I'm about to replace our homes old cabinets that do not appear in a condition worth repairing. I've been trying to make a decision between a few options and hope a couple people here may have done one or more of these options in order to compare with.

Price is certainly a major consideration, which is why the unfinished cabinets from Mernards, Lowes, or Home Depot seem somewhat enticing. I've seen a couple videos of some DIYers purchasing those and doing a pretty impressive painting process on them that makes them look about as good as any RTA cabinet. For my project, the cost of the unfinished cabinets is just under $2k where the same setup in the most reasonable RTA order I could find is almost $6k. I understand they're better cabinets, but are they 3x better?

I've also tossed around the idea of building them myself, but even then it seems like I might break even on the cost of wood for unfinished cabinets without counting all the hardware and tools necessary to make it happen.

My main concern with going ahead with the big box cabinets is simply the durability. I can accept a cabinet that looks a little less sharp, especially if I can do a great paint job, but am afraid of them beginning to fall apart after 6 months if a better cabinet will hold together better for years. In terms of build quality, can anyone speak to how they compare? Material thicknesses, joinery, etc? Has anyone compared the differences between the big stores specifically? Would love any insight you all might have.

Thanks!

I’m debating between:

-RTA made in the USA maple cabinets from Cabinet Joint. Exact fit in our space. About 10k unfinished or 14k painted

versus

-Regular RTA cabinets, plywood and sourced in China, from Cabinet Kings. Stock cabinets so need a few spacers to fill our space. About 9k finished with Sherwin Williams paint.

How hard is it to paint cabinets and get a factory like finish? I’m leaning option 1 — better quality and painting ourselves. My wife sees value in cheaper and already painted — option 2. Thoughts?