Should You Buy Kitchen Cabinets Secondhand From a Restaurant?

When homeowners set out to remodel their kitchens, they’re often shocked by the high price of the repairs. Sometimes, a full remodel can stretch into the five figure range. Furthermore, a third to a half of the cost can be the kitchen cabinets. That’s because the cabinets contain a significant amount of material, they need to be sized appropriately, and they need to be functional. That price can easily rise very quickly if you want insulated cabinets, lazy susans, pull-out compartments or other features. There is a way to keep those prices down, though; you could buy your cabinets used. Specifically, you could buy your cabinets used from a restaurant.

Why a Restaurant?

Buying cabinets from a restaurant has some advantages. For one, the cabinets you get from a commercial kitchen will likely be very resilient. They’re probably stainless steel or aluminum. They’re resistant to scratching, denting, or other kinds of damage. That’s because they’re designed for the stress of commercial activity. Furthermore, they will often be deeply discounted. Commercial kitchen cabinets are deeply discounted because they’re generally priced to sell. They’re not usually priced for the restaurant to make any kind of a profit.

Also, restaurant cabinets tend to have features that standard home cabinets do not.

Cabinet Features

Typically, restaurants have three kinds of cabinets at least. They have refrigerated cabinets, insulated cabinets, and standard cabinets. The refrigerated cabinets are basically just small refrigerators that keep food at a chilled temperature. Insulated or warming cabinets will have some kind of heating element to warm food; others might not have a heating element but will be insulated to reduce heat loss. Either one of these kinds of cabinets can be very useful for someone in their home. You’ll be able to keep food at your preferred temperature for longer.

The Look

The look of commercial cabinets is one that you either love or you hate. The look of stainless steel is very modern and industrial. If your kitchen is contemporary and new, it could look great. If your kitchen is ranch-style or classic, they might not fit the look. Others simply don’t care about the look as long as they’re functional. In many ways, functional is a look in and of itself.

All of these things are reasons why people look for commercial cabinets for their own home kitchen remodel. They’re affordable, functional, and very unique. They might be exactly what your kitchen needs.