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If you’re looking for high-quality, custom cabinets and kitchen design in Ontario, you’ve come to the right place. 

Deslaurier Custom Cabinets and Cabico are two frontrunners in the custom kitchen cabinet marketplace throughout Ontario. 

At Deslaurier, while we are proud of our design services and custom cabinet offerings, we recognize that many of our competitors also do quality work. One of whom is Cabico, which we believe is one of the Top Cabinet Manufacturers in Canada.

Ultimately, it is essential that you evaluate your options and choose the best company for your individual needs and preferences. We believe everyone deserves a stand-out kitchen—whether or not it comes from us.

This article gives an objective overview of both companies and compares these two leading cabinet manufacturers head-to-head, revealing how they’re alike and where they differ. 

Let’s get started! 

Cabico Cabinets

Established in 1986, Cabico has been manufacturing custom cabinetry for kitchens, bathrooms, and other spaces for over 35 years. 

Cabico has two separate product lines to choose from: their “Essence Series” (semi-custom) and “Unique Series” (fully custom). Both cabinet lines have their own distinct door styles, materials, and finishes to select from.

Regardless of your style preference, their portfolio showcases a diverse range of completed projects spanning from transitional to contemporary, modern to traditional. This breadth of work offers a clear indication of their capabilities and what they can achieve.

Cabico’s main office and manufacturing facility are based out of Coaticook, a small town in Southeastern Quebec. Roughly 250 km away from Ontario, this allows Cabico to have a large presence throughout the province. 

Deslaurier Custom Cabinets

Deslaurier Custom Cabinets was founded in the Deslaurier family garage back in 1979. The company first sold cabinets, lawn furniture, and other woodworking novelties. Fast-forward forty years later and Deslaurier Custom Cabinets now employs just under 200 people! 

Deslaurier specializes in custom cabinetry, offering an extensive collection of standard, semi-custom, and custom products.

Deslaurier serves four main categories of clientele:

• Retail customers
• Pro renovators
• New home builders

• Dealers

All Deslaurier cabinets are manufactured in our 48 000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Renfrew, Ontario. 

Deslaurier has a showroom at their manufacturing location in Renfrew, as well as a showroom and Design Centre located in Ottawa, right off the 417 next to IKEA. 

Deslaurier vs. Cabico: Design Process 

As both companies provide custom cabinetry and kitchen designs, working with Deslaurier and Cabico is a personalized design experience from start to finish. You’ll be guided from initial design consultations to cabinet installation. 

Both companies employ an in-house team of award-winning kitchen designers. You’ll be assigned a professional designer to guide you through your design selections and create a customized floor plan for your project. Upon order, each company’s manufacturing facility will produce the pieces and install them in your home.

It’s worth mentioning that neither Cabico nor Deslaurier performs other renovation tasks, like flooring installations, plumbing work, and electrical upgrades. Those jobs are up to the homeowner to manage or outsource with a contractor. 

That being said, most professional designers have a host of industry connections and can refer you to contractors for these jobs if you need them. Designers can also work in conjunction with your contractor selections.

To learn more about working with Deslaurier, read about our kitchen design process, and our kitchen design process for builder clients!

Deslaurier vs. Cabico: Product Partnerships 

A key difference between Deslaurier and Cabico kitchens boils down to the supplier partnerships of each company. 

For instance, neither Deslaurier nor Cabico manufactures their own cabinet hardware. The knobs, pulls, and handles that you order to match your cabinets come from each company’s supplier network.

So, a particular piece of hardware that you find at Cabico may not be available at Deslaurier, and vice versa. That being said, both companies source literally thousands of hardware products through their supplier network – both being able to utilize Ontario and Quebec companies alike – so it’s unlikely you’ll have trouble finding a selection for your kitchen.

Further, while neither company manufactures stone countertops, they do work closely and coordinate with local suppliers to provide clients with stone surfaces. 

Distribution & Dealer Networks

Deslaurier has over 30 distribution dealers alone in the province of Ontario, from Windsor all the way up to Timmins. They’ve also partnered with NV Realty Group in Palm Beach, Florida, with a showroom located in Jupiter. 

With their head office based out of Quebec, Cabico has a dealer outreach that includes Ontario and other parts of North America. 

For that reason, if you’re looking for custom cabinetry outside of Ontario, Cabico has a more extensive network of partners. 

If you’re in search of custom cabinets in Ottawa or throughout the Province, Deslaurier’s 30+ distributors have got you covered. 

You can explore both Deslaurier’s and Cabico’s dealer networks on their website and find one of their dealers nearest you. Visit our Find a Dealer page to see if there’s a Deslaurier distributor in your area! 

Manufacturing Practices 

Deslaurier and Cabico have both proven to be powerhouses in the initiative to make their manufacturing processes greener.

The two companies implement many noteworthy environmentally friendly products and practices in their work.

Deslaurier and Cabico both use water-based, UV-cured finishes. Water-based finishes emit significantly fewer VOCs (volatile organic compounds) than traditional solvent-based products.

They also use wood species that are locally sourced, reducing pollution associated with transportation. Core cabinet construction uses, at a minimum, CARB1-compliant (California Air Resources Board) and EPP-certified panel materials.

As you can see, each company has heavily invested in the efficiency and environmental safety of its manufacturing facilities. 

These are just a few of the ways each company demonstrates an ongoing commitment to ensuring their eco-friendly internal practices continue in the future.

Discover Deslaurier Custom Cabinets 

Whether you’re looking for custom cabinets in Ottawa or throughout Ontario, we hope this information helps you decide which cabinet manufacturer is the best fit for your custom kitchen needs. 

At Deslaurier, we understand that we’re not the only cabinet specialist around. That’s why we like to show prospective clients what we have to offer—no commitment needed!

Book a free consultation with one of our professional designers in Ottawa or Renfrew and discover the Deslaurier advantage today!

Live outside the area? Find a Dealer to connect with near you! Interested in becoming an authorized Deslaurier dealer? Visit our Become a Dealer page to learn more!