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How and where to buy or sell vintage metal kitchen cabinets

pam kueber - Updated: June 6, 2021

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

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WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO BUY vintage steel kitchen cabinets? Take these tips in reverse!

 

The market for these cabinets is generally going to be very local. People will want to come look at them before they buy and to be sure, it will be a lot cheaper if they can pick them up rather than having to arrange for a moving company. But, “local” actually means “within driving distance” for someone who wants to buy a set of steel kitchen cabinets. So your marketing and outreach should really extend…3 or 4 hours in a circle around where you live, although I know of folks who have driven further to buy particular brand cabinets they need.

 

Reminder: Be aware that vintage products, materials, and their layers can contain hazards — consult with pros to assess what you are working with so that you can make informed decisions how to handle. For more info see my Be Safe/Renovate Safe page.

 

Here are places to start looking; where online search is involved, I recommend you play around with your keywords. For example, in addition to searching steel kitchen cabinets, also search metal kitchen cabinets or vintage kitchen cabinets or of course, by name/brand:

  1. Craigslist is probably the most common source for cabinet listings when you take into account the entire U.S. — and it’s crafted to serve your local market, which is important when selling huge items like kitchen cabinets.  I think they will only let you list in one city, and if that is their rule, you should abide by it. TIP: Use aggregators such as searchtempest (google to find other such aggregators, I have not looked into them all) to search craigslist into your larger region or even nationally.Note, reader Frank also suggested, in comments, another way to do aggregation quickly:

“For those that may be interested in searching all of craigslist, say the entire craigslist site just to see what’s on the market, it’s quite easy to do. Just use google to perform a power search. Type in the following in the search bar “vintage metal cabinets site:craigslist.org”.”

Note, when I try Frank’s method, I seem to still have to search by specific keyword, but at least I seem to get to the location where the item is or was for sale.

  1. Facebook Marketplace — newer to the scene, I like this source because it’s easy to search, easy to see photos and I think the listings are presented to you based on the locations closest to where Facebook thinks you are.
  2. eBay — I see lots of listing come up, and only one in 10 or seems to sell. However, there may be after-market bidding going on (at a lower price). eBay may work for you if you are in a larger market where there are more potential buyers.
  3. ReStore Habitat for Humanity and salvage places — I see vintage steel kitchen cabinets at my ReStore regularly.
  4. Also — if you are a BUYER — ask your neighbors. They may have old cabinets in their basement or garage that were originally in their kitchen — and yours!

Finally, if your cabinets are in really bad shape — with tons of rust, for example — take a look at the hardware. There is a market for vintage cabinet pulls — in particular old Youngstown handles. And, people with the old Genevas are always eager to connect with the white plastic concave piece behind the chrome pull. And, folks want the knife hinges that connect the doors to the base and wall cabinets. If you have parts, I’d recommend eBay — as they are not expensive to ship.

Click here to see all my stories about vintage steel kitchen cabinets — we’ve identified 90+ brands!

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47 comments

Comments

  1. bill colby says

    We are desperately looking for Geneva metal kitchen cabinet hinges. Is there anyone out there that may have a few?

    Thank you.

    bill colby

  2. Jan says

    Being sort of new to this (even though I lived through it once), where can I find out how to identify the various metal cabinet manufacturers?

  3. St. Christopher says

    I think Krinstinski said it best; “Kristinski 04.09.09 at 4:18 pm

    Why would anyone in their right mind sell their vintage metal cabinets?”!

    Chris

  6. Glamorlux Nancy says

    I’d love to see how the tile looks “in action”… how streaky it is when laid out.
    We went to a flooring store the other day and found a few “new” companies that offer pretty cool looking tiles. Mannington Commercial makes VCT tiles. Flexco makes rubber tile. Also, Tilo makes a beautiful linoleum (unfortunately, it only comes in tile form).
    Thanks for checking with Azrock. The backs of the tiles have a PERFECT 50’s look. Too bad!

  7. Glamorlux Nancy says

    Pam – This is totally off topic, but seeing your awesome kitchen reminded me… Do you have any close-up pictures of your kitchen floor? I’d love to see the scale of the pattern of Azrock’s ‘Autumn Haze’.

    • pam kueber says

      Hi Nancy, I’ll have to look around for a photo, not sure. Do you want me to scan a tile for you from my boxes of extras?

      Also, I did call the customer service line at Azrock/Tarkett to ask whether their vct tiles could be installed back-side-up. The answer is ‘no’ – the bottom side is not coated and would get very dirty fast, while the top side is coated and would not adhere well, they said. Good try, though!

  8. tailfin says

    In addition to Habitat for Humanity / Re-Store, many cities also have ReUse stores specializing in architectural salvage. Buffalo, NY, where I live, has a spectacular ReUse store, and it is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to salvaging usable architectural features from homes & building facing demolition. I don’t know whether the store will pay for pieces or simply relies on donations. Prices are usually quite reasonable and supply is constantly changing. I know store such as this are beginning to pop up in other cities as well.

  9. Nigel says

    Hi! I run the architectural salvage department at Rejuvenation’s Portland, Oregon store. We purchase steel kitchen cabinet sets in good condition (there aren’t many out there!), and the occasional individual piece as well. We’re always looking for single- and double-drainboard sinks, with or without their steel cabinets (Youngstown and the like). Midcentury restoration is really taking off in the Portland area, as it is in many places. I’d encourage folks to look for architectural salvage dealers in their locality both for selling stuff like steel cabinets, and for finding those elusive pieces for their own restoration projects!

    • suz says

      Hi,

      I’ve been looking for vintage metal cabinets in good condition for about 6 months. Now I am searching farther. IF you ever get about 18 feet of uppers and 16 feet of lowers, of any brand, please contact me.

      Thanks,
      Suz

      • Suz says

        Hi,

        Thanks, for responding. Yesterday I bought my 3rd set of St. Charles- and I’m cutting myself off! Hope you cabinets find a great home.

        Suz