Here you will find answers to the most common questions we get from our customers. If you don’t see the answer to your question here, please contact us.
We get a lot of questions, so we’ve divided them into categories.
Table of Contents
Purchasing Your Cabinets: The Basics
We’re located in the west end of Ottawa, but you can also buy from dealers all over Ontario.
Our address is:
183 Colonnade Rd S Ottawa, Ontario K2E 7J4
Our showroom hours are:
- Mon: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tues through Thurs: 9:00 – 8:00 PM
- Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sat: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Sun: Closed
View our full contact information or contact us online.
Absolutely, if you live in Ottawa. If you live outside of Ottawa you’ll need to purchase them through a Laurysen dealer.
If you live in Ottawa you can speak to one of our designers by calling (613)-836-5353, or by contacting us online. If you live outside of Ottawa, you’ll need to order the parts through one of our dealers.
Our Laurysen cabinet warranty varies based on the component in question. Our cabinets carry a 10 year warranty, and we have a lifetime warranty on slides and hinges. There are some components that have a different warranty; be sure to speak to your designer to learn about any exceptions.
Our quality cabinetry prices will vary depending on the number of cabinets, the wood you choose, interior organizing accessories and the level of customization you need. Some clients want completely custom cabinets which cost more than a non-custom cabinet system.
Getting Started
If you haven’t already done do, get some inspiration photos from magazines and the internet.
Then, make two lists:
- What I Need in my Kitchen
- What I Don’t Want in my Kitchen
It’s important to keep in mind that the perfect kitchen for you is based on your family’s needs and how you work in the kitchen. Your designer will ensure that good kitchen design principles are factored in.
Measure your kitchen. We will need the overall room measurements and the dimensions of any appliances that you’re keeping. If you plan to buy new appliances, get the measurements from the store.
Absolutely! You’ll be working with one of our professional designers who will oversee the planning and make sure your kitchen will be wonderfully usable as well as beautiful. They will guide you through the process of choosing the types of cabinets and accessories you need, and balancing costs. They understand the rules of good kitchen design and how to adapt them for your needs.
Your designer knows how important it is that your kitchen is functional and is customized to how you work. They will prioritize a good design that helps make your cooking and cleanup tasks easier. This includes things like:
- Ensuring a clear path and practical distances between sink, stove and fridge.
- Ensuring appliances, large and small, are positioned effectively.
- Ensuring there aren’t any places where doors interfere with each other.
- Ensuring that as many people as possible can use the kitchen at the same time without getting in each other’s way.
Once your kitchen has a good “skeleton”, then it’s time to have fun choosing colours and finishes. These things are easier because it’s mostly a matter of personal taste.
Assume the cabinets will take about 5 – 7 weeks. This is independent of any other timelines for your kitchen renovation, for example, additional plumbing or electrical work.
To be safe, allow 3 months in total. Of course, it will all depend on the extent of your renovation project. Demolition contractors, electricians, tile setters etc. will need time to do their jobs effectively.
In terms of the cabinetry work, allow 8 weeks in total:
- 1 week for design and planning of the overall kitchen.
- 7 weeks for cabinet manufacture and installation.
Pricing, Deposits & Payment
Yes, Laurysen Kitchens requires a deposit before manufacturing begins because each kitchen is custom-built rather than pulled from existing stock. 60% of the total project cost is due at signing. This secures a production slot at Laurysen’s manufacturing facility in Carleton Place, Ontario, and funds the materials and labour used to build cabinetry made specifically for one home, which cannot be resold to another client. Custom cabinetry manufacturers across Canada generally follow the same practice for the same reason.
At Laurysen, you’ll see your full payment terms in writing before you sign anything, so there are no surprises and no mid-project changes without your written approval. Our payment terms are 60% due at signing and 40% due upon delivery, standard across the industry. Your deposit secures your production slot and materials, and the remaining balance is due in accordance with the terms set out in your signed agreement.
No. Laurysen Kitchens fixes the quoted project price to your approved design and specifications. The price changes only if the scope changes, including changes that lower your cost, depending on how far along production is. Any such change is documented in a written change order that is approved before work continues. This fixed-price approach has been part of how Laurysen Kitchens has done business for three generations, since 1970.
Yes. Your deposit funds the materials and production time for your specific kitchen at Laurysen Kitchens’ own manufacturing facility, a 110,000 sq. ft. plant in Carleton Place, Ontario, that you’re welcome to visit in person. Laurysen has operated continuously since 1970, employs more than 140 people, and has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 1972: an established, verifiable operation, not a business assembled for a single project.
If you have specific questions about our payment or deposit process, our team is happy to walk you through it in detail.
Yes. Laurysen Kitchens offers a free, no-obligation initial design consultation with a certified kitchen designer at its Design Experience Centre at 183 Colonnade Road South in Ottawa.
Design
Definitely. That’s what our professional designers are there to help you with. We have a huge selection of organizing and space saving accessories to choose from.
Yes, you can have any of these. Cabinets in standard sizes are the most budget friendly option. Read about the pros and cons of custom, semi and prefab cabinets. You can also see some of our custom cabinetry work here.
Just ask your dealer to call us and ask for the sample you’re interested in.
Ottawa: (613)-836-5353
Toll free: 1-866-836-5353
Fax: (613) 836-7511
Classic kitchens never go out of style – you can see some examples here. It also helps to stick with white or off-white when it comes to colours – they’re not always trendy but white kitchens are never “done”.
Don’t worry, we’ve seen this before. Your designer will help you work out the compromises. We often take a look at the rest of your home to ensure the kitchen harmonizes well with the colours and styles in the rest of your space.
Every year we add new designs and colours. We also keep customer favourites around as the years go by – some things never go out of style.
Yes. We want to make sure you can fully visualize the final look.
Absolutely, just mention your needs to your Laurysen designer. We get a lot of requests for locks, especially on lower cabinets.
We sure can. We design great closets using hundreds of options for storage and organization. You can take a look at some of the closets we’ve created in this gallery. As with our kitchen or bathroom designs, you’ll be working with a professional designer who will make sure you get exactly what you need to make staying organized easy.
Laurysen is a member of:
- NKBA – the National Kitchen and Bath Association
- CKCA – Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association
- CHBA – the Canadian Home Builders’ Association
- OHBA – the Ontario Home Builders’ Association
- GOBHA – the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association
We’re also accredited with the Better Business Bureau and other organizations. You can see the full list on our Memberships page.
Process & Timelines
Your project timeline will depend on the scope of your kitchen and the finishes you select, though production typically takes six to eight weeks. Laurysen Kitchens provides a written production and installation timeline before you sign, and updates you at every milestone. Custom manufacturing takes longer than installing pre-made cabinetry, which is part of why we build to the exact measurements of your home.
Yes, you’ll absolutely see your kitchen design before it’s manufactured. Your designer provides detailed drawings and 3D renderings, and you can see and touch actual door styles, finishes, and hardware in person at our Design Experience Centre in Ottawa. Nothing goes into production until you’ve signed off on the final design.
Manufacturing
Yes, Laurysen Kitchens is committed to environmentally responsible manufacturing. Our cabinet finishes are 100% water-based rather than solvent-based, significantly reducing VOC emissions without compromising the finished look. We also build with CARB 2-compliant materials that meet some of the strictest formaldehyde emission standards in North America, for better indoor air quality in your home. Read more about our sustainability practices: laurysenkitchens.com/the-laurysen-edge/#green
Laurysen Kitchens reduces waste at several points in the manufacturing process. An integrated dust collection system captures sawdust and off-cuts as cabinets are built and recycles them rather than sending them to landfill. Nesting technology also extracts the most usable material from every sheet before anything is discarded, and a facility-wide recycling program further supports these efforts.
Our manufacturing facility in Ottawa:
Our address is:
183 Colonnade Rd S Ottawa, Ontario K2E 7J4
We do offer several eco-friendly options, including particleboard made from 100% post-consumer recycled sawdust (FSC and EPP certified).
Learn about the differences between particle board and plywood.
Your new cabinets can be as eco-friendly as you require, but certified sustainably harvested hardwood will cost more.
Yes. Most of our finishes are water-based and low-VOC while retaining the wonderful look and smooth feel we love. You can read more on our Green options page.
Project Scope & Working With Contractors
No, we’re not a general contractor; we’re a cabinet manufacturer and kitchen design firm. We stick to what we do best: designing, manufacturing, and installing custom cabinetry to give you the best kitchen possible. On any project involving structural changes, plumbing, or electrical work, we work directly alongside your chosen general contractor, and if you don’t already have one, we’re glad to point you toward the contractors we’ve built relationships with across Ottawa over the years. Permits and structural, plumbing, or electrical work stay with your contractor, while we concentrate on the design and cabinetry, the part of your renovation you’ll live with every day.
No, we don’t take on the role of a general contractor. We focus specifically on design and cabinetry, not structural, plumbing, electrical, or permit work. When your project involves any of those, we work alongside your general contractor, producing detailed drawings and specifications they can build to and coordinating delivery around their schedule.
When you hire Laurysen Kitchens, we design, manufacture, and install your cabinetry, typically the single largest investment in a kitchen renovation, and we stand behind our own warranty with no subcontracted markup and no second point of contact if something needs attention. When structural work is involved, we work directly alongside your general contractor.
Yes, Laurysen Kitchens serves areas outside Ottawa through a network of more than 30 authorized dealers across Ontario, in addition to our own Design Experience Centre in Ottawa. Every dealer sells cabinetry manufactured at the same Carleton Place facility, built to the same standard, regardless of location.
Quality & Delivery
Laurysen Kitchens builds quality control into every stage of manufacturing. Each department inspects the incoming pieces from the previous department and sends anything that falls short of our standards back for repair or replacement. A final quality inspection happens at the assembly line, just before your order is wrapped for delivery.
Because your cabinetry is manufactured and delivered locally to homes in the Ottawa area rather than shipped overseas, it travels a short distance, reducing the transit handling that can cause damage. If a delivered order is damaged or doesn’t meet our standards, we remake or repair the affected piece at our facility and schedule the fix as quickly as production allows, at no cost to you.
Laurysen Kitchens handles design, manufacturing, finishing, delivery, and service entirely in-house, one company and one standard from concept to your door. Installation is completed by a network of vetted, experienced installation professionals who specialize in our cabinetry. Because our designers, production, and service members are all on the same team, most questions get answered in hours, not weeks.
Do You Do…
WarrantyWe love any chance we get to make something completely customized. You can see some examples of our elegant and creative solutions in this gallery.
Yes – we have a wonderful selection of materials and colours to suit everyone. We work with everything from affordable Formica through all kinds of engineered stone to natural granite. You can explore the countertops we provide here. If one of our industry partners makes it, we can provide it, so if you see something you love on one of their sites we can get it for you. For example, we have over 150,000 options on handles and knobs thanks to our partnerships with Richelieu and Hafele.
We all want larger kitchens, it seems! We usually work within existing room layouts, but we would be happy to work with renovations companies capable of the kind of structural changes this would require.
Yes we do. We also do mudrooms, home offices and any other room that could use some cabinets or closets to help you stay organized.
Yes. We can help any closet with enough room for cabinetry. You can see some inspirational photos of our closet designs here.
Installation
It depends on what’s being done in your kitchen. Generally, the old kitchen cabinets and appliances needs to be removed. If your kitchen layout is changing then plumbers or electricians may be involved, as well as contractors who will patch the walls and take care of flooring and tiling.
It can take several days for your cabinets to be installed. We recommend that you cover the path to your kitchen with cardboard to protect your floor, and remove any artwork or knick-knacks that may get damaged. There can be a lot of sawdust flying during the installation process, so you may want to cover or move nearby furniture. You should also keep in mind that you won’t have a kitchen, so you’ll need to make alternate arrangements for food. You can get some ideas in our Kitchen Renovation Survival Guide.
There is no “normal” – every project is different, so you’ll need to talk to your designer to get the full details. We’re happy to recommend contractors or work with your favourite teams.
Yes. If you would like us to manage installations, we will work with contractors we trust on your cabinets and also entire kitchens.
We can manage cabinet installations and full kitchen, bathroom and other renovations in the Ottawa area. Outside of Ottawa, you will need to work with one of our dealers and contractors in your area.
We can deliver anywhere, provided the shipping costs can be covered.
Yes, we can work with your favourite renovations contractors, or recommend contractors we trust.
Warranty
Laurysen Kitchens’ cabinet warranty runs up to 10 years on materials and workmanship, honoured directly by us: not an insurance product or contractor, but a promise backed by the same family-owned company that’s built and stood behind your cabinetry since 1970.
Hinges and slides can be returned for as long as you own your kitchen or vanity. Coverage on doors, countertops, and finishes varies by material and door style (for instance, painted and stained finishes are covered differently). For details and the full breakdown, please visit our warranty page: laurysenkitchens.com/the-laurysen-edge/warranty.
There’s a good reason: painted finishes carry a shorter warranty period and it’s standard across the custom cabinetry industry. Paint sits on top of wood, while stain gets soaked in, so painted surfaces tend to show wear, chips and scuffs sooner than stained ones do. Whatever the finish, our Service Department handles a reported issue the same way: assess it, manufacture the fix, and resolve it.
Laurysen Kitchens keeps your original order on file for seven years, including finishes, dimensions, and hardware, so a warranty repair, replacement part, or even a matching addition can be manufactured to match your kitchen years down the road, provided the original material is still available. We’ve been building kitchens since 1970; we’ll be here when you need us.
When Something Goes Wrong
If something’s wrong with your order, simply reach out to our Service Department by phone or email. One of our service coordinators will review your issue personally and, if needed, schedule an in-home visit at a time that works for you.
After installation is complete, our service personnel will schedule an in-home walkthrough of your kitchen to ensure you are satisfied. If anything gets flagged as defective, they will begin the service order immediately to ensure parts are ordered without delay.
After more than 55 years and tens of thousands of kitchens, we won’t pretend that nothing ever goes wrong. Wood is a natural material, homes are busy places, and manufacturing is a human endeavour, but when something does go wrong, a real person at Laurysen takes ownership of it until it’s resolved.
Laurysen Kitchens holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, accredited since 1972, and has zero unresolved complaints on file. Given the volume of projects we have completed since 1970, the BBB has described our complaint pattern as extremely low.
Yes, Laurysen Kitchens reviews are genuine. We do not require clients to sign agreements at the deposit stage that limit their ability to post a negative review. Every review posted about Laurysen, positive or negative, reflects an actual client’s experience.
Fair question, and we’d rather answer it directly than hope you don’t ask. We complete a high volume of custom kitchen projects every year through our Ottawa showroom and our dealer network across Ontario. As with any company reviewed online for decades, some of those reviews describe times when we fell short of a client’s expectations. We read every review we receive, and several have led directly to changes in how we pack, deliver, and follow up on service requests. Design awards and customer reviews measure different things: awards are judged by design industry peers on craftsmanship and innovation, while reviews reflect individual delivery and service experiences.
We’ve been in business for more than 55 years, across three generations of the same family, and have won the Consumers’ Choice Award for Best Kitchen Manufacturer in Ottawa for 29 consecutive years. We’re happy to put you in touch with recent clients and dealers who can speak to what working with us is actually like, or invite you to visit our facility and meet the team yourself.
Care
Keeping your home at 40 – 50% humidity will keep all of the wood in your home stable. We recommend you invest in a humidifier for winter and air conditioning in the summer.
A mixture of dish soap and warm water is perfect for everyday cleaning. We also like “Trade Secret” as a periodic treatment to revive lustre. You can learn more on our Product Care page.
We use a UV inhibitor in our finishes that will help protect the colour of your cabinets and limit yellowing.
It’s important to remember, however, that wood is a natural material. Every piece of wood is unique and will age and change over time even when protected – that’s an essential part of its appeal.
For example, with cherry wood that has a translucent finish, the reds will get redder and the blonds will get blonder as the years pass. Oak will gradually yellow somewhat.
It’s really important to avoid abrasive cleaners on your cabinets, as they’ll wear down the finish. You should also avoid using Pledge; even though it’s advertised as a product for wood care, it contains chemicals that can react with the finish. Use Trade Secret if you need to restore your cabinets to their original life.
Further, as a general rule, do not allow water or food to dry on your cabinets. Some cabinet finishes are more forgiving than others, but prolonged exposure to water, juice, coffee—and even food debris—can damage your cabinetry. So clean up spills quickly, and you’ll keep your cabinets looking like new for years to come.
It depends on what they’re made of, as Corian or Caesarstone are very different from granite. As a general rule avoid abrasive cleaners and keep liquids away from the seams. We have a complete guide here.
Made in Canada & Community Involvement
Yes, every Laurysen Kitchens cabinet is manufactured at our facility in Carleton Place, Ontario. Building close to home means a shorter supply chain and less transportation than cabinetry shipped from overseas, for a smaller environmental footprint and closer quality control at every stage. The majority of our suppliers are Canadian as well, a choice that supports the forestry industry and other Canadian businesses here at home.
Laurysen Kitchens plays an active role in the kitchen and cabinetry industry associations that help set standards for the trade. For example, Corey Laurysen serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association (CKCA), while Michael Laurysen sits on the Board of Directors for the Wood Manufacturing Council of Ontario (WMCO). Wael Bakr, CMKBD, Sales & Design Department Manager, also serves as Programs Chair for the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Ottawa Chapter.
At Laurysen, giving back to our community is core to who we are. We are active members of several local organizations, including the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA), and have contributed custom cabinetry and millwork to the Minto CHEO Dream Home for much of the past decade in support of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. We also regularly support local food banks, festivals, bursaries, and sports teams throughout the year.
