Obsessing over Cabinet Quality?

14 years ago

I thought I had seen a thread about reactions to cabinet quality (after installation) but cannot find it. So I will post my concerns and seek advice:

First, I am aware of how easy it is to obsess over every detail of a kitchen remodel, sometimes beyond all reason (I just finished deciding which parts of the granite slabs should be used for the counters!). I have done enough obsessing and don't want to continue. BUT, having said that, I am looking for advice on how much I should be concerned about my new cabinets. They were installed last week, cherry wood, dark stain, exactly the color I wanted ("the color that cabinets are supposed to be," I like to say). The installers found a couple of places where there was some damage, and the cabinet rep immediately put in a rush order to replace those, no questions asked. The installers were able to cover some other very minor spots with the supplied stain repair kit, and I can no longer find those places. Then some friends came over and began to locate other bad places. When they left, I decided I should go over every square inch of the cabinets. I found perhaps 8-9 places where the stain didn't quite look right. Some I could fix with the repair kit. There remain perhaps 6 places where you can feel small damage to the wood or the finish is rough. The contractor said some of these rough spots are knots in the wood and "that's just the way wood is." I can accept that--if it's true, that is. The pattern on the doors is quite intricate, and I can imagine that it is difficult to get every nook and cranny totally smooth.

So my question is: how close to perfection should I demand? Are imperfections just part of using natural products crafted by humans? Or should I follow the typical argument, "You paid a lot for those cabinets and you should have them as close to perfect as you want"?

I am deliberately not mentioning the name of the manufacturer or of the store where I bought the cabinets because both have been completely willing to replace anything I want, without looking at the damage/imperfections. And the remaining bad places are all on drawers or doors, not on the cabinet bodies themselves. But I don't want to be a crazy person who returns everything that has what are--in the grand scheme of life--minor flaws.

For some perspective, I should add that the cabinet brand is usually considered mid-level or slightly above and is the highest level of cabinets the store offers. My kitchen is small (10' x 15'), and I paid around $16K (after rebates).

I would appreciate hearing any advice on how to proceed.

Jim D.

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Comments (5)

User
14 years ago
You said it yourself. You're putting everything under a microscope right now. Wood is a natural substance, with knots, mineral streaks, heartwood and sapwood, etc, and you will need to pay a LOT, especially in cherry, to have completely "perfect" cabinets. You get different quality levels with 80K cabinets vs. 8K cabinets. If you just now noticed "issues" then I'd have to say that once you stop being hyper critical, you won't notice those hard to find spots ever again.
Mercymygft
14 years ago
When our cabinets were first installed, I noticed some staining issues on my cabinets. However, when everything came together...granite, appliances, etc., the imperfections seems to not be so noticeable. They have been installed for 6 years now, and it's no big deal.

But with that being said, if you are truly unhappy with certain cabs, by all means, now is the time to speak up. Whether it's 80K or 16K, this is your kitchen and you should be happy with the outcome.
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hellonasty
14 years ago
If the imperfections are glaringly obvious, and you know you will never be able to get over them and will always obsess over them, then have them corrected. And know, because it is true... that once everything is in place you will forget about the little things that once bothered you. There are several small imperfections in my 1.5 year old kitchen that bothered me in the beginning but I can't even remember what they are now. The biggie imperfections and mistakes I had corrected (ie: my silestone sink cutout was reallllllly horrible. Uneven and extremely crooked edges, it just looked terrible). I could not let something that BAD slide and had them take it back and fix it. Boy am I glad I did. It's close to perfect now, the way it should have been done in the first place). So... think about it like that. If they're hardly noticeable now and you have to look really hard to find the imperfections, just let them go, cause you won't remember them in a few months once everything is in. If they're HUGE mistakes, ones that stick out bigtime, and just ruin the kitchen, then have them corrected.
K Sissy
14 years ago
As long as the cabinet rep and or the store are willing to replace the cabinets that you don't like, I would let them do this. It is their job to make you happy so maybe you will be a repeat customer. When we remodeled our kitchen 7 years ago, some the doors had the wood grain that was very noticeable, and I debated about calling and returning the doors, but I found the cabinet rep more than willing to do this to make me a happy customer. Now I am happy that I did this, because it made the kitchen look better, and I did not always know that there was a flaw in the cabinets. I probably would have called and had the cabinet replaced, even if I could not see it. It made me happy to know that the company was willing to make it better.
jamesdutt
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for all the helpful responses. I have decided to have the cabinet salesman come over and take a look. Since he seems completely willing to do whatever I want (and doesn't appear to work on commission), I figure he will be a knowledgeable but more or less impartial witness. I'll write more once he has come to the house.