Customer Reviews for Hampton Bay 24 in. 3-Door Wall Cabinet in Espresso

I cannot count the number of 'flat pack' furniture items that I have assembled over the year but only a few have had instructions this clear and have been as well packed, and all those have been much more expensive. The packaging obviously had some very harsh treatment yet protected the contents perfectly. All parts were labelled clearly. Assembly was straightforward, though I did deviate from the instructions because I had to do the installation single handedly, so I hung the cabinet frame on the wall before installing the shelves and doors. The whole cabinet weighs about 70 lbs so it really needs 3 people to install. Without the doors and shelves the weight was within my capacity to lift, but still to heavy for me to hold with one hand while driving screw with the other. First I located the studs and drove a 16d nail into the middle stud letting the nail stick out an inch and cut off the head with a hacksaw. Then I drilled a hole in the cabinet header slightly bigger than the nail's diameter. I hung the cabinet on the nail and pressed the cabinet against the wall where it stayed pu. After the cabinet was leveled, I secured the cabinet with a 3" screw just below the nail. Five more screws through the headers into studs finished the job and then the nail was driven in flush with the header. When hanging the doors it is important to follow the instructions carefully because the hinges come in two types and must be placed correctly for the doors to close flush. The cabinet seems to be made from MDF clad with laminate on the visible parts. As a man I was not quite sure the color 'Espresso' was, but to my eyes it seems to be black, which is a color that I like and can understand.. Unfortunately the plugs that cover exposed holes were what I would call 'dark red', and I am sure they would disturb a female eye, but for my shop where the cabinet is used the mismatch does not bother me. After a few weeks use I have a few marks on the cabinet already, so this cabinet is not as durable as high end kitchen cabinets, but the cabinets is still better than most 'contractor grade' cabinets that I have dealt with.

I have another cabinet in a different size from the same manufacturer. The finish on this one is much better than the other one was. These were for my workshop in my basement. Assembly is pretty straight forward and simple, but the directions can be confusing, so look closely and think over what you need to do. In my case, I wanted the single-doored side on the opposite side from what they intended, so I needed to modify the hinge mounting holes. The instructions don't really explain this, with their "A, B, C" parts designations, but the top/bottom piece that has the stickers on it is supposed to the the bottom. The one flaw that both of my cabinets was that the hinges they supply are rather cheap, and difficult to adjust so that the doors hang flush and double doors line up without a gap. On this cabinet, I had the hinges adjusted as far as they would go, and there was still an unsightly gap between the double doors. Also, the grooves where the shelves rest on the little metal dowels were placed wrong at the factory, so they don't line up with each other on the double-door side. Because of these issues, I have to knock off a star from my rating. Otherwise, these are pretty decent cabinets for the cost.

First of all, this is indeed a heavy cabinet (weighs over 70 lbs). The body of the cabinet was mainly made out of MDF and finished with melamine for easy cleaning. The installation was pretty straightforward and it only took me about an hour to complete. The only thing I did differently was I did put in a few nails to ensure the lock in wood dowels will not get loose over time. I installed it in my workshop to store my model train parts and sets to prevent it from getting dirty. Overall, a well made wall cabinet.

This is a really great wall cabinet. I installed this over my washing machine to hold laundry items, but I was surprised at how well this inexpensive cabinet is made. It arrives needing to be put together, and it weighs over 70 lbs. At this weight, it isn't the cheap cabinet I assumed it would be. The entire thing is made of composite woods and MDF. It's sturdy and goes together easily.

The second I noticed, out loud, every hole was drilled perfectly, all pieces lined up effortlessly, I went to work on the doors and hinges. The doors are medium density; the unit is styrofoam density, and the hinges are stamped pastry-thin metal. For the few seconds one door stayed on its hinges, it was obvious there was a 2" vertical gap, which can't be adjusted by the "adjustable" hinges, which aren't so much "adjustable" as "explosive." The doors' veneer will strip and flake in places you never touched them; the unit's veneer is what the swedes call "foil." Ryobi and Husky are superior brands. This should be my last tango with Hampton Bay. Screws meant to mount the unit, amazingly heavy only due to the doors, if they stay on, are ~4"? x human hair.