustration.
You make a good point.

That being said, most people look at all options due to budget: Custom Cabinet makers, USA made RTA like Conestoga, Big Box Store brands like Aristokraft, Kraft maid, Thomasville, etc.

Unfortunately, there are positives and negatives to each option. I am not even sure all the big box store brands are all made in USA either.

Personally, we got a quote on custom made cabinets by a local maker and it was $35K + as compared to less than $8K for an RTA version. Paint finish quality can be debated but it is not as if the USA has a corner on decent paint in the world.

I am on your side but it is also a question of a family paying (in some cases) 2X-3X the price to even start looking at custom cabinets. So in practical terms that could mean an extra $10 to $20 thousand dollars. For that price you could change out your kitchen 2X and still be ahead. That is not easy money to come by for many families. Also, cabinets are not the only cost of remodeling a kitchen: flooring, appliances, lighting, paint, electrical, plumbing, etc.

It can all add up to quite a bit of money.

I am guessing that people are looking at a couple things when considering a product made overseas:
1) Do the foreign made cabinets look that much worse (2X - 3X worse) than custom cabinets?
2) What are the chances these will fall apart and/or look like junk in a few years?

I could also go into why families are so increasingly short sighted and economically challenged due to socio-economic-political reasons but that is a whole can of worms.

But you make a great point - perhaps people should reduce the "size" of their project ambitions and focus on "quality over quantity" - they might be happier in the longrun.

But my guess is the people considering RTA cabinets are not even in your target customer base anyway and are therefore, are not taking business away from custom cabinet makers like yourself.

But I am also seeing increasing quality coming from overseas and for a craftsman like yourself, it has to be frustrating.

Tough question.

Sophie Wheeler - Aristokraft and many other American companies import part of there products from China. Especially drawer fronts. It is truly a global market at this point. I have toured their NC plant. It is 1 million square feet. They employee abiut 600 hard working Americans, But they still import some parts so they remain competitive.

Tman, why dig up a 3 year old post?

To post incorrect information? Maybe because they are chineseresellers?