Estimated Read Time: 5 Minutes

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 Elmwood 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. 

Ultimately, it is essential that you evaluate your options and choose the best cabinet supplier 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 Ontario cabinet manufacturers head-to-head, revealing how they’re alike and where they differ. 

Let’s get started! 

Elmwood

Established in 1973, Elmwood has been manufacturing custom cabinets for 50 years and now have over 250+ employees.

In 2016, Elmwood was acquired by Quebec-based cabinet manufacturer, Cabico. Retaining all 250 employees, Elmwood essentially became known as Cabico’s “luxury line” of custom cabinets. 

Elmwood’s head office and manufacturing facility remain in their original St. Catherine’s, Ontario location, roughly 100 km south of downtown Toronto.  

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. Elmwood: Design Process 

As both companies provide custom cabinetry and kitchen designs, working with Deslaurier and Elmwood 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 Elmwood 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. Elmwood: Product Catalogues

As custom cabinet manufacturers, Deslaurier and Elmwood have uniquely flexible product catalogues that include cabinet materials, door styles, paints, and stains. 

Let’s take a look at what they offer. 

Elmwood Cabinet Wood Species:

• Maple
• Red and White Oak
• Walnut
• Cherry
• MDF
• Alder

• Ash

• Pine

Deslaurier Cabinet Wood Species:

• Birch

• Maple
• Red Oak
• Rift-Cut White Oak
• Walnut
• Cherry
• MDF
• Rustic Alder 

As you can see, both manufacturers offer 7 of the same popular cabinet wood species. Aside from that, Elmwood carries ash and pine. Unless you have your heart set on one of those specific wood species, both manufacturers will have the cabinet material you’re looking for. 

Further, each company also offers a variety of advanced engineering materials suited to modern-style cabinet designs. These include engineered materials such as thermofoil, melamine (laminate), glass, acrylic, and PET. 

Other than materials, both kitchen cabinet manufacturers have extensive product catalogues that include dozens of unique door styles, and paints & stains, allowing you to create thousands of unique design combinations.

Take a look at some of Deslaurier’s most popular cabinet products below!

• Top Cabinet Door Styles
• Top Cabinet Paints
• Top Cabinet Stains 

Deslaurier vs. Elmwood: Product Partnerships 

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

For instance, neither Deslaurier nor Elmwood 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 Elmwood may not be available at Deslaurier, and vice versa. 

That being said, both companies source 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. 

Deslaurier vs. Elmwood: Industry Awards & Accolades

With decades of experience behind each name, Elmwood and Deslaurier Custom Cabinets have amassed an impressive number of awards and accolades for their work.

Often working in the same circles, both companies hold memberships in many of the same organizations, such as:

• National Kitchen + Bath Association
• Ontario Home Builder's Association
• Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association

Undoubtedly, both businesses have garnered praise and established a reputation of quality in the local cabinet industry and beyond. 

Distribution & Dealer Networks

Deslaurier has over 30 distribution dealers alone in  Ontario, from Windsor to as far north as Timmins. They’ve also partnered with NV Realty Group in Palm Beach, Florida, with a showroom located in Jupiter. 

With its head office based out of St. Catherines, Elmwood has a dealer outreach that includes Ontario and other parts of Canada and the United States. 

For that reason, if you’re looking for custom cabinetry outside of Ontario, Elmwood 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 Elmwood 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 Elmwood 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, CARB II-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!