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jldc03

kitchen remodel

8 years ago
My wife and I started a home renovation that revolves around a new kitchen. We tore out everything in the kitchen and had custom cabinet made. We told our contractor from the start we wanted to stain our cabinets. We provided our contractor an inspiration photo so show the general design that we were going for. When the cabinets were done they looked horrible because the wrong wood was used. I have attached photos of the inspiration and on our cabinets after staining. I just want to get other opinions on if they think he cabinets are satisfactory or not.

Comments (6)

  • PRO
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    If you signed off on a finished door, then unfortunately this is on you, especially if that door had the same issues as what you are seeing.

  • 8 years ago

    it's all wrong as you well know without me

    a good pro would know and be straightforward about what can be done, would point out where he's uncomfortable to promise, would tell whether requires more money to achieve the result, won't give you false info, and wouldn't reassure you to sign off the sample you don't like

    and you of course shouldn't sign off the sample you're very unsure about either

    it is a very complicated finish that requires different wood and high quality pro to achieve it

    now it's about negotiations with them, about what still can be done

    they won't redo your kitchen, I suppose. Too expensive.They might agree to paint it (still expensive but better than redoing it completely) as not to have a very unhappy customer..I don't know how maple takes paint, I prefer it in its natural state, personally. Would be biting the bullet, for both sides




  • 8 years ago

    The wood in your photo and the wood in the picture appear to be very different. Did you specify type of wood for frames and doors? Oak, birch, poplar will look different with stain and grain has a lot to do with that. As Petro stated if you had a sample door to sign-off then it is your problem. If no sample was provided then you should not have gone forward with the cabinet build.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Setting aside the wood finish, which I agree looks nothing like the inspiration photo, setting that aside, the big wood corbels on either side of the cooktop space are freaking me out.

    Here is a close-up photo of the wood cabinets in your inspiration kitchen. They look like they are rift-sawn oak, the most expensive of the expensive (maybe other than walnut). There is a wash applied to the oak. You said "the wrong wood was used". What kind of wood did you specify, and what was used? If you didn't specify that oak, it's not going to look like the picture, and you can't blame the contractor, sorry.

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    It looks like maple, stained on site. You were never going to get the finish in the inspiration photo. I’m sorry you were led to believe otherwise.