Where to find used cabinets

First, we moved the back door over to the dining room. The small, awkward space next to the fridge was filled with a pantry cabinet I built myself! This left us with a huge gap where the fridge once stood. We desperately need more counter space, and that space was perfect for another lower cabinet. But I wanted something that was cheap enough to demo without guilt when we finally renovate the entire kitchen.

I scoured my local salvage yards for a secondhand cabinet that would fit the space. This one looked like a total piece of junk, with chipped pink Formica countertop, drawers that barely moved, and stained contact paper lining.

The size was perfect for the space, and I didn't have to make my own countertop for it. It even had a finished panel on the left side, which is exactly what we needed.

I was excited to turn this sad, damaged old kitchen cabinet into a concealed trash can cabinet. We could hide those ugly plastic bins, add an additional work surface and get two bonus drawers all in one piece! You may only need to do a few of these steps to bring your salvaged cabinets back to their former glory. But usually the cheaper they are, the worse the condition! Take a good look at each cabinet and decide what needs to be done to fix it up before installation.

Use a screwdriver to remove the hinges from the cabinet doors, and the drawer fronts from the boxes. These parts are more likely to be damaged, and it's easier to fix them when they're flat on the workbench. Someone had painted this cabinet before, and not very well. I had to sand it down to almost bare wood in some places in order to get rid of blobs of paint and thick brush strokes. A detail sander with a pointed tip can help get into the interior corners easily. You can learn more about the different types of sanding tools here.

I'm converting the cabinet doors into pull out trash can trays, so I filled the hinge and knob holes with wood filler , then sanded the surface smooth. You can do the same thing with any scratches or dents you find. Learn more about how to use wood filler and how it differs from wood putty here! There was a half shelf in the back of the cabinet that needed to be removed so the trash can would fit.

Nothing a few whacks of a mallet can't fix! Be careful with the back of the cabinet, which usually is made of thinner plywood than the rest of the box and can break easily. The old contact paper had done its job, and left the surface underneath perfectly clean! In sharp contrast with new cabinets that are clean, functioning, and expensive, used kitchen cabinets can sometimes be dirty, beaten up, and often non-functional or unattractive.

Usually, these types of used cabinets are very cheap or even free. Display cabinets are kitchen or bath cabinets that have been set up in a home center or home design showroom. When the store needs space, goes out of business, or needs to remove a discontinued line, it must remove its display cabinets. Display kitchen cabinets fall in a twilight area between new and used.

They may be beaten up, but not as beaten up as cabinets that come from working kitchens. They can be dirty but never dirtied with cooking grease and food residue. With used working kitchen cabinets, you may get a set of cabinets only.

Or homeowners might include the countertop, as it has no value to their next set of cabinets. They might include the sink and leave it attached to the kitchen countertop. When you show up to buy used working cabinets, the owner may not have removed the cabinets yet.

Discuss this detail in advance. Homeowners usually buy an entire kitchen's worth of cabinets, not just one or two. So, these displays can be full-size foot by foot kitchens and might even include non-cabinet elements such as sinks, faucets, and even lighting. With used display cabinets, you may find quality brand-name cabinets such as Kraftmaid, Merillat, Wellborn, Quality, StyleCraft, and more. Or you might find maple cabinets with soft-closes, including a farmhouse sink , copper faucet, quartz counters , and cabinet lighting, marked down to half of its original price.

Along with those accessories, you may also find breadboxes, wine racks, and spice racks. The reason for all these accessories is because they are display models: manufacturers and retailers want to show off and sell as many extras as possible. Used working kitchen cabinets are rarely in stellar shape. These cabinets have often been used for years and might be stained with cooking grease and food. The cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and sides of the cabinet boxes may be delaminating.

Spice cabinets: These kitchen cabinets are specialized to store spice containers in one convenient location. Spice cabinets are usually located close to the stove.

Paper towel drawers: Paper towel drawers include a built-in paper towel holder and space for holding extra rolls of paper towels. This design offers easy access to paper towels without consuming unnecessary space on your kitchen countertops. Pot and lid drawers: These drawers offer convenient storage of your pots and lids so that you can stay organized.

They are often positioned adjacent to your stove. Convenience features: Pullout trash cans and built-in charging stations provide a great deal of convenience.

Do kitchen cabinets require assembly? More To Explore. Cabinet Panel. Gladiator Cabinets. Ikea Wall Cabinet In Cabinets. Modern Kitchen Cabinets. Kitchen Base Cabinet In Cabinets. Sample Cabinet Doors.

Door Glass Inserts Indiana Cabinets. IKEA Cabinet. Going this route may have you looking around for longer than you planned, especially if you have a specific style or layout in mind. This could push back the time it takes to complete your remodel. On the other side, looking for secondhand kitchen cabinets can have a significant payoff in the end if you luck out and find affordable options that will look great after you touch them up.

We understand the stress that comes with remodeling a kitchen. We can help. ShelfGenie makes it easy to upgrade your cabinets, shelves, and drawers with our custom glide-out solutions. Contact us today to schedule a free, in-home design consultation and see a 3D rendering of your perfectly optimized storage space. Have you been Select your preferred method of booking below, and one of our talented ShelfGenie Designers will come to your home to create a customized design plan just for you!

Have Us Contact You. Find Locations Change location. FAQ Franchise Opportunities. Where to Look for Secondhand Kitchen Cabinets If you are in the market to buy some salvaged kitchen cabinets, you can begin the search right on your couch. What to Look for in Used Kitchen Cabinets Here is everything you need to look for to identify and buy great secondhand kitchen cabinets. Damage Most salvaged kitchen cabinets you find will have some kind of damage to them.

Stains Depending on the history of your reclaimed kitchen cabinet, heavy cleaning might be involved when you get home. Prepping Your Used Cabinets After you purchase salvaged kitchen cabinets for your home, properly prep them for the remodel by cleaning them with soap and water and painting them, if that is a part of your project.