why are cabinets so expensive?

People pay $60k for kitchen cabinets, why? What makes these cabinets worth so much? The doors look nice, but cabinet doors are relatively cheap from what I've seen. What makes certain kitchen cabinets worth so much money?

Public Comments

1. Cabinets are one of those things where you get what you pay for. A set of cheap kitchen cabinets will be made with inexpensive wood in exposed areas, if they have any real wood at all, while an expensive set will have high-grade wood that costs far more. Cheap cabinet carcasses might be put together with ikea-like fasteners, while expensive cabinets will have tight fitting joints that keep them solid for centuries. Basically it boils down to this, if you want something that has high-quality materials and workmanship, you will have to pay dearly for it.
2. standard cabinets will cost much less than that, but will not have the decoration, height, and stability that you may want. taller people may pay more to get a few inches added to the height of the cabinet, or you may choose a very expensive but much better countertop - my coutnertop is high-end so that I don't veen need cutting boards because knives won't mark it at all. you pay that much for the materials and how personal you want the cabinets, especially if you have a carpenter make them special-order.
3. There are several differences in high end cabinets and low end cabinets. There is a difference in the hardware, drawer glides on a low end cabinet are usually $5-8, high end may be $30-50 or more. Hinges are a similar story. Construction of the box is different. Low end cabinets are usually particle board with a vinyl covering similar to contact paper, higher end may be plywood or furniture board with wood veneer. Some cheap cabinets use plastic laminated doors, more expensive are real wood. The amount of detail in the doors also varies. Cheap cabinets are usually simple patterns that are formed on a shaper, expensive ones may require a good deal of detail on more expensive machinery or even be hand detailed. Finishes are different. Cheap cabinets are machine finished, usually in 2 - 4 coats. More expensive cabinets will certainly have more coats, usually at least 4 and some up to 12 depending upon the color and accents that are added. Some of these must be applied by hand. Production is another issue. Less expensive cabinets are usually mass produced and available in a limited number of styles, colors and sizes. These will typically be produced several cabinets of one style, one size and one color at time then stored until someone orders them. Expensive cabinets are produced as they are ordered, the entire lot of cabinets is produced at the same time. Custom sizes are often available.