I have been debating with myself over which cabinet system to go with for my garage workshop, and ultimately decided on the NewAge Pro 3 series of welded cabinets in white and gray.
I started eyeing this series a few months ago, and although my plans kept going in different directions, I often returned to the NewAge Pro series.
I decided that I only needed wall cabinets, and I ordered 5 of them (with cash money).
At around the same time, I found myself curious about what the other NewAge Pro cabinets were like. My plans for floor cabinets are strongly headed in a Lista direction, but there was still an editorial interest in NewAge’s other Pro cabinet offerings.
I spoke to our friends at Home Depot, and arrangements were made for a review sample package that included some of NewAge Pro’s other garage cabinet offerings.
(We have partnered up with Home Depot for upcoming projects and special reviews, more on this another time.)
And so in my hands now are 5 paid-for NewAge Pro wall cabinets, and 3 more that came with a review sample arrangement. Plus 1 more that’s damaged.
Home Depot offers all NewAge Pro cabinets individually, and in money-saving sets. Some of their occasional deals are quite good.
Delivery and Initial Inspection
When the 5 cabinets came in, they arrived via UPS. Some have minor cosmetic imperfections on the inside lip, where the doors’ magnetic closures rubbed during transport. One arrived with a busted door and bashed corner. NewAge Pro sent me a prompt replacement and some touch-up paint at my request.
They apply some clear tape over the inner lips for protection, but I suppose my cabinets went through very rough transport.
Also, the adjustable shelves in the first 5 units were all dislodged, a not too easy feat. The replacement had everything in place – the shelf installed and with a block of styrofoam placed between the shelf and top of the cabinet to hold it in place. The first 5 cabinets also had styrofoam, but it had moved from where it was wedged in.
This didn’t cause any damage, it’s to show that the cabinets must have went through a very rough ride.
Lukily, plenty of cardboard and styrofoam protect the boxes’ outsides. The parts that show are perfect.
I’ll have to adjust the hinges on 2 of the cabinets. The doors close, but the alignment isn’t perfect, with some very slight rubbing.
When you order wall cabinets as part of a set, they’re shipped inside tall “locker” style cabinets. This gives them a little more protection, but I wouldn’t hesitate to order more wall cabinets individually.
Installation
3 of the wall cabinets are now up! The cabinets have a 3-part install process.
Step 1: Mount the wall hangers to studs.
Step 2: Attach the cabinets together.
Step 3: Mount the cabinets to the wall.
I suppose steps 2 and 3 can be interchanged, but I wanted the cabinets together before I fixed them to the wall.
The cabinets come with lag screws, and the manual doesn’t say anything about pilot holes or pre-drilling. I drilled pilot-holes anyways.
You can view the instructions here (PDF). (I love how Home Depot links to the user manual on their product pages for the cabinets!)
My alignment wasn’t perfect, but it worked out.
I think that I might pick up some self-drilling lag screws to install the rest of the wall cabinets. The included hardware can drive straight into a stud without splitting – I tried it on some scrap material – but it’s easier if there’s a pilot hole to follow.
I might have to pick up some more lag screws anyways – a few were a hair too big to fit a 7/16″ socket or nut driver.
I had to shift the cabinets over a little bit, as I wanted the cabinets across 6 studs. The manual mentions that you might not hit 2 studs with every cabinet, and it’s okay as long as that cabinet is secured to another one that is.
I’ll need to do some touching up – I scrapped some paint and drywall paper. Some of the damage is hidden behind the cabinets, but there’s a section now exposed after shifting everything over 3″ to get the leftmost cabinet over a second stud.
It’s going to be easier to install the cabinets if there’s an extra set of hands. With a helper, I might not have scraped up the wall so much with the cabinet corners.
First Impression
I’m liking these cabinets a lot so far. They seem very sturdy, and the price point is very good.
Mounting the cabinets to the wall was easy, getting them perfectly aligned takes a little more time. The mounting hangers makes things a lot easier, and there are also brackets you could use for mounting to slatwall.
The doors might annoy me. Pulling open the left door pulls along the right door with it. But the door pull can be removed and modified if it ever becomes a big annoyance.
The hinges are soft-close, and open and close nicely. There are keyed locks, but I haven’t tried them yet.
The cabinets are made from 18 gauge steel for the frames, and 19 gauge for the double-wall doors. They measure 22″ tall x 28″ wide x 14″ deep. Add another 1-1/2″ if the included light valence is installed. (Undermount lighting strips are not included.)
This contributed a lot to my purchasing decision – the cabinets are made from fairly thick sheet metal, and they’re large enough to be useful, but not too large and controlling of the space.
I like these cabinets a lot more than my Gladiator ready to assemble cabinet that I took down 2 moves ago and haven’t yet retrieved from storage. They mount a little easier, look a lot better, and I like the sizing more.
I mounted the top of the cabinets (and hangers) at 82″. They recommend 80″ if you want them aligned with wall lockers. I have a review sample wall locker near these wall cabinets, and it stands at around 84″ with feet installed..
I figure that cabinets or mobile workbenches below the cabinets might have a height of 38″. With the cabinets mounted at 82″, I’ll have 22″ of spacing. 20.5″ if the light valence is installed.
If a 36″ cabinet height, the spacing becomes 24″ with and 22.5″ without valence installed.
I could place some stuff on top of the cabinets, or install some kind of rack if there will be heavier loads. (The cabinets can hold 100 lbs per shelf for 200 lbs total. The top is not rated.)
I could have mounted the cabinets a little higher, but I think having the top at 82″ is at the limit of what’s conveniently reachable.
I have more installing to do, but wanted to get my initial thoughts and experiences down on paper first. It’ll take some time for me to be sure, but if asked now I’d say that yes, I would definitely buy these again.
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
There are 3 color choices – charcoal gray, deep red, and platinum. The charcoal gray and red colors have black or dark gray frames, the platinum color has a white frame.
5 of the cabinets were paid for by me, Home Depot and NewAge provided 3 more as part of a review sample package.