Wow. That sounds like a Better Business Bureau thing. Tell them to give you the actual price differential between the two types of materials. $700 on $40K worth of cabinets seems ridiculous. (Make sure you understand the difference between the actual cabinet cost vs. the installation cost. I assume some of that $40K is installation, which wouldn't change regardless of the materials.)

I take it you already paid them the balance?

Most manufacturers will tell you right up front that painted cabinets will be MDF panels. There isn't a price difference, because that is the only way to do paint. It's the far better choice, and it's the reason that major manufacturers use it. Wanting a 25% discount is completely unreasonable. Even a $700 discount is unwarranted for receiving a better performing product.

@live wire, I disagree. You can absolutely spec paint-grade maple, which doesn't mean subbing MDF. The question here is whether or not the OP was misled. I think she was. The follow up question I have are (1) are these custom cabinets, in which case MDF should never have been introduced, and (2) if they're standard or semi-custom, did the cabinet seller tell you upfront what the composition of the cabinets was? @Cindy, check your original paperwork when you signed the order. What does it say?

Most times cabinet supplies would let the client know the materials they are gettin, in which you might have to check the supply order and see what was stated either as soild wood or MDF,

How do you know they’re MDF? Are the interior and frame/shell/shelves of the cabinets maple? My painted cabinets are maple but the panel in the door is MDF.

You can disagree all you want, the fact remains that MDF panels are standard for paint for a reason. Wood expands and contracts too much, which creates normal cracking that makes some customers very unhappy. They don't like cracks in paint. MDF doesn't expand and contract like wood. It minimizes finish cracking and unhappy customers. That's why it is industry standard for paint. It gives better results. And it's written into the company specs.

She said paid for maple - make them do it over. $700 will not be worth it down the line. Plus most MDF contains formaldehyde which emits toxic VOCs. $700 is WAY cheap for them - almost a joke on a $40k investment. I had MDF in my condo originally - it split, expanded if water or steam (cabinet over microwave) got on it to the point that it was a basic sawdust bump and impossible to fix or repaint.

a quick check of big box store...do the math..

MDF entire double door cabinet $130

Maple door SAMPLE $50

That post comparing a door sample to a cabinet is the most mind bogglingly asinine thing I've read on here in a while. I can compare the cost of a dozen eggs to the cost of a Jimmy Desn breakfast sandwich too. But that won't make them the same thing. You're seriously underestimating people's intelligence if you think that's a cogent argument any more than the "everyone else is wrong" argument over a 50K financial loss that you can't understand the math about.

How did the kitchen get completely finished when you felt they gave you the wrong cabinets? When and how was this noticed?

You need to be more specific about where the MDF was used. If it is center panels only then LWO is correct. MDF is the better choice. (I use only a high-grade water resistant version) but a 1/4" maple center panel is just maple veneer over MDF so why would you have a panel that has a wood grain an the possibility to delaminate on something you are going to paint over.

tsk tsk.. arguing and slamming commenters.. $700 difference for unfinished Maple vs MDF is not the only question you need to ask. Is it paint on your cabinets or is it thermofoil? The former is cheaper than the latter. For unfinished, raw materials, $700 sounds about right for what I see in your kitchen. Both paint and thermofoil ARE more costly than stained & varnished wood because they are a more intense labor process. Most builders buy the doors, cheaper than they can make them, and construct the cabinet frames; that’s where the main cost of materials come into play.

Check your signed purchase order agreement. If it says maple construction, then you may have a case for small claims court, if the builder won’t pay up. You need to do your own cost comparison, perhaps with other cabinet makers, or a big box store. Give them your cabinet sizes, paint vs thermofoil, purchased doors & drawer fronts vs custom fabricated, and what ever else was in your $40 000 reno and compare the quotes. I hope you have an itemized invoice, if not ask the builder for one. Document every conversation you have had with them; dates and with whom you spoke, in case it does go to court. There will be variation for fabrication & installation costs, but materials should be close in price. Ask for the materials to be separated from the labor from all of your quotes.

My story: my previous house had a custom made kitchen, complete with custom made countertops. I, too, specified real wood construction, maple. I did not want any MDF. My cabinet maker told me that my custom counter top would be XXX cheaper if I use MDF and, since it was going to be covered up anyway, I said ok to that with the maple edging all around. When I inspected the installation, I noticed that the interior cabinet shelves were pine, not maple. My cabinet guy immediately offered to rectify at no extra charge. Guess he thought this lady didn’t know her hard from soft woods, lol.

Bottom line, know what you ordered. If that differs from what you received, then do your homework and then confront the builder. Best of luck!

Thank you everyone for your time. I appreciate your feed back and value your opinions. I am a reasonable person and just looking for advice to ensure that I am not being taken advantage of. My contract clearly states, Maple. We have had our kitchen custom made with dovetail soft close drawers and hard rock melamine boxes.

We had originally gotten quotes at those box retail stores as we started to layout our dream kitchen.
It was than, when I was doing my research that we decided we wanted wood. I don’t expect to get anything for free. I just want to pay for what I got.

For the size of our project, I was originally quoted $55k for wood and $40k for MDF with the box retailers. The plan was to wait for a “Kitchen Event” when they would offer 20% discount or save the tax. That way we could get the wood kitchen for the approximate price of MDF. Therefore,
I know there is a price difference between wood and MDF. I also realize this price point was for the entire project, including install.

When working with my overall contractor, he suggested getting a quote from this custom cabinetry/woodworking company. I was pleasantly surprised, when we were able to get exactly what I wanted IN WOOD as well as not having to sacrifice any inches, as compared with the box retailers. We were able to fully customize our sizes, where the box retailers limited you to standard size boxes with fillers. More importantly, since they came in right at our budget of $40k, I did not get them to specifically quote us on their price difference between MDF and wood.

We did not pay upfront, as I recommend no one ever do! We did everything right, paid the deposit, paid an installment upon delivery and last installment upon completion. We must have been blinded by the beauty. Keep in mind, we went through a $200k 16-month renovation. We took it right back to the studs, knocked out walls, no flooring, no ceiling, limited lights, limited plumbing, dust and dirt and no kitchen for about 6 weeks. So, once it stated to get put back together, we were just so thrilled, that honestly didn’t look that closely. As others have commented it is hard to tell the difference between wood and MDF when they are painted.

We were also well aware of the risks. That the paint could crack/chip if the wood
expended etc. However, we never wanted to deal with MDF again, after ripping it out of our old kitchen. The main benefits of wood for us, was knowing they would be more durable, and we could repaint them in future.

Apples to Apples, I just can’t find a clear-cut answer on the price difference for wood to MDF based just on the door fronts/panels. I realize some say there is no price difference, but I have quotes stating otherwise. But on a percentage basis, I am not sure what the door/panels cost in relation to the whole project. Regardless of price, they will have to replace all the fronts with wood, according to my contract. They have admitted to making a mistake. I would have been willing to accept financial consideration if it had been reasonable. I honestly, don’t think he is being reasonable at $9/door or panel. If he must replace it all, with new material, labour to make and labour to install it will cost him a lot more than $700. I don’t feel I am being unreasonable, nor does my overall contractor. I was just hoping to get a better idea on the price difference between the two. Since we were only looking at getting the fronts replaced. I am not sure it is fair to use the price difference of the entire project as a comparison.

I have limited time during regular business hours, usually the only time when the custom places are open. Reason why my other quotes of from box retailers who are open until 9-10pm at night. I was
only looking for some guidance where it is available 24 hours a day! I plan on taking the time now to get our plans re-quoted at 2-3 custom cabinetry places, even if I have to pay for them to do it. I will be seeking legal advice as I suspect the difference to be in the thousands on this size of project.

It really makes no difference whether the "experts" on this forum state that MDF is superior to maple wood for painted cabinets.

If the contract states the doors will be maple wood, then the supplier is contractually obligated to provide maple wood and $700 consideration is not adequate since OP is legally entitled to have exactly what was contractually specified, agreed upon and paid for.

If the supplier felt that MDF was superior, the time for that talk would have been prior to execution of the contract with the supplier stating he can supply either but his recommendation is MDF for such and such reason at a cost of $X.

If I were the OP, I would send a letter to the supplier citing the pertinent contractual language in which wood doors were to be supplied and stating that you want the doors replaced with what was contractually agreed upon. Give him 3 days to respond and state that if you do not hear from him within that time period with an acceptable resolution in terms of replacing the doors, you are prepared to take all necessary legal actions.

h0ckeym0mbr0 . .... In my business, when pricing, I have a base price for the cabinet & then I have a "multiplying factor" which basically takes the base price & discounts it to give me my true price for that cabinet. That discount is better for maple than MDF. While the base price is roughly 10% (+/-) difference between the maple & MDF, when looking at a few of my cabinets just to get an idea, I see roughly a 3%-5% difference when I do my true calculations. Now, that's just me. Obviously, I can't speak for all suppliers out there. You say you've done research & have seen a 25% difference between maple & MDF. That is quite the difference. IMPO, a 25% difference tells me that someone is more than likely inflating the maple price.

The cost difference of your kitchen is based more on the doors/drawer fronts than cabinetry. Your cabinets would be constructed out of the same material regardless of maple or MDF doors. Unless of course, in that 25% it included plywood cabinets. Also, whether the MDF included dovetail drawers or a more simple meta-box drawer.

It's unfortunate that your job has gone this way. Hopefully, you & your supplier can quickly & painlessly come to some agreement.

BTW....regardless of maple or MDF, you have a beautiful looking kitchen!

The price difference between maple and MDF is not constant everywhere. Where I live, I am far from any maple suppliers (>1000 miles), so it's much more expensive than MDF, which is produced at numerous plants much closer to where I live. (I say this as an amateur but experienced cabinetmaker who has ordered sheet goods and lumber from numerous sources - and freight costs are sometimes large enough to be a consideration.)

It’s not clear what your written contract described or what you received. Terms are being used that don’t match industry standard descriptions about box construction or the door and face frame description. Also it’s not clear how you determined that you didn’t receive what your contract described, as there is no visual difference of appearance. Clarification on all points is needed.

My custom cabinet maker charges exactly the same for plywood or furniture board boxes because the materials cost him exactly the same. It’s the same with paint grade maple vs MDF for doors. It’s the exact same price. Many large manufacturers will charge more for both, because the market has convinced themselves to pay extra for things that aren’t needed and have the same functional equivalency. That’s capitalism for you!

America is alone in the world in both using faceframes vs frameless cabinets, and in using plywood vs furniture board for boxes and using composite materials for doors. Europeans, Asians, and Australians have always used wood composite products. Their cabinets are just as durable over time. The Italian or German high end ones command as much of a price premium as do any American high end “all wood” product.

The fact that the actual cost differences are minimal, and the functionality is the same doesn’t matter. What matters is the written contract.