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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. 

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 Chervin Kitchens & Bath, which we believe is one of the Top Cabinet Manufacturers in Ontario.

Ultimately, it is essential that you evaluate your options and choose the best company for your 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!

Chervin Kitchen & Bath

Chervin Kitchen & Bath has been designing, manufacturing, and installing custom cabinetry since 1991. A family business, founded by husband (Kevin) and wife (Cheryl), the company was originally known as Chervin Custom Woodworks. 

Now, Chervin Kitchen & Bath consists of over 150 employees and 4 locations, focusing solely on custom cabinet manufacturing and kitchen and bath design. 

Chervin serves three main categories of clientele:

• Retail customers
• Pro renovators
• New home builders

Chervin has a 70,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility at its Head Office in Hawkesville, Ontario. The company also has showrooms in Ontario located in Waterloo, Muskoka, and Oakville. Each location is equipped with its own designers and installers. 

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. Over forty years later, 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.

Like Chervin, Deslaurier serves three main categories of clientele, as well as our dealer network:

• 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.

Deslaurier vs. Chervin: The Process 

Working with Deslaurier and Chervin is a personalized design experience from start to finish; 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 respective manufacturing facility will produce the pieces and install them in your home.

It’s worth mentioning that neither Chervin 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. Chervin: Warranty 

With over 40 years to our name, we know how important an expansive warranty can be for both products and services. 

While we don’t have the intricacies of Chervin’s warranty that we do our own, here’s what we can tell you about what the Chervin warranty entails: 

• a 5-year cabinet warranty against defects of material and workmanship. 
• a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty for cabinet hardware.

Deslaurier offers:

• a 20-year warranty on cabinet materials and workmanship for residential buyers (including finishes)
• a 1-year warranty on cabinet materials and workmanship for commercial buyers (including finishes)
• a 12-year warranty on PET doors
• a 10-year warranty on acrylic and thermofoil doors
• a 5-year warranty on polyester doors
• a 1-year warranty on installation
• a lifetime warranty on slides and hinges
• Other components (hardware, accessories, and countertops) are subject to the warranty of their manufacturer

In summary, Deslaurier’s warranty may be more advantageous for you if you are a residential buyer, and Chervin’s may be more attractive if you are a commercial buyer.

As a disclaimer, all cabinet doors (with the exception of one-piece MDF doors) will potentially crack at the joints. This cracking is a natural phenomenon known as “breathing,” which occurs due to the inherent expansion and contraction of wood as a result of fluctuation in humidity and temperature. 

Since this issue occurs naturally, it is not listed under the warranty by either company. 

Deslaurier vs. Chervin: Product Partnerships 

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

For instance, neither Deslaurier nor Chervin 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 Chervin may not be available at Deslaurier, and vice versa. That being said, both companies source literally thousands of hardware products through their supplier network, so it’s unlikely you’ll have trouble finding a selection you like.

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. They’ve also partnered with NV Realty Group in Palm Beach, Florida, with a showroom located in Jupiter. 

With a head office based out of Hawkesville, Chervin has 3 other showroom locations. Their original showroom is situated in Waterloo, with additional ones in Muskoka, and their GTA location in Oakville. 

Chervin currently does not manufacture or install kitchens outside of Southern Ontario. 

For that reason, if you’re looking for custom cabinetry outside of Southern Ontario, Deslaurier has a more extensive network of partners to service the Province. 

Visit our Find a Dealer page to see if there’s a Deslaurier distributor in your area! 

Manufacturing Practices 

Deslaurier and Chervin have 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 Chervin both use water-based, UV-cured finishes. Water-based finishes emit significantly fewer VOCs 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 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 

If 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 Jupiter, Florida 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!