Craftsman Garage Wall Cabinets: A Thorough Look at the Brand's Current Lineup
Craftsman garage wall cabinets are sold at Lowe's (where the brand moved after Sears went bankrupt), and the current lineup is solid mid-range cabinetry built from 24-gauge steel. If you've been wondering whether Craftsman is still worth buying now that it's no longer a Sears brand, the short answer is yes, the cabinets are competitive with Husky at Home Depot, and some people prefer the Craftsman aesthetic, which leans slightly more refined than Husky's utilitarian look.
This covers everything you need to know: what the current Craftsman garage wall cabinet lineup includes, how the build quality actually holds up, how to plan a full cabinet wall, where Craftsman falls short, and how it stacks up against the other brands you're probably comparing it to.
The Current Craftsman Garage Wall Cabinet Lineup
The Craftsman CMST series is the main garage cabinet line at Lowe's. Wall cabinets come in a few distinct configurations.
Single-Door Wall Cabinets
The 30-inch wide by 12-inch deep single-door cabinet is the most common. It ships mostly pre-assembled, with adjustable shelves and a locking door. The standard color is a dark charcoal gray, which looks good in most garages and hides dust reasonably well. At around $200 to $250, it's in the same price tier as equivalent Husky units.
Double-Door Wall Cabinets
The larger wall cabinets (usually 46 to 52 inches wide) use two doors and give you more horizontal span. These are good if you want to run a continuous upper cabinet line along one wall without a visible seam in the middle of a wide span.
Locker-Style Units
Craftsman also makes a full-height locker that can mount to the wall or stand free. These are around 72 inches tall and 18 inches wide, and they're useful for storing long-handled tools or hanging items vertically. They pair well with the standard wall cabinets to create a mixed-height storage wall.
Combination Sets
Lowe's frequently bundles Craftsman cabinets into sets: a base cabinet, wall cabinet, and sometimes a worktop surface. Buying as a set usually saves 10 to 15 percent compared to individual pieces, and the components are guaranteed to match in color and finish.
Build Quality: What You're Actually Getting
Craftsman uses 24-gauge cold-rolled steel for the cabinet bodies. The welds are done at the factory (mostly robotic), and the resulting frame is quite rigid. You won't get flex when you push on the side panels, which is a good sign.
Door and Hinge Quality
The hinges on current Craftsman wall cabinets are adjustable in three directions: horizontal, vertical, and depth. This matters because garage walls are rarely perfectly plumb, and being able to tweak the door alignment after installation is more useful than it sounds. The doors on the higher-end Craftsman units have a soft-close mechanism, which keeps them from swinging open and banging against adjacent cabinets.
The locking mechanism is a basic three-point cam lock. It's not a high-security lock, anyone with basic lock-picking knowledge could get in, but it's sufficient for keeping kids out or discouraging casual theft if you store anything valuable.
Powder Coat Finish
The powder coat on Craftsman cabinets is good. The finish is thick and even, and it holds up against the humidity cycling that garages experience through the seasons. I've seen Craftsman cabinets in garages in humid climates with no rust after several years, which is the real test of a good powder coat.
The shelf clips are the weakest link, same as with most steel cabinets in this price range. They're plastic. For heavy loads, swap them out for aftermarket steel shelf clips before you fully load the shelves.
Planning a Full Craftsman Wall Cabinet System
If you're doing more than one or two cabinets, spending 20 minutes planning before you order makes a significant difference. Here's how to approach it.
Measure Your Wall First
Measure the wall space from corner to corner (or from corner to the nearest obstruction like a door or window). Standard Craftsman wall cabinet widths are 30 and 46 inches. Two 30-inch cabinets plus one 46-inch cabinet gives you 106 inches, which is a common configuration for a single-car garage back wall.
Decide on Height
Wall cabinets are usually hung so the bottom edge is at 72 to 76 inches off the floor. If you're mounting above a base cabinet or workbench, the wall cabinet typically sits 18 to 24 inches above the work surface. Craftsman's base cabinets are 35 inches tall, so hanging wall cabinets at 57 to 59 inches off the floor puts 18 to 20 inches of clearance above the base cabinet work surface.
Account for Studs
Most garage walls have studs on 16-inch centers. Craftsman wall cabinets have mounting holes positioned to hit studs on 16-inch spacing. If your studs are on 24-inch centers (which happens in some garages built with 2x6 framing), check the mounting hole locations on the specific model before ordering.
Base Cabinet Matching
If you want matching base and wall cabinets, buy the same generation of Craftsman products. Color and finish can vary slightly between product generations even within the same brand, and buying everything at once from the same batch is the safest approach.
For more detailed guidance on selecting full cabinet systems, the Best Garage Cabinets guide covers top picks across different budgets and use cases.
Installation: How Craftsman Wall Cabinets Mount
Craftsman wall cabinets come with a mounting bracket system. The bracket mounts to the wall first (into studs), and then the cabinet hangs on the bracket and is secured with screws through the cabinet back into the studs. This "hang first, secure second" approach makes single-person installation significantly easier than trying to hold the cabinet and screw simultaneously.
What You Need
You'll need a stud finder, a level, a drill with a Phillips bit, and 3-inch lag bolts (upgrade from the included hardware for a more secure mount). A second person holding the cabinet while you drive the initial screws is helpful for the larger units.
Time to Install
A single 30-inch wall cabinet takes about 45 minutes to an hour if you're moving at a normal pace, including finding studs and snapping a level line. If you're doing a full wall of four or five cabinets in one session, factor in 4 to 6 hours total.
Craftsman vs. Husky: The Actual Differences
Both brands sell steel wall cabinets at roughly the same price point through their respective big-box retail partners. The differences are real but not dramatic.
Steel thickness: Both use 24-gauge steel. Equivalent.
Door quality: Craftsman doors feel slightly more solid on the higher-end units. The hinge adjustability is better on Craftsman. Husky's economy models have less adjustable hinges.
Aesthetics: Craftsman's charcoal gray is slightly more polished-looking than Husky's standard gray. Subjective, but consistently noted in reviews.
Price: Essentially the same for comparable sizes. Watch for Lowe's sales events (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Black Friday) where Craftsman cabinets frequently go on sale.
Availability: Husky is at Home Depot (more locations in some areas), Craftsman is at Lowe's. Buy from wherever is more convenient for returns and local support.
If budget is the main constraint, the Best Cheap Garage Cabinets guide covers lower-cost alternatives that sacrifice some build quality but are still functional for lighter storage loads.
What to Store in Craftsman Wall Cabinets
The 12-inch depth that's standard on most Craftsman wall cabinets is enough for most garage storage applications.
Automotive: Quarts of motor oil, brake cleaner, wax and polish products, touch-up paint, funnel sets, oil filter tools.
Hand tools: Socket sets in trays, screwdriver sets, wrench collections. The adjustable shelf lets you configure for taller items.
Small power tools: A cordless drill case, a flashlight collection, a battery charger.
Hardware: Small bins organized by fastener type. This works especially well in wall cabinets because you're not bending down to access them.
Seasonal items: Items you access a few times a year but want organized and out of the way.
FAQ
Are Craftsman garage wall cabinets the same quality as the old Sears Craftsman cabinets? The current Craftsman cabinetry is made by Stanley Black & Decker, which acquired the brand from Sears. The steel gauge and overall build quality are comparable to what Sears sold in the 2010s, though the manufacturing source has changed. Most reviews of the current lineup rate quality as good to excellent.
Can Craftsman wall cabinets hold power tools? Yes. The shelves are rated for 100 to 200 pounds each depending on the model. A cordless drill case weighs 10 to 15 pounds; a complete socket set in a carrying case weighs 20 to 30 pounds. You can fit quite a bit on each shelf without approaching the weight limit.
Do Craftsman wall cabinets come with locks? Most do. The standard cam lock on Craftsman wall cabinets uses a single key that often operates all cabinets in the series, so you can lock your entire storage wall with one key. This is either a feature or a limitation depending on your needs.
How much weight can a Craftsman wall cabinet hold total? The total weight rating varies by model, but most Craftsman wall cabinets are rated for 200 to 400 pounds total (across all shelves). The limiting factor is usually the wall mount, not the cabinet itself. Proper installation into at least two studs with adequate lag bolts is what lets you reach the rated capacity.
Craftsman garage wall cabinets are a well-executed mid-range product. The build quality justifies the price, the installation is straightforward, and the Lowe's ecosystem makes it easy to mix and match components into a complete storage wall. Buy a set if you're equipping an entire garage wall, watch for sale pricing, and upgrade the shelf clips if you're storing anything heavy.