Choosing Cabinets--Bertch vs Diamond--want quality!

karin_2015

15 years ago

In the process of updating a 1969 kitchen. Need help picking out cabinets (PLEASE!!). First, we have some functionally solid but very ugly, dirty (house was smoked in for 40 years prior to us purchasing it!) cabinets in the kitchen which I have painted white but they still look B-A-D. Want to find cabinets that will NOT fall apart and last a long time (like 20 years). I can't afford to spend more than $10,000 on the cabinets (AT MOST!)

-I read that quality/sturdy cabinets have sides of 1/2"-3/4" plywood (not engineered wood; particle board or furniture quality board), but actual wood (or plywood.) I read reviews of people buying cabinets at Lowes' or HD and them falling apart (becoming unglued/stain goes bad, etc) after only a few years. I want something that wont fall apart!

I see most brands out there have upgrades to all plywood boxes/dovetail drawers, etc.

Has anyone purchased cabinets from Diamond or Bertch? I need about 11 cabinets and 7 drawers for an L shaped kitchen. (about 21 linear feet of counter top total)...not THAT big of a kitchen.

I looked at prior posts here that "ranked" the kitchen cabinet companies but wanted to know about Bertch/Diamond and possibly Aristokraft, specifically.

Thank you so much for your help!

Bottom line is we dont want to put any money into cabinets that won't hold up. If the ones we have now are functional but ugly; I'd rather keep those than downgrade to bad quality yet beautiful.

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Comments (4)

twogirlsbigtrouble
15 years ago
We are considering Bertch too, so Im anxious to read your responses. I think the Bertch sides are plywood.
danielle00
15 years ago
my mom just got a bertch kitchen and it looks great. she went with their non-custom line (I can't remember what it is called). She has all-plywood construction, full-extension drawers, a large lazy susan in the corner cab and some other nice features.
mariofo
15 years ago
Hi, I just had my Diamond maple palomino glazed cabinets installed this past month. They are just getting finished up with them now. I love the color as well as the quality of the cabinets. I also did a cherry with a chocolate glaze that is very nice as well.

My only complaint on them is that my fridge panels don't match up with the cabinets. They were ordered at a different time and I believe that is the reason they don't match. This is my KD's fault and a Diamond rep is coming over in the morning to look at the difference in the cabinets color. The fridge is many shades lighter.
There were many options on the inside set up of there cabinets and I am very happy with what I chose. I hope this helps you. Mariofo~~~
caryscott
15 years ago
Attached link outlines the basics on cabinet construction.
If you think plywood equals durable quality construction you have been mislead. If quality of the final cabinets is a primary concern then you need to invest an equal amount of concern in how the cabinet is constructed (types of joints and fasteners) and how good quality control is through the manufacturing process. Plywood is terrific but it won't make any difference to the durability of your cabinet if it is constructed poorly.

Most manufacturers offer plywood upgrades. Like a lot of MasterBrand face frame product Diamond uses 3\8 plywood (if you upgrade) and appears to offer only 3\8 furniture board backs even with plywood sides. Like most manufactures the guarantee is the same whether you upgrade to plywood or not.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinetry 101