Hmmmm....what kind of references did this cabinet maker come with? And your GC for that matter. I can understand why your GC would be frustrated with the cabinetmaker - and why you would be too. I would be as well.

What does the cabinet guy say about the different colors? I would think he should re-do them correctly, no?

The mismatched cabs/doors were put up today and by the time I come home from work, the cabinetmaker is gone from his shop. I'll call him in the morning.
I got references on everybody. I even checked out the subs that the GC told me he was using. I thought I had done my homework, but I guess not enough. I contacted previous clients, talked to suppliers to make sure they paid their bills, did a search with the licensing boards, etc.
I am hanging in and can't wait until the job is done. My greatest consolation is that the GC's work is impeccable. He is a real craftsman and what he has done is wonderful. He just has his own time frame, which doesn't match mine. Sigh.
I appreciate your support--today started out so hopeful and then coming home to the "color differential" just got me so down. Thanks!

Keep us posted! I really want to hear what your cabinetmaker says.......And hang in there!

Linda - hugs for you!

It sounds really frustrating. If you've read any of my posts, you'll know that I can relate to your disappointment and frustration. Things that I am learning:

#1 - Don't beat yourself up thinking that if you had gone with the more expensive kitchen company, everything would have been better. I went with an expensive company and I still have a kettle of problems. Don't second guess.

#2 - Don't be afraid to be assertive. I felt pushed around several times in this process. It is hard for me to push back, but I am. I have to. You have to.

#3 - Take lots of pictures and try to reduce things to writing to help document your concerns. Does the cabinet man have e-mail? He must. Send him e-mails to help create a paper trail and make him more accountable.

If he is the person responsible for or doing the cabinet painting, then he must be able to put a top finish coat of the correct color on all of the cabinets to make them match. The top coat of color is the most important from what I have been learning from finish carpenters. It should all be one lot of the same color, not bought piecemeal a gallon at a time at the local paint store. Is he diluting the paint to make it stretch farther? Is he using the same number of coats on each "batch" of cabinets? How many coats? Ask! Is he using conversion varnish or regular paint? Is he applying a clear coat protectant?

If the cabinet man is out of his league on the soft closures, perhaps you can get him to agree to have someone else retrofit the drawers with better closures. Closures, even the Blum hardware advertised by Wood-Mode and Brookhaven, are really not expensive. Do you know the brand he is trying to install? There are actually forums on line where people talk about drawer closures and stuff. During the course of my kitchen project, I've had to go to "hinge talk" more than once. You might need to seek out advice here or on a hinge forum to help him figure out the solution. Not what you bargained for, but we gotta do what we gotta do.

The GC just adds fuel to the fire. All these guys push us to use their friends or people they have worked with in the past. Who needs the "Told you so" attitude. He needs to shut up and help you solve problems instead of being a problem. Tell him that.

lindiver, hold on :), you're likely past the half-way point if cabs are in, sending you ((cyber-hugs)) on your big disappointment today.
Do you know if the mis-matched color cabs were sprayed or brushed or some combination of technique? I ask because you may have a variation in sheen or gloss that is magnifying a color difference.
I'm not a professional painter, so this is just my own experience, but I know that paint used in sprayers is often "conditioned", treated, or thinned so that it behaves nicely in the sprayer guts and tips. It also has the effect of altering (slightly) the gloss or sheen of the original paint. I use this to my amateur advantage when painting with semi-gloss paint for woodwork trim because I don't care for the full semi-gloss look, I like it toned down a bit, but not all the way to satin. So I add some opf this conditioner, and presto, I get a sheen part way between satin and semi-gloss. The product I use is called Floetrol, it's available locally, but there are others.

Perhaps this bit of background will help you question the cabinetmaker, or his painters, tomorrow. Did they use such a product in their sprayer, or in the brush-applied paint, on your cabinets. If a different mix ratio was used in different batches, it could account for some of the color variance.

Did you know that GW has a painting forum? You might also post your experience over there, and get much better advice and feedback than I've offered. Hope you get it all sorted out to your satisfaction! Here's a link to the painting forum

Here is a link that might be useful: Paint forum

Long shot but is the lighting the same in all areas? Different lighting might be affecting the color and explain the difference.

Cawfeegirl, plumeriavine, smiling and ci lantro, thanks a bunch!
Plumeria--I have been reading your posts, but a bit distractedly. I just went through them all at once. My goodness! You have hit a rough patch. We are opposite coast sisters! All of your points were spot-on. I've been beating myself up all night, in fact I just said to my DH that I should've done more research. Were you reading my mind? :-)
The mismatched doors are side by side, so it's very noticeable. Just to make sure it wasn't the light, we held a drop light in front of them, and it's definitely the color itself. I'm not sure exactly the process he used, but the cabinetmaker has a section in his shop for painting. He seems to have the right equipment. And he'll have to use it to repaint so that they match.
I was thinking of calling in somebody to do the closures, too. I'm not sure what he's using on the drawers, but I know that the doors are Blum hinges. I stopped at Lowe's today to check out their soft close drawers and saw that the hardware is on the bottom of the drawers. Ours is on the sides.
I can sleep better now. I'll be calling him first thing in the morning, on my drive to work. (What did we do before cell phones?) The color is my first step, then the drawers. I'll keep you posted. Linda

Linda,
I did not have time to post last night. Thinking of you
and knowing this will all be under the bridge soon. You are
not alone.

((((((((((((((cyber magic and positive thoughts coming your way)))))))))))))))))

~boxerpups and all the other gardenweb fans wishing you good luck.

Linda,

We really are sisters in this. Somehow, we will both get done.

Funny, we also went to a finished kitchen done by our dealer/builder that was meant to impress us. We later discovered that the house was owned by a relative of the dealer/builder. Come to think of it, who knows who put together that particular kitchen? They just said they had done it. Anyways. . . In hindsight, I would never hire a kitchen contractor who couldn't produce a list of perhaps 100 finished kitchen project references for me to contact - - that might sound excessive, 100, you say. That's only 10 kitchens a year for 10 years. I'd probably settle for even 50! I'd be worried if the list was only 20. I'd be petrified if the happy customer list was only 2. And, I'd make sure the BBB rating is A+ with no record of complaints.

It is really sad that we pay someone to do a good job and end up having to play contractor.

Hang in there - - for what it is worth, my cabinets have hardware under the drawers and it works great. It is frameless cabinetry. Is yours frameless or framed? Wonder if that makes a difference as to where the hardware goes.

If the drawers don't work right now, they won't suddenly fix themselves over time.

Good luck!

Hi, here's the update for today so far. :-)
I spoke with the cabinetmaker while on my way to work this morning. His first words were that he's already been in contact with the paint supplier and the doors are going to be repainted. Whew!
I left notes on the doors for some of the minor issues and told him to look at them when he arrives at the house. The next step is talking to him again about the drawers. If he can't fix it, I'll just have to pay more and use another cabinetmaker to re-do the work. Of course, I won't pay him the balance until everything is resolved.
Again, everyone's support has been invaluable. I even slept through the night!

Good to hear that he recognized the paint issue and is working to solve it. Hopefully, the other items will be handled so that your stress level can subside.

Hope it all works out!!

Sandy