Have they finished all adjustments? Door alignment is typically all done towards the end. The hinges will adjust in, out and up and down. As far as caulk at the crown, that would typically be by the painter if it is needed. Hood, who knows on the number of pieces as we have no real idea what the design of it is and what it is supposed to look like.

whoa. these are brand new cabs? they painted them? what's all these chips on the top here?

either way, unacceptable. No way I'd accept these. for sure I'd get a new door

paint is really sprayed on thick too.

do you have the little padded door things so they don't make noise? that will keep a little space. why is there light on the inside of the cab?

when you say the doors don't line up, can we see pics of that?

in fact, back up and lets see the whole space. post a few more pics w/better lighting.

All you're showing us is zoomed in pictures. no one can determine what's what.

as for the caulking, normally painters will do that, but if your guys installed the crown, they should run a bead of caulk for any uneven gaps

who did these cabs?

were they painted in their warehouse or on site?

what are they made of?

Bifold doors are hard to adjust when the cabinet has been racked out of square.

I need pics from further back and the hinges probably need adjusting. Custom id not always better either . Who designed the kitchen ? Who installed the cabinets ? Who decided on the style of cabinet ? Too many questions to be answered to get help. I actually never do this style of cabinet and I do not like wood hoods ever But we need pics posted here in comment sDO NOT start another post.

did you have type of paint spelled out in your contract? for example, spray laquer (best)? if so, then that chipped look shouldn't happen. "custom" just means made locally, in many cases, and fit to your space and needs; your quality control is just the maker's reputation. without seeing the whole kitchen, it's hard to say, but I'm not overwhelmed with awe so far.

(I also note a chip in the frame faces in that same photo with the door chips!)

Can't see pics of cabinet doors not lining up at the top. Lazy susan door is unacceptable. I have had three kitchens with custom cabinets in each and the installers caulked, not the painters. My last cabinetmaker fought me tooth and nail and insisted the gaps between the ceiling and cabinets were all within reason. I followed what my mom always taught me is the gold rule: She who has the gold rules! I withheld final payment until these items were rectified. Have you made final payment to this contractor? If not, don't make the payment yet.

Patricia,

I notice you usually tell the OP at the end of the first comment you make on a thread, ”…DO NOT start another post.”

I am just curious, why do you feel the need to say that? Has that happened to you before in the past, and it was really irritating to you?

I personally have never once seen anyone in the many years I have been on Gardenweb and Houzz start a brand new thread in order to respond to a question or a request for more photos from someone in the current post. Why would they even do that? Makes no sense to me.

Anyways, I am sorry to go off topic Linda!

So to answer your question, no, you are not having too high of expectations. The gap on the LS should not be there and needs to be adjusted along with any doors or drawers that are wonky.

As Beth pointed out, the nicks and dings circled here in red would be unexceptable to me as well. And I can imagine there are probably more.

Can we see a better view of the wood hood to see what you mean by the 3 pieces?

I'll be honest. There are many definitions of "custom", and you may have this one:

"You get to pick the color and the size, and we put them where they fit, or where you want them"

Can you stand back and take pictures of the entire installation?

Adjustments typically happen as a finality, but as Beth pointed out, lots of red flags here.

Do you have your contract for the order, what was spelled out as to the hood creation....etc.

The choice of a partial overlay door is a bit curious for custom as well.

I will take some additional pictures tomorrow and post them here. I’m pretty disappointed. Yes, we made the final payment the day of install 😞

Here are a few more pics of the cabinets. The large pantry door is an example of the top not being even. You can tell as the space increases towards the bottom. I chose the cabinets and the layout was the same that we had, except we added a small pantry.

Maybe it's my screen, but I'm having a tough time seeing the problems.

The reson I say do not start another post is because often posters do not get an answer fast and they post the dilemma again and if you have not found those good for you I have found many that is why I say that.

The dings were there before the paint went on.

You can ask the "custom" source to remove and redo faces.....but this depends how firm you will be and how cooperative the source. Especially since you have paid in full, and we don''t know when you did that? When the installer finished and pulled out of the driveway, never to be seen again?. We've no clue where you got these, no clue your contract. No clue if this was discussed at point of install and with whom you discussed.?

Some alignment issues are common in any install, and is nothing more than detailing in finish process, even in the most luxurious kitchen..

The real issue, sorry to say, is this is the definition of "custom" I mentioned above. Call the maker/installer back, point out the flaws you are showing us and hope for some resolution.. Not much more you can do - but again.... quality is what quality is. That will apply to customer service as well. Some of these? Are so minor

they will disappear in a finished kitchen.

Agree that custom does not equal quality. IKEA cabinets that I put into a rental were much better quality than the custom cabinets I had in a previous home (chosen by builder, not me). I can’t really tell how far off the pantry door is, but that can usually be fixed with hinge adjustments. Are the cabinet installers doing that or is that on you? I would complain about the messy edges and if they don’t fix it, there’s always Google reviews to use as a threat.

The company that made and installed the cabinets is a reputable company in our area. We did notice that in the last month or so, they now have some negative reviews. I am sending them this information along with all the pictures and requesting that the items be addressed. I just expected higher quality. Live and learn.

"The choice of a partial overlay door is a bit curious for custom as well."

That is the first thought I had when I saw the photos in the OP. But partial overlay cabinets were chosen and installed and there's no going back. In any case, the photos are too close up to see any of the problems described except for the gap for the Lazy Susan. And that gap might be fixed by a simple hinge adjustment that is typically done at the very end of the installation as already mentioned in this thread. I cannot tell from the photos what is the issue with the hood. I cannot tell from the photos what is the issue of the pantry "top not being even". The OP might or might not be justified in her criticisms - I don't know. Or, the OP might have unrealistic expectations for the partial overlay cabinets she has.

The gap at the lazy susan is very visible now because there is no counter so its being lit unnaturally. It can be adjusted some but there will always be and requires a gap. That said, the paint job is a mess. The pantry design with the face flush to the rest of the run- I bet the left door hits the counter...

To add to what Patricia said...

When a poster starts a second post, people end up posting to BOTH and you have to go back & forth b/w them to get the whole story.

It's actually not that unusual.

Personally, I like partial overlay (framed box) cabinets if you use a square door edge profile. It's a great way to save $ and it adds a little extra clearance wiggle room. 90% of my clients can't even tell the difference between partial and full until I point it out, like 3 times.

And if you want full overlay, go frameless!

OP, your hood looks gorgeous....who cares if it had to be installed with three pieces....how does it look when fully installed? A lot of hoods come in multiple components that need assembling.

If it was only one or two of the more subtle flaws like Jan pointed out, that would be understandable. But there are more then a few, and some of them are pretty deep scratches, dents, and holes that I would want fixed.

It always ticks me off when a company responds in a condescending way like, ”What? You see flaws? Where? I can’t see anything? Oh those tiny things? Hahaha, those are perfectly normal. You are just being too picky! I got your money, Buh-Bye.”

Linda, I think you are handling it in the right way. And if they refuse to fix or replace the doors that have the very noticeable flaws, then let them know you are going to post the pictures with your negative review not only on their site, but on every single review site you can find on the net.

Patricia,

Thank you so much for responding to my question. I just realized that the reason I probably have not seen that happen before is because maybe it happens more frequently on ”Design Delemna” or the ”Home Decorating” forums, and I don’t usually read those threads unless they are linked to ”Kitchens” as well. Anyways, now it makes perfect sense why you say that. Thanks!!😊

Beuhl,

You are right, now that I think about it, I have definitely seen where people start duplicate threads and then people respond to both threads. I have found that many times the OP apologizes for the duplicate and explains that they thought their first post didn’t show up or something. But I am sure some make a duplicate thread because they don’t like some of the responces. So they think if they start a new thread that people will miraculously respond differently telling them what they want to hear! 🙄

Excellent!

Great!

Also just an FYI on caulking the crown to the ceiling. You will need to recaulk a few more times over the years as the caulk shrinks. That is normal. We always caulk and warn the homeowners that they will need to recaulk in the future. I think that is why some carpenters prefer to leave a shadow line instead. There is no right or wrong way to do it. You do it and upkeep it down the road, or you don't do it and have the shadowline.

Ok, I have one more question and it is on my butcher block. There is an area that looks yellow/green and it is driving me crazy. It is Walnut wood. Is this discoloration normal? I am attaching a picture of the other blond piece that doesn't have the yellow/green as well for comparison.

Yes, different portions of the tree will have different grains and density's resulting in different naturally occurring colors. Part of the beauty of wood.

I like the "blond" pieces, but have never seen one with greenish/yellow grain.

The green means the wood was freshly cut and has not had an opportunity to season or oxidize. Over time, the green will fade to brown, but I am not sure how long that will take as there are many variables of light, humidity, usage. Your walnut countertop overall and your hood will change color with time, because that is what walnut does.