New Cabinet Spec Worksheet

15 years ago

Hello, I got some great addtions to the cabinet spec worksheet from Californiagirl so I added them. There were already 32 downloads of the new sheet so I thought I would send out a new spreadsheet alert.

Please feel free to let me know of additions or edits you think I should make. I'd be glad to keep improving the spreadsheet. Also if you want to have me add what you found out about various companies I can do that too. I'll add the links to the original discussions in the next 2 postings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Cabinet SpecWorksheet

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Comments (3)

bethv
Original Author
15 years ago
Here's the link to the thread requesting the spreadsheet. It also has a link to the very first mention of the spreadsheet.

Explanation of the spreadsheet: In order to evaluate the quality of different cabinet lines, I created a spreadsheet showing different cabinet evaluation points and filled in each cabinet line from the manufacturer's spec information.

I created a 4Share account and uploaded the spreadsheet. You just go to the link below to get the latest version.

Below are the ORIGINAL evaluation points (w/out new additions in later versions)..the next column would be the best attribute.. then the next column after that the next best and finally unacceptable. As I read about a cabinet line I would fill in the info and then color code the box according to whether it was best, next best, or unacceptable.
I pulled the attributes from Consumer Reports and some books I have.

Shelves
Cabinet Box
Back
Wood Doors
Wood Drawer Fronts
Hinges
Drawers:
Depth
Drawer Box
Dovetail Drawers
Full-Extension Drawers
Soft Close
Drawer Glides
Warranty
Finish
KCMA seal
Hanging rails/Mounting strips
Pullout drawers
Have types & Sizes needed?
Notes

Here's the ORIGINAL evaluation points & attributes (w/out new additions in later versions)- Best=B, Next Best=NB, Unacceptable=UA. Not every point has all an Unacceptable or Next Best

Shelves
B: Adjustable 3/4 plywood
NB: 5/8"

Cabinet Box
B: Corner gussets, I-beams, 3/4-1/2" face frame,furntiure-grade plywood less likely to warp than solid wood
NB: 3/8" plywood
UA: Particleboard, avoid laminate over particleboard

Wood Doors
B: Mortised corners, solid wood frame with solid wood panel
NB: butt joints, veneer over plywood

Wood Drawer Fronts
B: 3/4" hardwood or metal w/bolt holes
NB: 1/2" particleboard
UA: MDF, particleboard, Hinges
B: Cup, adjustable

Drawer Attributes

Depth
B: Full

Drawer Box
B: Wood or plywood, 3/4" sides (2 cm), plywood bottom sitting in grooves
NB: MDF med density fiberboard, 1/2" sides (1.2 cm), metal sides, stapled bottom back
UA: Particleboard

Dovetail Drawers
B: yes

Full-Extension Drawers
B: yes

Soft Close
B: yes

Drawer Glides
B: Steel, Epoxy Coated, Ball Bearings, Bottom Mount, rated to hold 75 lbs
NB: Nylon Rollers, Side Mount

Warranty
B: Lifetime

Finish
B: Conversion varnish, catalyzed

KCMA seal
B: yes

Hanging rails/Mounting strips
*don't have criteria here

Pullout drawers
B: Wood or plywood, 3/4" sides (2 cm), plywood bottom sitting in grooves
NB: MDF med density fiberboard, 1/2" sides (1.2 cm), metal sides, stapled bottom back

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread requesting cabinet spreasheet
californiagirl
15 years ago
Beth -- Thank you so much. It just gets better! I haven't reconfigured my own sheet to reflect your superior organization (love the color system!) but I will and then I will get an account and load my file notes because I have so many different cab lines.

I'm also still trying to figure out how to list the sources and contact info for the sources because once you figure out which lines you are most interested in then you may want to get several bids on the same cabinets. That's another thing I've learned here at GW. The prices on the same cabinets vary a great deal based on the retailer's mark-up and manufacturer incentives. So if anybody has a good suggestion for how to organize that, please let us know.

We also don't have a way to include a list of all the wood choices (sometimes people are looking for pine or hickory, something unusual) and the color and stain choices.

If we can get people to use the template, offer suggestions, and post their worksheets then maybe the collected research of this forum can truly be harnessed. It's always been one of the great frustrations of the way this forum is organized that we can't do that. And cabinets are one of the most expensive parts of a kitchen. Starpooh has done such a superb job organizing the FKB that we all use so much. I hope we are feeling our way toward something similarly useful for the cabinets. Btw, this system is also really helpful for people hiring a custom cabinet maker because it makes clear what the quality points are.
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bethv
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for your great input! Do you want to merge our two speadsheets? YOu could e-mail me your and I could give it a shot.

I've been thinking that GW could really benefit from a Resource/Information Hub - a place for collected facts like the cabinet specs, and pictures of different granites and marbles, under-cabinet lighting choices, checklists,etc. It seems like we could use the 4Share system to keep documents like this one. If we organize pictures into albums we could use an account on photobucket. Then we just have to keep the thread alive that has the links!

As far as our spec spreadsheet we can expand it to include a worksheet for contact info and bid requests and results. We aslo might want to separate the spec from the color choices and options/features colors. I'll think about how that could flow so it's really easy to use. Also it needs more cabinet lines added! I could try to add one a week, and if everyone could send back what they have or what they gather from now on, it would be GREAT!!

I also might be able to create a way for the user to see only the cabinet lines that would work for them. We'd need a lot more cabinet lines in the sheet - and wouldn't be able to do that until the fall - so maybe that's our aspiration.

New Cabinet Spec Worksheet

Comments (3)

bethv
Original Author

californiagirl

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New Cabinet Spec Worksheet

Comments (3)

bethvOriginal Author

californiagirl

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bethvOriginal Author

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bethv
Original Author

bethv
Original Author