Below is our assessment of the kitchen design and cabinet industry during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Presently there are several important considerations for customers to make when designing their kitchen and purchasing cabinetry from a cabinet dealer:
- Allow for extended lead times and delays when purchasing cabinetry. Ask you designer what the present lead times are for the line you plan on purchasing but allow for added time for Covid related delays.
- Take extra caution regarding the financial stability of the cabinet line and dealer you are purchasing from. Several cabinet lines have recently gone out of business and more will fall to the financial pressures of Covid. Cabinet dealers will not be far behind. Never pay more than 50% down for cabinets (except at Lowes and Home Depot where 100% advance payment is required. These home centers are safe financially IMO) Paying by credit card also gives you some added security.
- While extensive planning is always recommended when renovating a kitchen or building a new home, it is now especially important. NEVER rip out an existing kitchen or begin construction without finalized kitchen design plans and a cabinet brand selected. Since cabinet lead times are in flux you cannot know how long the kitchen design and cabinet delivery process will take until you have finalized your selections. Your contractor may need to move on from your project if the materials are not available. Getting the project started again later could add lengthy unneeded delays. Planning ahead of time will make things less expensive and the job run smoothly. The projects that finish first are NEVER the ones that rushed to start, they are the ones that are the best organized.
- Special or unusual cabinet colors or cabinet color matching is taking an unusually long time during Covid. Be prepared for this if you are very particular about color choices.
- Shipping has become an added issue for many cabinet dealers. Main Line Kitchen Design still offer’s in-home delivery for most of our cabinet brands but many dealers now only offer curbside delivery. Unloading cabinetry can require several strong people and equipment.
Below are the present lead times for the six most popular brands Main Line Kitchen Design is proud to carry:
Fabuwood (add 7 days to all lead times below)
3-4 weeks
7-8 weeks
10-12 weeks
12-14 weeks
Ask your designer for the lead times of the other brands Main Line Kitchen Design also designs with and sells.
Here is a link to the Main Line Kitchen Design process during social distancing
BE SAFE AND BE WELL during this difficult time. And as always . . .
BON APETITE!
Paul McAlary 610-500-4071
Main Line Kitchen Design
2 Replies to “Kitchen Cabinetry Update During Covid-19”
Carrie
Thank you for this, Paul. I have been reading all of your posts and taking notes. I am having a difficult time finding someone in my area despite looking thru your list. I have found that out of the dozen or so places I have called/researched, they either do not carry lines that you list as good quality or value, don’t have a kitchen designer (if they do, they don’t want to tackle reconfiguring/taking down walls/moving doors, etc to help function), just want pics of the space and my own measurements, won’t even talk to me unless my remodel has a budget of at least $60K, or finally, they have horrible reviews from customers which are lack-of-communication based (not the typical construction delay or should-have-known-beforehand-things). All of this to say, I read a comment you made about designing kitchens for people out of your service area for a higher deposit and the understanding that you are not close. Is that something you’re still doing or willing to do? I’m in Indiana if that makes a difference. Thanks!
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Carrie,
Sorry buy Indiana is too far for us. We need to be able to come to you if there are ever any problems, and you need to visit us to view and select a door style, finishes and a cabinet line.
We do respond to questions from outside our service area free of charge either on our blog via comments on the blog or by phone most Fridays between 2 and 4 pm Eastern Standard Time.