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5 Hidden Costs of Buying Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets

Upgrading your kitchen with new cabinetry can be thrilling, but also stressful for your wallet. Unfinished cabinets seem like an easy way to save money over prefinished options. But hidden costs can quickly consume those expected savings if you aren't careful.

Before taking the unfinished cabinet route for your kitchen remodel, be aware of these 5 hidden costs that could sabotage your budget.

What Are Unfinished Cabinets?

Unfinished cabinets come directly from the manufacturer without final finishing steps like staining, sealing, or painting. This keeps production costs lower, so companies can offer unfinished cabinets for 20-30% less than pre-finished.

buying unfinished kitchen cabinets

The tradeoff is that you take responsibility for assembly, installation, and applying protective finishes yourself. This requires more work, but allows customization in your choice of stain, paint or other finishes.

Hidden Cost #1 - Finishing Labor

Don't underestimate the time and effort needed to properly finish rough wood cabinets. Staining and sealing provides moisture protection and makes the wood look its best. Most homeowners lack the skills to professionally finish cabinets and must hire a contractor.

Finishing labor can cost $50-70 per hour. Even with a relatively small kitchen, you may need 15-20 hours of finishing time accounting for sanding, staining, sealing and more. That's $750-$1400 extra just for finishing - wiping out much of your upfront savings.

Tips for Minimizing Finishing Costs

Hidden Cost #2 - Complex Assembly

Assembling cabinets is more complex than typical ready-to-assemble furniture you put together at home. Unfinished cabinets often come as bare bones frames with separate doors, drawers, and hardware. Instructions can be unclear, forcing trial and error.

Proper cabinet construction requires carpentry skills many homeowners lack. Hiring a contractor for assembly can cost $70-$100 per hour and eat up days depending on project scope. Alternatively, you may end up with shoddily built cabinets if you botch the assembly.

How to Handle Assembly

Hidden Cost #3 - Customization Limitations

A major appeal of unfinished cabinets is customizing finishes. But you're still limited to standard cabinet sizes and layouts. Unfinished cabinets won't magically fit your kitchen design perfectly. Odd spaces may require extra filler panels or trim pieces - another expense.

Fully custom cabinets built precisely for your layout avoid these issues but cost much more. With unfinished cabinets, you get some of the drawbacks of custom with less flexibility. Carefully measure to minimize surprises.

Maximizing Custom Looks Within Limitations

Hidden Cost #4 - Higher Risk of Damage

Without factory applied finish protection, rough wood cabinets are vulnerable to nicks, scratches, and moisture damage during shipping, assembly, and installation. Some defects may even slip through quality control before sale.

Since most unfinished cabinet sellers don't provide warranties, you have no recourse for damaged or defective product. Eating the cost of replacements can ruin your budget - especially if issues arise post-installation.

How to Minimize Damage Pitfalls

Hidden Cost #5 - Inadequate Storage

It's hard to visualize exactly how unfinished cabinets will fit your space until after installation and finishing. Despite meticulous measuring, you may end up with inadequate storage space or uncomfortable workflow in the final layout.

Once cabinets are built in, adjusting the layout is extremely difficult and expensive. Having to tear out and replace cabinets blows budgets. Insufficient storage also hurts resale value if you eventually move.

Tips for Maximizing Storage

With smart planning, unfinished cabinets can still deliver beautiful, affordable kitchen upgrades. But underestimating the hidden costs can spell disaster for your budget and satisfaction. Keep these potential pitfalls in mind, inspect cabinets meticulously, and don't skimp on professional help to finish and assemble properly.

Approach unfinished cabinets as an investment requiring due diligence, not just a quick bargain. Planning ahead and making small investments upfront will pay dividends for your dream kitchen in the long run.