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With all that said, I'm doing my kitchen this Spring with Shenandoah Cabinetry. I don't have th time to build them myself and I can install these much quicker and makes for a happy family sooner.
i want to reaffirm something stated earlier in this thread; DO NOT BUY CHINESE IMPORTS!!!!!
i don't have enough room here to list the defects you will find in them, but just stay away!
in my area store built cabinets are an extreme rarity; custom made cabinets can be had for much less, or 100x the cost if you want.
anyhow, i've worked with kraft-maid cabinets on two jobs and i thought they were nicely built. The only complaint i could make against them is that the finish looked like it was coated in plastic, but i'm sure you can order a nicer finish than what i've seen.
one other thing i dislike about store bought cabinets is that when something needs to be changed or modified, you can't call the guy that built them to come out and make the changes. the hardest thing to do with them is install under-cabinet lighting. we always get the cabinets built specifically for UCL's, and with the store-bought's you have to shim the light and then add a piece of trim below the cabinets to cover the fixture. its not very attractive.
if you're having UCL's installed, check to see if there is an option for this with the cabinet store.
Well you are right on with the Chinese made junk. As with all the products they ship here, you can get sick from cabinets too. They make heavy use of formaldehyde in their cabinets. You do not want to be exposed to that and kids should stay very clear of it.
I am very familiar with Kraftmaid, it is one of my product lines I carry. I dont know what you mean about a plastic finish. Are you referring to white thermofoil? Kraftmaid uses a patented Duracraft finish which far exceeds all ANSI and KMCA standards. We like to call it the Ethan Allen finish because it is of a higher quality then the best furniture makers on earth use.
What did you mean by with store bought cabinets "if something goes wrong the guy cant come out to make changes"? Maybe you meant custom built they cant. If it is store bought then you have individual boxs. If something went wrong with one ( I could not even guess what could) then you simply go back to where you bought the cabinets and buy that one box to fit right into where you take the old one out. With custom built, in most cases they build one unit for the entire length of the wall. If something goes wrong you might have to take down the entire wall.
But what could go wrong? If a bratty kid scratches a door then you can just go back to where you bought the cabinets and order just the door. All
manufacturers use the same door styles and colors year after year so the match will be identical. The only other thing that can go wrong is the hindge can go bad. It is either a Blum, Grass or a Ferrari hindge. Thats it. They can be bought in any big box store.
I know what your talking about with under cabinet lighting. Most all brands of cabinets have a 3/4" recess on the top and bottom. You are shimming the light down to flush with the bottom of the cabinet sides and face. But why? And whats wrong with under cabinet modling UCM or MT?? That is one of my most popular upgrades/options next to 5" crown with rope or dentil insert. People love it because it really dresses up the whole kitchen.
Well on new construction the Electrician should be prewiring stub outs at 54". The bottom of the upper sits at 54". So you would at worst have to put a notch between cabinet box sides were the sides protrude below the cabinet floor that 3/4". You know what? I have many people order under cabinet molding when they dont nor do they intend to put in under cabinet lighting. UCM is very desirable.
As for under cabinet lighting options on the cabinet boxes, there is no such thing. All cabinet Manufacturers build a standard box. Some things like notching for a wire is for the installer to do on site as per site conditions.
With all that said, I'm doing my kitchen this Spring with Shenandoah Cabinetry. I don't have th time to build them myself and I can install these much quicker and makes for a happy family sooner.
Shanandoah are beautiful cabinets Garlicguy. I just worry you bought from Home Depot which means you will over pay. Try Crescent Lumber Company right in your own town. If they dont already offer an every day discount then watch for their 50% off sales. Take a look at their Merillat brand.
Someone here posted that they wouldn't buy IKEA, but I have a friend with a 22 year old IKEA kitchen and it's in beautiful condition and functions solidly. I wouldn't buy the bottom of the line cabinetry IKEA makes, but the mid-range and upper-range is well constructed and not costly and replacement pieces can be easily obtained. They also have an online kitchen designing program. It's one of the most popular and best kitchen lines purchased in Europe and they have a wide range of styles available in the USA as well. There are a number of kitchen remodeling forums on the internet that have some interesting information that might be helpful to you.
I am very familiar with Kraftmaid, it is one of my product lines I carry. I dont know what you mean about a plastic finish. Are you referring to white thermofoil? Kraftmaid uses a patented Duracraft finish which far exceeds all ANSI and KMCA standards. We like to call it the Ethan Allen finish because it is of a higher quality then the best furniture makers on earth use.
The finish looked like it was coated in plastic; i don't know how to explain it any more clearly. I did say though you might could order a nicer finish. It looked like some type of plastic molded veneer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertsun41
What did you mean by with store bought cabinets "if something goes wrong the guy cant come out to make changes"? Maybe you meant custom built they cant. If it is store bought then you have individual boxs. If something went wrong with one ( I could not even guess what could) then you simply go back to where you bought the cabinets and buy that one box to fit right into where you take the old one out. With custom built, in most cases they build one unit for the entire length of the wall. If something goes wrong you might have to take down the entire wall.
Why would you want to go back to the store and order another one when you can call the cabinet maker to come make the changes? My comment stems from work in custom houses where the customers are notorious to making small changes; whether it be with the trim or a type of hinge, etc. . . You never know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertsun41
I know what your talking about with under cabinet lighting. Most all brands of cabinets have a 3/4" recess on the top and bottom. You are shimming the light down to flush with the bottom of the cabinet sides and face. But why? And whats wrong with under cabinet modling UCM or MT?? That is one of my most popular upgrades/options next to 5" crown with rope or dentil insert. People love it because it really dresses up the whole kitchen.
Because the fixtures often span more than one cabinet box, and must be lowered to span those recessed. This is not a problem with custom built cabinets. And that cabinet molding looks horrible in my opinion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertsun41
Well on new construction the Electrician should be prewiring stub outs at 54". The bottom of the upper sits at 54". So you would at worst have to put a notch between cabinet box sides were the sides protrude below the cabinet floor that 3/4". You know what? I have many people order under cabinet molding when they dont nor do they intend to put in under cabinet lighting. UCM is very desirable.
stub-outs go @ 57" on concrete and 58" if tile over plywood subfloor. Again, that molding looks like DOO DOO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertsun41
As for under cabinet lighting options on the cabinet boxes, there is no such thing. All cabinet Manufacturers build a standard box. Some things like notching for a wire is for the installer to do on site as per site conditions.
That's too bad.
I understand you have a product to sell and i'm not knocking you for defending it, its just not my preference. Hope you understand.
Great posts everyone. Thank you (especially desertsun )
I finally finished tearing out 70% of my galley kitchen including the floor, the counters and the cabinets so I started looking around at cabinets. I saw some nice cabinets in the Embassy line by Omega and got a price quote... for a 8x17 kitchen with only 2 upper cabinets, 2 doorways and no cabinets at either end of the kichen.....$12,000. what the ....???
Thank goodness desertsun said Omega is an expensive brand but still...I can't afford even half that amount
what the heck should I do now that I've thrown out most of the cabinets (they were 48 years old and smelled like cat pee)?
Has anyone bought cabinets online? I just want basic white ones (just not plastic!) but I'm willing to be flexible on the color so long as I can keep it under $4k for the kitchen. Please help!
Almost every area has a discount building supply place.
Desertsun; what do you mean by "discount building supply"? We are redoing our laundry room with extra cabinets for a mudroom - nothing fancy - we will be doing the work ourselves. I have looked into the cabinets at HomeD and Lowes thinking I would get a better deal.
Can you give an example of a "discount building supply" place? Do you mean where the builders get their stuff from?
Great posts everyone. Thank you (especially desertsun )
I finally finished tearing out 70% of my galley kitchen including the floor, the counters and the cabinets so I started looking around at cabinets. I saw some nice cabinets in the Embassy line by Omega and got a price quote... for a 8x17 kitchen with only 2 upper cabinets, 2 doorways and no cabinets at either end of the kichen.....$12,000. what the ....???
Thank goodness desertsun said Omega is an expensive brand but still...I can't afford even half that amount
what the heck should I do now that I've thrown out most of the cabinets (they were 48 years old and smelled like cat pee)?
Has anyone bought cabinets online? I just want basic white ones (just not plastic!) but I'm willing to be flexible on the color so long as I can keep it under $4k for the kitchen. Please help!
So you saw Omegas price. It will make your hair stand up. But no one can take the beauty from the product. If you have a regular house like the rest of us then there is no need to spend that kind of money on a basic kitchen.
If you cant even afford $6000 then you worry me a little bit. I can send you to the right brand and place where you live to get the cabinets for approx $4300 for oak. Believe it or not white will cost a little bit more. Your granite might run $3000 for your 8 X 17. You can get a decent cabinet for that price but with no options or goodies. How do you only have 2 uppers with 25 LF of kitchen? Is each box like 10' long? Dont laugh I have seen it. They are old.
There are a couple of KD (knock down) brands that are cheaper but I would not put them in the kids play house. Brands like IKEA, Mills Pride, BASS and the like. Even some of the dumpiest apartment buildings reject that kind of trash and purchase a grade or two higher.
Your in Southern California. If you want to PM me your zip code I can steer you to the right place and product.
I'm also thinking of going with the Shanandoah line at Lowes - but I'm not talking a lot here - just a tall utility, overhead cubbies, and 2 - 24x39 cabinets.
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what the ....??? 
