Appreciation post for my neighbor Frank who talked me out of buying $200 cabinet doors

Frank saw me measuring my kitchen cabinets last spring and just started laughing. He said those ready made doors from the big box stores never fit right and I'd be filling gaps with caulk forever. Instead he walked me over to his garage and showed me how he made his own doors from oak plywood for like $15 each. The trick is using a simple router jig he built from scrap wood in about 20 minutes. I followed his plan and my cabinets actually look better than the expensive ones I was gonna buy. Has anyone else had a neighbor or friend save them from a bad home upgrade purchase?

3 comments

3 Comments

paige87021d agoMost Upvoted

Read somewhere that custom woodworking classes are booming cause people are tired of overpriced junk.

stellafisher21d ago

And it's funny how we've all been trained to think the expensive store bought option is the only way to go. There's so much knowledge sitting right next door if people just asked for help once in a while. That guy saved you cash and gave you a skill to pass along, that's a pretty good trade in my book.

the_luna3d ago

Honestly I used to roll my eyes at people talking about making their own stuff. Figured if I could just throw money at the problem it would be better. Then I tried to install some pre-made cabinet doors myself and man it was a disaster, gaps everywhere, crooked hinges, the whole mess. @paige870 you're right about classes being popular now because people are catching on that good craftsmanship actually matters. My neighbor showed me how to fix my doors with a simple hand plane and some patience, stuff you can learn from youtube and a couple tries. Changed my whole view on what's actually worth spending money on.