Getting your new kitchen cabinets can be an exciting process, so have you wondered “Are Shenandoah Cabinets Good Quality?”. So lets walk through what are their strong points and weaknesses here in a brief breakdown.
You may ask yourself who is providing this information and so let me present myself as Jesse a long time professional kitchen cabinet installer with lots of experience in Shenandoah cabinets and many other brands.
Why do I still use Shenandoah cabinet today? Well the truth is that they are the most versatile and easy to access brand of kitchen cabinets across the united states because they are used by the 2 biggest home improvement stores, Home Depot & Lowes.
Are Shenandoah Cabinets any good?
The truth is that there are only 2 types of kitchen cabinets that money can buy:
- The Best Kitchen Cabinets:
You can only find the best kitchen cabinet in one place. That is a custom wood shop where everything is built by hand with phenomenal skilled wood workers and using the ultra grade quality of hard woods available on planet earth. Only available to those who are willing to pay top dollar.
- The Average Kitchen Cabinets
When it comes to average Kitchen Cabinets the fact is that they do not make the as strong how they used to in the old days even though we have superior technology, tools, and knowledge than 50 years ago, that does not mean we have better quality. Cabinet companies from today are now focused on speed and quantity.
Average to Standard Quality
The Shenandoah Cabinets have average to mid-high quality depending on which options you choose. The reason why is because every company has their strengths and weaknesses. Also every homeowner has their budget and should base their expectations upon so.
“Is it fair to say that you should never set your expectations high when purchasing products from a company you know nothing about.”
What I am trying to say is some people order a massive amount of product, example: an entire kitchen, with out first looking at the product physically and inspecting it thoroughly.
What a product says on paper is not what a product actually is because the same word has different meanings for every individual. When a kitchen cabinet states it is made up of 100% real wood, then you should ask yourself what real wood means to you and if wood chips from a playground classify as real wood.
Competitive Prices
Shenandoah kitchen cabinet have very flexible pricing compared to other big brands in the home kitchen industry. What you will pay for is a fraction of the cost of custom cabinets. So is it worth the money?
Depends on your experience of being a kitchen homeowner. I would recommend the Shenandoah cabinets to new homeowners and 1st kitchen remodel projects. Here is why.
You do now know what a kitchen is truly made up of until you participate in the making of one, this means from planning a new kitchen and watching it unfold in front of you piece by piece. After living with the results of a new kitchen you will begin to distinguish the differences and point out certain features that you love and other that you wish to improve on your now next future kitchen. It is hard to make all the right choices with out experience in this field.
Mix of Results
You will get a kitchen made up of “the good the bad and the ugly” if you are not careful with your planning and execution of your kitchen cabinet project.
It all comes downs to preparation and ordering the right materials that fit your budget and make you happy. If you are easily disappointed by small micro sized defects that you can only see with a flashlight and magnifying glass then prepare to lose your hair. Shenandoah cabinets are known for their magazine look kitchens made in lightning speed all most, but nothing manufactured at such a high and fast scale can be free of these defects. Remember you get what you pay for.
You can have a gorgeous kitchen with minor defects or issues scattered through out nobody will every know what or where they are until you point them out. But your happiness will depend on what you consider to be enough to live with. When you get your kitchen turned in please be aware that you will be living with the results of your kitchen for the a long time so take your time inspecting everything before your warranty runs out.
What are Shenandoah Cabinets made of?
What I have learned is that Shenandoah cabinets have different builder grades of kitchen cabinets depending on how much you are willing to spend.
First how are they put together to understand the structure
- Carcass (Box itself)
To start off all Shenandoah carcass cabinets are hot glued with a a very tough but brittle adhesive that dries kind of a brownish color and is stapled together only on some critical points.
- Face Frame
The Face frames are made of hard wood that are glued and stapled together with wood dowels and sometimes pocket screws. Which is then glued and stapled on to the carcass cabinet. For the larger units like the pantry cabinets and oven cabinets they are screwed on to the carcass with a sort of plastic place holder for easy removal if damaged in future.
- Doors
The Doors are made up of 3/4 inch stock hard wood and the face panels are only 1/4 inch thick. The Floating panel is the method they use to put this door together meaning the panel has some movement for the purpose of hardwood expanding and contracting due to different humidity levels of each home in distinct locations.
- Drawers
The drawer fronts are made up of hard wood and then screwed on from the back onto the drawer box which is composed of 1/2 inch thick wood which they claim to be plywood but resembles something more like a remanufactured pine wood with dove tail joints that inter lock like putting your hands together with each finger in between. With a 1/4 inch bottom board panel glued in place.
Now what material is “REALLY” being used to build these Shenandoah Cabinets
Lower Grade & Most Affordable
These cabinet carcasses are storage boxes made of several different wood materials and stock, these lower grade cabinets are claimed to be made of engineered wood according to the Shenandoah website. This means it is not real hard wood more like different version of particle board which the sides of the cabinets are only 1/2 inch thick. They also wrap this engineered wood in a vinyl that replicates the grain of natural wood. (Check out our chart to see the different qualities of wood compared next to each other)
The back of the cabinet is held by a hardwood back strip across the back about 3/4 inches thick and running across the bottom is another engineered piece of wood that helps hold the bottom of cabinet and the back panel together.
The bottom floor of cabinet is also 1/2 inch thick engineered wood with a wood grain vinyl wrapped on it for looks. This material is still very sturdy but if wet it is susceptible to swollen lumps that will weaken the structure or grow mold over time if not treated immediately.
Mid Grade & Priced Reasonably
The Mid Grade level of Shenandoah Kitchen cabinets are not that much different from the lower grade in the structure, the only thing that changes is better hardwood door designs and the hardware/ hinges that are used to keep your cabinet together and style of finish.
Higher Grade & Most Expensive
These Higher Grade Kitchen cabinets are like the Shenandoah Pro which are drastically more expensive and the side walls of these cabinets are made up of 3/4 inch plywood for extra sturdiness and tough resistance.
Why are Shenandoah Cabinets made how they are?
In case you are stunned of how these cabinets are built then its time to realize that this is the new normal for 90% of all cabinet companies out there. They are taking a lot of short cuts to save money and meet high demand.
So if Shenandoah cabinets are so called “cheaply built”, why do a lot of stores and customers still use them?
The truth of the fact is that speed is name of the game, Now more then ever people want fast results and ignore the details as long as it gets done asap. Fast manufacturing comes with the repercussion of giving up on some quality aspects.
The most appealing quality that Shenandoah cabinets provide is fast turnaround times. “10 times faster than custom built cabinets at a fraction of the price.” This does not mean mistakes will not be made either in the ware house or logistical issues are bound to happen as this company is pumping out tons of kitchens per day as they are now supplying the new construction phases in most brand new subdivisions being built down the street from you.
Are Shenandoah cabinets a good choice for you?
Short Term
If you are just flipping a house or planning to live in it short term or perhaps rent it out then this option is the best. Because you will not deal with the long term defects that may occur overtime and just enjoy the short term beauty of having the kitchen of your dreams in a matter of weeks or months.
Long Term
If you plan on being on a home long term then the choice comes down to what kind of interests do you have. If you want to create the kitchen of your dreams and not to update it ever again then is option might not be the best for you as the durability might not meet your expectations.
The Modern Home Trend
Perfect choice for you if you like to try different styles. The trend of having a modern home is here to stay and to grow as the years go by, So as new products and ideas are being developed on how to improve your lifestyle in the kitchen with new technology and better designs people will want to remodel their homes more often. Now more then ever kitchen remodels are picking up the rate at which they are being updated more frequently.
What to look out for on Shenandoah Cabinets
Some type of Shenandoah Cabinets are not the best when it comes to long term resistance, depending on what type of cabinets you choose and what finish will determine what kind of results you will get, I am not 100 % sure if they do not mention this in their sales pages or order forms but some cabinet finishes are in all reality vinyl wrapped cabinets.
What is a vinyl wrapped cabinet?
It is cabinet that instead of painted or stained finish you get a cabinet professionally wrapped in a thin colored plastic layer all around the cabinet and all around the trim for the cabinet. This really is a low budget solution but some homeowner do not mind as long as the outside looks amazing.
Stain Issues in some cases
Some of the stain may be a little inconsistent so look our especially for the dark or colored stains. Sometimes it takes more coats on a same type of wood because every piece is different and it could have been more dry or humid at a certain point in its life.
The painted dark colors
The dark colors look beautiful but are really fragile compared to their selection of lighter colors. With the contrast of light or neutral colored countertops, backsplashes, or choice of coloring. However the trade off of having these dark colored cabinets is that it has multiple coats of that dark color and it only takes one good scratch and the paint comes off in some cases. You will have to be extra careful with these cabinets or perhaps if possible I would recommend hiring a professional contractor to a few more coats of clear sealant to reduce the chance of deep surface damage, just an idea if you really love your cabinets.
Logistic minor damage
The shipping of large heavy items is an issue worldwide so that problem does not stop at the logistical options for kitchen cabinets. It is good to have a good warranty and insurance for both the cabinet manufacture and cabinet transportation companies. It is normal for 1 out of 10 cabinets to have maybe one or 2 areas of damage on the surface but no worries its mostly always something minor or cosmetic that can easily be put back to its original new form with a little bit of the Touch Up Kit and a little creativity.
Where are Shenandoah Cabinet made?
Shenandoah cabinet are owned by American Wood mark and manufactured across the united states, They have about over 17 manufacturing facilities and 8 Service Centers not including the independent Shenandoah Cabinet Facilities.
Here is list of some the addresses and locations across the United States
- W Saner Ave, Dallas, TX 75233
- 7677 KY-90, Monticello, KY 42633
- 101 Woodmark Way, Chavies, KY 41727
- 175 Langley Dr a4, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
- 1017 GA-42, Jackson, GA 30233
- 398 Woodmark Dr, Eastanollee, GA 30538
- 5029 W Rio Vista Ave, Tampa, FL 33634
- 838 Lincoln County Pkwy, Lincolnton, NC 28092
- 281 Kentucky Rd, Orange, VA 22960
- 587 Robert C. Byrd Industrial Park Rd, Moorefield, WV 26836
- 17600 Barton Park Dr, Cumberland, MD 21502
- 561 Shady Elm Rd, Winchester, VA 22602
- 430 Jack Enders Blvd, Berryville, VA 22611
(This is just part of the list there are many more locations and growing)
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for honest advice I would say that Shenandoah Cabinets are way better than many other cabinet companies speaking about quality and reassurance that you at least have the peace of mind that if anything goes wrong they will help you sort out any issue as long as you are professional with them and understand that they are a huge corporate company with a lot of daily requests and as long as you are patient and can oversee the little details and focus on the main picture you will love them.
They are by far not the best cabinets in the world because if you are looking for high end quality cabinets that are built like tanks and completely flawless then you will have to wait a long time for them and pay the premium. Not only that but finding the right talent to make those custom cabinets and hiring the right contractor to install them can be difficult but totally possible. You only have one shot at installing your cabinets and we hope you make the right choice by working with us or with a competitor with the same skill set or greater.
