Finding the best cabinet makers in Edmonton is less about photos and more about licences, specs, payment terms and service. Here are the red flags and the questions to ask any company, including us.
Search for the best cabinet makers in Edmonton and you get pages of companies with similar photos and similar promises. Photos show what a company can do on a good day. What you need to know is how they behave when a dimension is wrong, a delivery is late, or a hinge fails two years later. These are the red flags we would watch for, and the questions to ask any cabinet company in Edmonton, whether you are comparing large kitchen cabinet companies in Edmonton or small custom cabinet makers in Edmonton, including us.
Red flags and what good looks like
| Red flag | Why it matters | What a good sign looks like |
|---|---|---|
| No business licence or insurance details | You have no recourse if something goes wrong in your home | City of Edmonton business licence number, CGL insurance and WCB coverage, shown on request |
| Large deposit with no schedule | Your money is exposed before anything is built | A clear payment schedule tied to stages in a written agreement |
| Price without a measure | The quote will change, usually upwards | A range up front, a fixed price after an on-site measure |
| Vague specs ("quality boxes") | You cannot compare quotes | Board brand and thickness, hardware brand, door material written down |
| Only render images, no real projects | Hard to judge build quality | Photos of their own completed work, real samples to see |
| Photos of other companies' work | A sign of honesty problems | Projects they can explain in detail |
| "We do everything" with no licensed trades | Plumbing, electrical and gas need licensed people | Clear about what they do and which licensed trades they coordinate |
| Warranty only "lifetime" with no detail | Usually means very little | Written terms: what, how long, what is excluded |
| Pressure to sign today | Good shops are busy enough not to push | Time to review drawings and ask questions |
| No one answers after the sale | Service problems will be worse | One contact person and a stated reply time |
Questions to ask before you sign
Who will I deal with?
Ask who measures, who designs, who builds and who installs. Many companies sell and design in-house and subcontract the rest. That is not automatically bad, but you should know. A company that builds and installs with its own people controls the result better.
Where are the cabinets made?
Ask directly who builds the boxes and where. A company that makes its own cabinets will happily explain how. Ask what panels they use (Egger, Uniboard and similar brands publish their specs), and what hardware (Blum, for example, publishes its warranty terms).
What exactly is included?
Installation, end panels, fillers, toe kicks, crown, light rail, hardware, countertops, removal of old cabinets, appliance installation. Two quotes can differ by thousands of dollars only because one includes panels and installation and the other does not.
What is the payment schedule?
Avoid paying most of the price before production. A common structure is a deposit to start, a payment at a production or delivery milestone, and the balance on completion. Alberta has licensing rules for businesses that take payment before finishing work at a customer's home; it is reasonable to ask a company whether it holds the provincial licence that applies and to check with the Government of Alberta. Read the cancellation terms too.
What does the warranty cover?
Ask for it in writing and read the exclusions. Boxes, countertops, hardware and installation often have different periods.
Can I see real projects and talk to past clients?
Reviews on several platforms over a few years are more useful than a page of testimonials on the company's own site. Ask what went wrong on a past project and how they fixed it. Every honest company has an answer.
Signs of a careful company
- They measure everything and ask about appliances, plumbing and outlets before drawing.
- They tell you what they do not do. For example, we do not do plumbing, electrical, gas or drywall, and we say so before you sign.
- They talk about trade-offs. If every option is "the best", nobody is being honest.
- They give price ranges early and explain what moves the price.
- Their drawings are detailed. Dimensions, elevations and a materials list, not just a pretty 3D view.
- They stay in touch. A reply within one business day is a reasonable expectation.
How we answer these questions
We think it is fair to answer our own list:
- Licence and insurance: City of Edmonton business licence 9919234, CGL insurance of $2,000,000, WCB coverage. Details on our licences and insurance page.
- Team: owner Andrii Polianko has 15+ years installing kitchens in Ukraine and Europe and has run his own company since 2015; Boreal has worked in Edmonton since August 2022. Our team of 4 to 5 includes a manager, a designer and makers. More on about us.
- Production: our own CNC and edge-banding machines; Egger, Uniboard and Fenix NTM panels; Blum, Richelieu and AGT hardware.
- Payments: 30% / 40% / 30% at stages in the agreement. The measure is paid and credited to your order. See how our process works.
- Warranty: cabinet boxes 5 years, countertops 5 years, Blum hardware 10 years, installation 2 years. See our warranty.
- Prices: ranges published on our pricing page, fixed after the measure.
After the contract: how to protect yourself
- Keep everything in writing. Changes, extra items and new dates go in an email or a signed change order, not a phone call.
- Check the drawings before production. Measure your appliance spaces against the drawing yourself.
- Inspect on delivery. Look for damaged panels before the installer leaves.
- Make a list at the end. Small adjustments are normal. Write them down and agree on a date to fix them.
- Register your appliances and keep the warranty papers in one folder with the cabinet agreement.
Comparing quotes fairly
Put the quotes side by side in one table: box material and thickness, door material, hardware brand, number of drawers, panels, crown, countertops, installation, warranty periods, payment schedule and timeline. The cheapest line is often the one with the most things missing. If you are deciding between types of cabinets too, read custom vs semi-custom vs stock cabinets.
Choosing among kitchen cabinet makers in Edmonton is mostly about trust. The right company will make it easy to check everything above.
Choosing a cabinet company
01How do I find the best cabinet makers in Edmonton?+
Check the business licence, insurance and WCB coverage, see real samples and finished work, ask for detailed written specs and a payment schedule, and look at reviews on more than one platform over several years.
02How much deposit should a cabinet maker ask for?+
Avoid paying most of the price before production. A deposit to start, a payment at a production or delivery milestone and the balance on completion is common. Ours is 30% / 40% / 30%.
03What should a cabinet contract include?+
Drawings with dimensions, box and door materials, hardware brand, what is included and excluded, the payment schedule, the timeline, warranty terms and cancellation terms.
Get your free quote
Pick whichever is easier. Both are free, and we reply within one business day.
Ask us the hard questions
Book a visit by appointment. We will show you samples, explain how we build and answer every question on this list.