KraftMaid vs Fabuwood: Construction, Real Prices and Warranty

For most kitchens, Fabuwood is a better buy than KraftMaid. On the cabinets we can compare directly, Fabuwood costs about 25% to 40% less, ships assembled in 2 to 4 weeks, and includes a plywood box as standard on its Allure and Ovela lines, where plywood is an upgrade on core KraftMaid. KraftMaid is a well-made cabinet with real strengths, and we point them out below. A quick disclosure: Direct Cabinet Deals is an authorized online dealer for Fabuwood, Jarlin, Kitchen Cabinet Distributors (KCD), CNC Cabinetry and Eurocraft. We do not sell KraftMaid, so every KraftMaid fact on this page links to KraftMaid's own website or a live Home Depot or Lowe's listing, checked October 2, 2026.

Quick Answer

Choose Fabuwood if you want a plywood box and a lifetime warranty at a price you can see before you talk to anyone. Choose KraftMaid if you want to design in person at The Home Depot, Lowe's or a local showroom, or if a transferable warranty matters to you, which only the KraftMaid Reserve line offers. For a shopper comfortable ordering online, Fabuwood gives you more cabinet for the money.

KraftMaid vs Fabuwood at a Glance

Sources: KraftMaid FAQ, KraftMaid construction, KraftMaid warranty, Fabuwood warranty and the Fabuwood Allure spec book.

The KraftMaid Lines, Explained

"KraftMaid" covers several lines with different construction and warranties, which is why online comparisons often disagree. Here is how KraftMaid describes them:

• KraftMaid (core line). Sold at The Home Depot, Lowe's and independent dealers. KraftMaid's FAQ says cabinet cases are "MDF hardwood panels or veneered plywood," with plywood "available as an upgrade."
• KraftMaid Vantage. Independent dealers only. The same styles and warranty as the core line, with plywood included as standard.
• KraftMaid Simplicity (The Home Depot) and Momentum (Lowe's). A smaller set of popular door styles with a 25-year limited warranty on the cabinets. A few of these cabinets are now sold online with an all-plywood box, in a short list of colors.
• KraftMaid Reserve. The Home Depot only, all plywood, and the one KraftMaid line with a warranty that can transfer once to a new homeowner.

Construction: Where Each Brand Wins

Cabinet box

This is the clearest difference. Every Fabuwood Allure cabinet is built on a veneered plywood box with a natural finished interior, and Fabuwood Ovela is all plywood as well. On the core KraftMaid line, plywood is an upgrade added to the quote. Plywood holds screws well and stands up to the moisture of a sink base, which is why it is the box most buyers ask for.

Drawers and hardware

Both brands build solid wood dovetail drawer boxes, and KraftMaid's sides are a little thicker at 3/4". Both use Blum soft-close hinges and full extension soft-close glides as standard, so hardware is even. You get the same brand of hinge and glide either way.

Assembly

Every Fabuwood cabinet ships fully assembled from the factory, so there is nothing to build when the order arrives. KraftMaid cabinets also arrive assembled.

Same Cabinet, Two Prices

Core KraftMaid is priced by quote, but a few KraftMaid Simplicity cabinets now have a public price at The Home Depot. That gives us a like-for-like comparison: the same size cabinet, in a white shaker door, assembled, on a plywood box.

Prices checked October 2, 2026, before delivery and sales tax. Home Depot prices can change with promotions. A comparable KraftMaid Momentum 30" base at Lowe's was $869.00 the same day.

On these two cabinets, Fabuwood Allure Galaxy comes in about 40% below KraftMaid, and the Allure Luna door still saves about a quarter. Across a full kitchen, that difference adds up to real money for countertops or appliances.

What a 10x10 Kitchen Costs

A 10x10 kitchen is the industry's standard yardstick: ten base and wall cabinets for a typical L-shaped room. KraftMaid does not publish a 10x10 price, and the figures you see online come from third parties. Here are our current Fabuwood 10x10 prices, all ten cabinets, factory assembled:

Our prices as of October 2, 2026. Every finish and its 10x10 price is on our 10x10 kitchens page.

Fabuwood cabinet orders of $1,499 or more ship free by freight carrier with curbside delivery, so the price above is close to what you pay before tax.

Lead Times

Most Fabuwood orders arrive in 2 to 4 weeks, and many arrive sooner. Fabuwood Designer Collection finishes, such as every Illume Tuscany and Ovela Tuscany finish and the Allure Designer Colors like Macadamia Beige and Sage Green, are made to order and take 4 to 6 weeks. KraftMaid's FAQ puts core KraftMaid at about four to six weeks to build, plus about a week for delivery. KraftMaid's online Simplicity and Momentum cabinets ship in days, in a few door styles and colors.

Warranty

Fabuwood and core KraftMaid both carry a limited lifetime warranty for the original purchaser, and neither transfers to a new owner. The KraftMaid Simplicity and Momentum lines carry a 25-year limited warranty on the cabinets, with lifetime coverage on hinges and glides. KraftMaid Reserve is the exception, with a warranty that can transfer once. When you buy Fabuwood from us, our support team handles shipping-damage claims, replacement parts and warranty claims for you.

Where KraftMaid Fits

KraftMaid has built cabinets in Ohio since 1969 and is a dependable choice. It suits buyers who want to sit with a designer at The Home Depot, Lowe's or a local showroom, and buyers who plan to sell soon and want the transferable warranty on KraftMaid Reserve. If neither applies to you, Fabuwood gives you the plywood box, the same Blum hardware and a lifetime warranty for less.

Why Fabuwood Wins for Most Buyers

• Plywood box as standard on Allure and Ovela, where core KraftMaid charges for it.
• About 25% to 40% less on the cabinets we can compare directly, with the price posted online.
• 2 to 4 weeks for most finishes, assembled.
• The widest choice we carry, from Quest through Allure to frameless Ovela and Illume, plus Fabuwood's modification program.
• A lifetime warranty, longer than the 25 years on KraftMaid's Simplicity and Momentum lines.

For more on build quality, read are Fabuwood cabinets good quality, or see every price in the Fabuwood price list.

KraftMaid vs Fabuwood FAQ