Is it painted? If so the middle portion is MDF while the outer areas are hardwood if it's 5 piece.

For stained, I got all hardwood.

They are stained. It's also just a European slab door, not a 5 piece.

No, it is not 'normal contractor games' to bid on one specification and then deliver another. And any 'games' are not acceptable. I'm a little confused, though - are you saying he intends to stain an MDF board?

It's true that a lot of cabinets are now made with MDF. I don't know
your contractor, so I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt
(only because of my personal experience with my contractor). You've
worked with him for 6 months so presumably you have a better feel for
what kind of person you are dealing with. While I would expect him to
know what he has installed in other projects, if that part of the
project is done by a trusted cabinetmaker sub-trade, he might of
forgotten.... or not.

Stay calm. I would approach him by
saying that you agonized over MDF vs plywood for your kitchen and that
is the reason you had him quote plywood. Let him know that since MDF
isn't an option in your mind, you've checked your contract to confirm
that plywood won't be an upcharge now. (It's more difficult for him to argue against wood when he's quoted it!)

FWIW, when I had my cabinets quoted, MDF was cheaper, but not a lot cheaper, and I ended up with plywood boxes and MDF doors (painted).

Your contract says the boxes are to be 3/4" hardwood plywood, no question there. Best I can tell it says the doors are to be Blum European which only tells you about the hinges, not the composition of the door. I trust this was just sloppy writing, not a preconceived plan to deceive.

Did it say anywhere what the finish was to be? Our cabinets have mdf boxes with a maple veneer then painted a particular color. Both the veneer and the finish are specified. We previously had mdf ("furniture board") boxes, maple veneer, stained a particular color. The doors in both cases are solid maple. Regardless, the mdf used for cabinets doesn't turn to sawdust when you rub your finger over it whether or not you call it "furniture board" to distinguish it from the cheap stuff.

In your case the quality of any mdf should be irrelevant since what you anticipated was alder. Unfortunately, that seems like it may not have been written into the contract. Your best bet may be to follow dan1888's advise, or a variation of it. You're solid on the 3/4" plywood boxes (a finish description would be nice), so you're just potentially on the hook for the doors. You should be able to negotiate this without substantial monetary damage to your budget.

thanks for the insight, everyone. It's helpful to get others' perspectives. This is not my first remodel, but it's by far the largest scale, and this is the first time I've worked with this contractor, who is known (and we've found) to be quite good in his trade but has a somewhat prickly personality.

freeoscar, yes, I assume he intends to stain MDF as we told him we wanted stained cabs. I'm not even sure staining MDF is possible. I assume he is just confused, but I have no idea how because he's been so buttoned up with regard to other things, so this raises concern with me. We didn't get into an involved discussion about staining MDF about it because I told him we were not doing MDF, period, as the entire time we thought the cabinet doors would be solid wood.

dan1888, thanks that is good advice. The only snag there is that the designer and the contractor are very close friends, and she basically works for him on all projects in this area. I may just see if I can get an independent cabinet maker to give us a bid for the kitchen on our own.

thanks, sherri. We have dealt with him for 6 months and found him to be competent, but very pushy as well.

suzanne,_sl, thanks that is helpful. I agree the bid is vague, but elsewhere it does specify MDF (ie, for the new grooved ceiling) and in the section discussing kitchen cabinets it does not. There is nothing in the bid about finish, unfortunately.

Wait, you mean the MDF isn't veneered with Alder wood? Just...plain MDF? For staining? Yeah, that's bizarre. For slab doors, one common thing is to do veneer over a MDF core, sure--more stable than a large slab of plain wood (for plain wood, you usually get strips of wood across the back to help with cupping, from what I've seen). But you can't just dump stain on MDF & get anything at all! Veneer would stain nicely, of course, being a thin piece of real wood. So, what's so odd about your doors that he thinks you can't do 'em in real wood? Extra-huge?

Anyhow, good luck with the negotiations. Hopefully he'll come back tomorrow having regained his equilibrium & things will go back to sane!

Was the sample MDF with an alder veneer? If the edges were raw, that could look pretty rough.

MDF is frequently used - almost always used - in some part in painted cabinets.

Stained cabinets should have solid wood frames and doors. I have noticed that recently many of the stained doors I saw were veneer over MDF for the center panel. I would not do that. I just refinished my wood cabinets. It would have been almost impossible to refinish a veneered door. (I have done it on a different project, but I am not that thrilled with the result.)

Painted cabinets benefit from the MDF because it is more stable as to movement which helps prevent the paint from cracking. Stained cabinets do not need to worry about paint cracking. The wood can move a bit without it being apparent.

This website has a photo that shows a veneer over MDF slab. Click on photo at top of page to enlarge. I liked my previous kitchen's slab doors in solid wood because it was a very small kitchen with lots of action. They were walnut so lots of variation that might have driven some people berserk, veneer gives a more uniform look.

https://taylorcraftdoor.com/modern-slab-veneer-cabinet-doors/

You can't stain MDF. Definitely you need to stop the project and clarify things.

Good advice, thanks all.

megannca, yes, Just plain ole MDF. Like the cheapy stuff that disintegrates like cardboard when it gets wet. I'm not sure what he's smoking, but that stuff would never hold up in a kitchen. And it couldn't be stained.

cluelessincolorado, the sample he had was just an MDF, no veneer. I don't think you could veneer it because the surface is not flat -- it is grooved/reeded. I'm going over to the jobsite tomorrow and will try to snap a photo.

beachem, your post resonated with me. I feel like we need a "come to Jesus" talk with him. After I posted this, we got an written upcharge to float our floors that was $7K (he previously told us in person it was "a couple thousand" and then an overage of $2k to install the smaller and more sleek Fantech bath fans over his Panasonic Whisper model in 4.5 baths. The Fantechs we chose were only $185, so I have no idea where he came up with the $2k. At this point, I just feel like he is pulling numbers out of the sky.

Can you knock on the door of the home you toured and ask about the cabinets? Seems like a simple way to correct that conflict. What type of contract do you have with the contractor. For example - is it "I can do everything you want for 50K" or something like that? As for the floors, get a few other bids. As for the fans, perhaps do it yourself later. Good luck.

Why would he take the sample away? Without the contract specifying, that sample was the only "proof" you had that the cabinets were intended to be wood. Why in the world would he NOT specify in the contract the materials, color, etc., to be used on the cabinets? He is inviting disagreements!

Pip, sorry you are having to deal with this. Did you guys move out during the reno or are you living through it?

I agree with JellyToast, and it was my first reaction...you let him take your sample? It's your only proof of what you are supposed to be getting! You have no guarantee that the sample is not going to disappear or be switched out for what he wants to deliver!

You need to try to get that sample back NOW!

MDF is a perfect substrate for paint or veneer. It is dimensionally stable and very smooth. It is the preferred choice.

For a slab door, it is absolutely the way to go. I'm thinking there is some weird miscommunication here as no one would attempt to stain just raw MDF. Cover it in veneer, and now you're talking.

This guy is rapidly turning into a financial nightmare. If it were me I would begin the process of cutting him loose. Halfway through he is beginning to bully you based on a perceived perception that he cannot be replaced. Replace him and get online with a realistic review for the next customer.

The problem with MDF veneered slab doors is the 90* edge. Is it iron on veneer, a solid wood strip or some version of inlaid strip? That's the most vunerable point of wear and delamination. 3/4" ply boxes are the highest quality standard out there as far as customer perception goes. Those cabs should have high quality doors. Find out the manufacturer from the designer or the previous job.

Oh pipdog, so sorry to hear. I look forward to updates on your build because it's such an amazing site.

Would it be helpful to touch base a second time with your builder's references, to see if any had similar issues? You may get some handling tips.

Was there ever any talk of having your kitchen painted rather than stained? That would be the only way I could see this contractor getting confused between MDF and a wood door.

I can't think of any cabinet company that would use an all MDF door when staining. I have seen 'overseas' furniture (like a table top) made with an MDF substrate that had a veneer face to it. It was then stained and put through a process that is basically taking a lacquer with a dye of the same colour as the stain and carefully dusting the MDF edges to blend the colour so that the final edge looked like the veneer face. I'd be amazed if the Designer is even offering such a thing.

IMPO, if this is what he is planning, I would outright refuse as this is a poor practice and quite honestly, with the style of door you're talking about with the beaded panel, it's never going to look good.

Based on your post about the floating floor and bathroom fan, I would start looking for another contractor to finish the job. Have you given him any money toward the kitchen cabinetry? If not, go to the cabinet company yourself or another company, and plan out the kitchen yourself with the style and colour you want. If you have given him money, it may be a battle to get even an allowance back from him.

Replacing the contractor at this point is highly unlikely - she's 6 months into a 1yr+ project - very few reputable contractors are going to want to take that on and be responsible for the substantial amount of work which has already been done. It sounds to me like he is having a hard time financially on this project - maybe it is costing him much more than he thought. Hence the agitation, extreme pricing on change orders, and attempts to shave a few dollars off the cabinet price. I think you need to arrange a calm meeting with him, perhaps offsite or when no work is being done, and get this all out in the open. Maybe you'll need to pony up more cash or cut some things out. Which sucks, but if he is short cash you are going to pay for it one way or another.

Totally the wrong approach. Cut him out now and you aren't going to experience 6 months of what's starting to escalate plus have to live with the consequences for years. It'll take more effort on your part and that's the cost I would be willing to pay. Get it done right and over.

Thanks, everyone. We're not at the point where we are considering cutting him out. We selected our contractor because he is also a structural engineer and he brings a special expertise to this job, which includes a complicated pool build and an outdoor lounge perched on a steep sloped lot. There have already been a few significant overruns - our structural costs for the pool and the lounge went way up due to issues
with the soil and depth of bedrock, and it has been stressful for both
us and the contractor. After having interviewed all the top shelf contractors in our area, he was the only one we wanted to work with. Also, we are renting another home, so it would be costly for us to lose time to locate another contractor, wait for him to provide a bid, and bring him in and get him up to speed.

Also, as an update: the cabinets in the other home are MDF -- he got confirmation from the homeowners of the other house and the cabinet maker that built them. There was confusion on our part because we were given a door sample that was solid wood, and the plans for that house indicated they were Alder. We were never told until just yesterday that those cabinets were MDF, so we relied on the sample given to us and the plans which (incorrectly) reflected they were wood. They must have some sort of veneer on them because they are stained. We are going over to the other house this weekend to look at them. We have not given him any money towards the cabinets yet. And we are free to change the style of the cabinets at this point if we want to. I'm waiting to see the quality of the cabs before making a decision.

Sorry I don't have time to respond individually -- running out to a dental appt. But appreciative of the advice and support. Thank you all!

Of course, check what the upgrade cost is for the door you had in your hand. For the fans tell him you'll supply the units.

A well done veneered wood door (wood veneer over MDF) could easily appear to be solid wood even to the more experienced eye until close inspection. Veneers are also the way to go for anyone who is picky about grain matching etc. Solid wood is for people that are willing to accept the "flaws" of nature. Or those that want to stain the heck out of it to hide those beautiful "flaws". If I were getting a slab door I would chose a high quality veneer over solid wood every time. Solid wood can and most likely will warp over time. A veneer is far more stable. Slab doors are made of multiple pieces of wood. Those pieces will expand and contract.

You might get away with solid wood in a stable climate if it is quarter-sawn but that would be an added expense and there would still be no guarantee against warping.
Paneled doors are "loose" for this reason. It allows for expansion and contraction.

I would think your contractor would be able to explain this better if he is a structural engineer. Maybe he tried but you weren't of a mind to clearly hear what he was saying. Ask him to explain it to you clearly.

I just got maple veneer over MDF slab doors and the edges are exceptionally done. You would never know it's not solid wood. I got Brookhaven. Very happy!