Q: We were given some solid oak kitchen cabinets and drawers. Two eye level cabinet doors are larger than the free doors given to us. We have taken them to four local cabinet makers who have said that they are custom built, and to make the doors we need to complete the cabinets they would have to buy one or two $200.00 routers. They say if they don't perfectly match, it will be very noticeable.
A: I'm afraid that if you have taken them to four different
places and gotten the same answer all four times, that probably
is the answer. I suppose you could keep trying to find a shop
that already owns the proper routers, but sometimes things simply
cost a certain amount and nothing can make them cheaper. If you
were given the beautiful custom made solid oak cabinets for free,
having a few doors made to match still sounds like quite a bargain
overall!
Since door styles change constantly, it is not worth a cabinet shop's effort to change their machines just to cut five doors, which is why they are so expensive. You can get brand new cabinet doors (made of red oak for about $30 to $40 each where I live). So I recommend that you either live with five doors that do not match exactly, spend the money to get the five doors made up, or get all new doors that match. You will have to do your homework and compare costs, time, effort, and appearance to decide which way to go.
To find cabinet makers in your area, visit Service Magic, type "Cabinets" into the search box and a list of choices will come up. In your service request explain that you need to have custom doors made to match your existing cabinets. This will give you a good shot at finding the appropriate people in your area (if there are any) to do this job for you.
-- Tips courtesy of Service Magic
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