Review: Bright’s DIY Cupboard Kit

Firstly, I should note that this is not a sponsored post. Bright’s Hardware did not ask us to review their Bright’s DIY Cupboard kit and we have not received compensation for posting this article. However, we believe the designers thought this kit out well and it is selling at a good price. We wanted you to know about it.

Cupboards are a necessity in any house and if you don’t have enough in yours, you know too well how true this is. Cupboards can be surprisingly expensive.

Because of the nature of the Container House Project, we do keep an eye on the specials each of the hardware stores are running. This is how we came across Bright’s DIY Cupboard kit. This is an excellent little kit for someone who needs cupboard space and doesn’t want to spend too much money.

We bought a few kits ourselves because Bright’s Hardware were running a special. We knew that the cost of the kit would barely cover the melamine we would need to make a similar cupboard, never mind the time spent on designing it, having the wood cut and edged, the hardware to assemble, etc.

I was quite excited to receive the kit and I was eager to start on the assembly, to see exactly how the kit worked.

Requirements:

We found the kit to be very well thought-out, especially as the only tools required for assembly are a screwdriver and a hammer. That’s it. The instructions also suggest you find a clear, flat area on which to do the work (ie, a floor). The cupboard is not too big, which makes it easier for the average person to assemble. Cupboards can get big, heavy and unwieldy surprisingly quickly. It would be helpful to have a buddy help with assembly to hold things in place and pass hardware and tools.

Bright’s DIY Cupboard Kit

Almost everything you need to build the cubpoard is included in the kit. The kit includes the hardware, hinges, shelf pins, hanging rail, etc. The kit does not supply your tools (which are minimal) and door handles (which are a very personal choice). All the boards have been pre-cut and pre-drilled and the panels clip together with a cam lock system that negates the need for chipboard screws. The backing board (hardboard) is the only part that you will need to nail in place (with panel pins).

But what about the instructions? the instructions are two pages of smallish text. I asked Kevin if he thought the average person would be able to understand them and he said yes. The assembler would need some understanding of technical ideas, but it should be easy enough for the majority of people to fit together.

What more could you want? Already designed, precut and pre-drilled; everything is there. Someone had even taken the time to make sure that the side panels were marked where you would attach the hanging rail brackets.

Quality: Kevin was happy enough with the quality. He was expecting the cheapest of hardware, but was very pleased to note that an acceptable quality of hinge was included, of a type he would ordinarily buy himself. The clothes rail was standard as were the shelf pins and cam lock hardware. Kevin gives it a thumbs up on the quality of components.

Could It Be Better?

Well, yes, and no. For example, most cupboards out there these days have hardboard backing, as do these kits. Kevin prefers to put in melamine at the back of his cupboards. This improves the strength (and therefore lifespan), but does increase the cost.

For a DIY cupboard kit, this is very well-designed, easily assembled, and is perfectly suitable for most situations. We are very happy with the product. Don’t be surprised to see us using this product in several areas of our house.

We only note that the shelves fitted better in the “hanging” side of the cupboard then they did in the shelf side, so we swapped the two sides around. It really does not make any difference to us as to what side is shelves and what side is for hanging clothes, and it does not affect the structural integrity of the cupboard either.

As mentioned before, even budget cupboards can look better with good door handles and correctly fitted doors. If you buy one of these kits, you might be interested in our previous article on hanging cupboard doors.