Then on Feb 20th she sent me this email, and I have not heard from her since.

Thank you for the information below. I will review your message and provide a response as soon as possible,

That sounds pretty shoddy, MasterBrand!

Doesn't even sound like it was actually answered by a human. Sounds like a 'auto response' where anyone that responds to the auto response goes into spam folder...never to be heard from again.

Every situation is different and because of my situation I am not following this recommendation when I redo our kitchen, but generally I would want to buy the cabinets and have them installed by the same entity to avoid fingerpointing in the event of a screwup.

Not that I'm suggesting a big box store, but if I ordered cabinets from Lowes I would have them do the install.

Your cabinets need to be commensurate with the value of your house .

I am being frugal (not cheap) by purchasing some high quality RTA cabinets. They have to be assembled with a pneumatic nail gun . Because I have access to experienced builders at little or nominal cost, my installers won't be from the place I buy my RTA cabinets .

Otherwise I would try to find a local cabinetmaker, see some his installed cabinets, and have the cabinetmaker build and install.

For some real high quality RTA cabinets, check out Conestoga cabinets. They are sold online at the Kitchen Joint. They are assembled more or less like preassembled cabinets from what I understand.

Dear nancy_38,

Thank you for the history regarding your experience. I understand your frustration.
Please email me directly at ConsumerCare@masterbrandcabinets.com so that we can
further discuss.

Anyone familiar with Wellborn? How do they fare?

Or Hanssem? Rutt?

I have Omega now for 13 years. Had not one issue. I am currently doing a total renovation and actually am having the cabinets removed and giving them to a friend. Our supplier at the time was amazing. They swapped out doors because I changed my mind and no issues. I had one issue with a door 2 years later and had a new one 5 days later. I also have them in my bathroom and just 10 years later go a new rail mechanism no charge no questions. I thin it may be your supplier that is the issue.

I had Omega in my previous home & any issues were dealt with quickly. I also love Plato, & Custom Wood Products (St Mary's, Kansas).

The biggest factor is working with a reputable dealer & talented kitchen designer & solid installation team.

Oh no! Up until today (from reading this post) Dynasty Cabinets by Omega was my top choice. I am so concerned now by Nancy 38's comments. What should I do? I truly thought the quality looked solid with the Dynasty cabinets, and I loved my designs, rep, and pricing but I absolutely cannot afford to have the problems that she has had (financially and mentally). I am also looking at Brookhaven by Wood Mode, but the rep is less than desirable to work with... Also considered Shiloh Cabinets. I have just learned about Medallion and Candlelight Cabinetry but haven't gone to their showrooms yet - only learned about them this morning by reading some online reviews on Houzz...... Thoughts?

Stop over anayzing and over shopping. Once you find something--and someone--who meets your budget and quality level, stop shopping. Do you keep dating others after finding the right fella that proposes?

LOL! That's a good point Sophie. Thanks for the advice:)

I was at a showroom in MA earlier this week and they had several kitchen displays featuring a variety of cabinets. Initially, I was drawn to the display featuring Christopher Peacock inset cabinetry. From a distance it looked perfect. However, when I got close and began opening drawers, I found them to be every bit as flawed as other brands. One drawer was even shoved in so far that it couldn't be opened. Another had very loose hinges. Keep in mind that this is a high end showroom and you would expect things to be perfect. Nope, and if it happens there it will happen in your home too. Not to say that it's not a beautiful line but my point is just because you pay a lot of money for something it doesn't mean that you won't have problems. Get what you like, in a budget you can afford, and pay to have it installed by a top notch carpenter.

We had problems with our Kabinart cabinets. The problems were fixed by the company, but it took a year and a half. They kept sending replacement doors in the wrong sizes and finishes. The VP was rude. After I talked to the owner our issues were resolved.

Just sent back 16k worth of Kraftmaid Cabinets,,, seems their all plywood construction means that the back and some of the sides of their cabinets are MDF board… a grey cardboard looking substance they consider plywood and I consider particle board. ( Only two of the pieces were all plywood.) The doors and finish to the cabinets were beautiful but the rest was staples, glue, plywood and particle board.. very deceiving when ordering all plywood..

MDO ply IS plywood. It's often used on painted finishes to avoid the splits and checks associated with painting veneers. There've been enough pictures on here of split painted ply that you would think people would understand this.

As a Former Designer with a big box store I know the frustrations involved in those projects. I think the main issue is that there are too many hands at play. Some of the most successful jobs I had were when the customer did the install themselves and all we did was design the kitchen and order the cabinets for them. I don't mean to be sales pitchy but if you would be interested in ready to assemble cabinets I'd invite you to take a look at our site http://directcabinetexpress.com/. We supply All plywood boxes with soft-close dovetail drawers. We offer free design services and we have great customer service. I would be happy to help you personally you can reach me at melissa@directcabinetexpress.com. The main draw to RTA cabinets is they are only a fraction of the price. Kitchens that I did at the big box store for 15k I'm able to recreate at about 7K. That's mostly because we cut out the middle man and we ship them direct to you. There are less costs involved in the making and shipping because they ship flat and we don't have to pay someone to assemble them. We also have very quick lead times 7-15 business days. The cabinets are less likely to arrive damaged because they ship flat but if something comes in damaged you just contact us, sent us a picture of the damaged part and we will send out a replacement ASAP. Assembly is very easy, you can view the assembly videos on our site but there are no pneumatic nails needed all you need is a drill. Good luck in your journey and I hope you end up with the kitchen of your dreams regardless of who you choose to go with.

We will not use Starmark

We feel we had a terrible experience with Starmark Cabinets. Our cabinets were very late and the contractor said Starmark lost the order. When we called several times we feel they did not care. They said the Starmark Rep would call us but they never have. We would never use Starmark again. We think our contractor was very poor and if Starmark does not care where do you go for help?

We are considering Starmark. Did you ever receive the cabinets? Did the finish stand up to wear? Did the hinges require rescrewing?

We installed a Rutt/regency kitchen a couple of years ago. It works very well but the white paint is wearing very badly especially on the panels (refrigerator, garbage cans and dishwasher)

My daughter is now installing a white kitchen and I would appreciate if anyone

would suggest a white cabinet maker who really does a good paint job

Hi there! I am a kitchen designer with CliqStudios, America's #1 online seller of semi-custom kitchen cabinets.

If you'd be interested in getting a FREE kitchen design packet and quote feel free to email me at: mneuendorf@cliqstudios.com and we can get started!

If you're just starting out I encourage you to go to our website to get an idea of the cabinets we offer. You pay wholesale prices because we cut out the home center mark up!

http://www.cliqstudios.com/?utm_source=bing_yahoo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=cliqstudios%20.com&utm_matchtype=e&utm_campaign=new-brand&c3api=bing,9468533617,25281839071

Cliq is not so cheap Chinese that shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as anything custom. Not to mention the propensity to SPAM discussions.

We had Wellborn oak cabinets in our kitchen for 21 years (original to the house when it was built) and just removed them over the past several months as we redid the kitchen. My sister took the pantry cabinet and some uppers, my electrician took several banks of uppers and lowers for one of his rental aparements......they were still totally solid and in great shape. The electrician said he had another old set of Wellborns that he sanded down and painted for his own house and they're still looking great. We replaced them with Medallion cabinets because that is who the kitchen designer and company worked with, and so far they have no issues and we really like them (I think it's their Gold series....maple wood with chestnut stain).

I just got Omega cabinets and they are horrible I am sick. Absolute Garbage. Thank God I charged them on Amex. Disputing and suing them. $50k down the drain. I had them 15 years ago and they were great. THE COMPANY HAS CHANGED AND I ADVISE TO STAY FAR AWAY

Hyperbole without supporting documentation is suspect. I sold Omega for years with zero issues and they were and are a fine product.

Hi Michele Gasparre,

My name is Julie and I am a Consumer Care Specialist with MasterBrand Cabinets, the parent company for Omega. We apologize for the frustration you experienced with your cabinet order. Please email our Consumer Care Team at ConsumerCare@masterbrand.com with your contact information so we can further research your situation.

I finished a kitchen remodel with Bridgewood Semi-custom cabinets in October. It has been a nightmare. After paying $36k, we realized that they had not been stained in all areas. The edges where the rails meet the panels had no stain and the backs of the cabinet doors were not entirely stained either. The rep from the company said he would have a touch up guy, fix them. He was out twice and they actually now look worse. I will put some photos below of what you can expect from this company. I called the VP of sales who told me that he "heard they looked beautiful", and when asked if he was going to do anything more about the problem he said emphatically "NO". We have a laundry room and 4 bathrooms left to remodel and I would never in a million years do business with this company.

I'd advise anyone wanting new cabinets to look for an Amish cabinetmaker near you....I am having a custom kitchen and 2 bathrooms done for less than half the cost at big stores near here...all wood, all done by hand, beautiful work!

And I'd advise reading up on KCMA Testing Standards and make sure that any back yard ''custom'' cabinet guys will make you a sample that will pass ALL of those tests. Especially the tests on the finishes. That is where most of the faux custom guys and ''all wood'' cult guys will fail. Most don't have what it takes to give a durable factory quality finish.

If they aren't certified, demand a sample and test for yourself.

Hi hmacgarden, Thank you for this great idea! Wondering if you are in New Jersey or in Pennsylvania and if so which Amish cabinet maker did you use??. This is a great idea & there is a large Amish community in Pennsylvania the state next to NJ. Thanks for the idea of using Amish cabinet builders!! I don't like any reviews I've been reading about any of the brands I've read about so far. Seems there are bad horror stories with every brand I read about. At least the Amish have standards that answer to 'God' & there is more of a chance of having them do a better job on our cabinets than some big company.

No, I'm in Ontario, Canada. I've seen his finished work in a kitchen near here and it is beautiful. He doesn't have electricity so it's all done by hand but is up to date with soft close drawers, pull out shelves in pantry, 2 layer cutlery drawers etc.
I will send pics when it's done....that's one drawback , you can't be in a hurry.

Thanks all for refreshing this discussion! Yes, if anyone can recommend any Amish cabinetmakers in PA, please let us know!

How do the prices of Amish cabinetry compare? You stated " less than half the cost at big stores". What big stores do you mean?

The quality of any custom shop is as varied as those who produce it. Not every Amish shop produces quality goods. Most that produce even good quality casework will fall down in the quality of the finishes. Remember that the finish of the cabinet is what you touch every day. It is more important than the box material, or door profile, or exact correct color shade. Be sure that you physically test the product that THEY produce and don't rely on myths and legends about "custom".

One of the kitchen designers we are considering using just recommended a Amish cabinet company to us yesterday. We live in NJ and the company is located around Lancaster, PA. The company is called Cabredo, and their different lines are called Ravir and Pelum. I am having trouble finding any reviews on the company, and am interested to find out about anyone's experience with them.
We were originally considering using Omega Dynasty, and thank goodness I found this post today--NO thank you!
We are also considering Thomasville, who is owned by the same company as Decora, who So far gets good reviews. We have been working with Frank at the Home Depot in Hamilton, who came very highly recommended by our builder and friend. We travel about 45 minutes just for the experience with Frank, but so far it's been worth the travel.

There are two company's that sell direct to home owners, designers, architects, contractors. They both sell high end cabinets , full inset with top quality hardware. One is called Best Cabinets out of Chicago and the other is called Crown Point Cabinetry.

Best Cabinets will design, build, measure, and install any where in the USA.

Crown point does not offer measuring and installation.

Has anyone used Greenfield cabinets?

I recently purchased a set of Hanssem cabinets for two bathrooms being remodeled. My order was for two 24" sink bases, two 15" base drawer cabinets, and a tall 18" linen cabinet. Cost, not including tax, was over $3,200 for the Brentwood style door. While the quality seems fine so far, we're not quite done installation in the one bathroom with the linen cabinet. The shelves that were sent with the linen cabinet DO NOT FIT in the cabinet. My contractor contacted the dealer, who informed my contractor that Hanssem ROUTINELY sends oversized shelves that won't fit inside their cabinets, requiring the buyer to then pay their contractor for the extra time to individually cut each shelf to fit, which of course then we lose one of the "finished" edges for each shelf.

Frankly, I'm a bit angry about this. It wasn't mentioned to me, it wasn't disclosed on any paperwork. I just naively assumed that the shelves they sent with their cabinets would actually fit the cabinets they were for. For this reason alone, when it comes time to redo the kitchen and buy all new cabinetry there, I probably will avoid Hanssem products.

Which is a shame, because I liked the style, and would have liked to have the same style cabinetry in the kitchen as in the bathrooms.

Benchmark Wood Studio out of Holland, MI provides truly custom cabinetry. It is the primary custom cabinetry and millwork shop i use in all our custom homes. Clients have come to truly value the exceptional quality and reasonable price-point. Although they are a rather local shop, I know they also provide services all across the country as one of my fellow custom builders out of Charleston, SC is using Benchmark Wood Studio in his homes as well. Definitely worth a look if you are considering truly custom and quality cabinets.

Any feedback on Greenfield, Dura Supreme and Hallmark Cabinetry products?

Thomasville anyone??

Looking into Plain and Simple brand of cabinets , any feedback

Currently having a kitchen renovated using Schrock cabinets (a Masterbrand company). White cabinets (18% mark up) and the finish is horrible. Had 4 upper cabinets and one lower replaced and some of the replacements came back with even worse issues than the originals. Moving on to 3rd attempt to replace and improve, and I have basically thrown in the towel and am just asking for drawer fronts and cabinet door replacements so I have a chance of getting my kitchen finished in my life time. If the third replacements come back equally defective, I've decided I will just have to hire someone afterward to re-do the finish somehow.

My name is Julie and I am a Consumer Care Specialist with MasterBrand Cabinets, the parent company for Schrock. We are sorry to hear about your experience and are here to help. Please email your contact information to consumercare@masterbrand.com so we can follow up with you personally. Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention.

Julie, saw the exchange between you and a customer of a different Masterbrand company from 2014 earlier in this thread. From that I can conclude that what you would do is the same that is currently being done by your local representatives (per warranty), that is, send me replacements for defectives (add a couple extra weeks), many of which will in turn prove to be defective. The problem is the extra time involved in this is a kitchen sitting torn apart and repeated replacements of cabinets or their defective components involves me paying additional money to my contractor. Thanks, but I will pass.

Here is a custom kitchen recently completed in Chicago in a Small Bungalow.

These are full inset cabinets made of Domestic 3/4" Prefinished UV Coated Plywood with Solid Maple Wood face frames and solid Maple drawers all handmade 5/8" thick with 1/2 inch bottoms.the drawer slides are the best available Full Extension Undermount Softclose by Blum. The hinges are guaranteed for life by the drawer slide manufacturer.

The cabinets are all glued and screwed together offering high quality throughout.

The hinges are full inset by Blum with Integrated Softclose build directly into the hinge. The Hinges are guaranteed for life by the hardware manufacturer.

All high end finishes include Integrated full inset decorative end panels, Italian Lacquer Finish (non-yellowing).

Now I'm concerned. I am about to order $$$$$$$$ worth of cabinets for kitchen, butler pantry, laundry and 5 baths form Elmwood. Anyone have experience with them.? I sure hate to go back to the drawing board.

In my experience, best-rated kitchen cabinets are those that are consisted mainly of wood, plywood, and other sturdy materials. They should have well-built drawers, dovetail joinery, a soft-close feature that stops drawers from slamming shut, quality door hinges, and plywood shelves. Best kitchen cabinets should be able to endure humidity as well as temperatures ranging from –5 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Not sure if you found cabinets for your kitchen, but you should also look for a guarantee that kitchen mainstays like lemon, citrus and other fruit juices, coffee, ketchup, and vinegar won’t cause discoloration, stains, or any other damage. Whatever you decide, make sure to find certified kitchen cabinet manufacturers. Our customers often pick Fabuwood, CNC, and Cubitac kitchens.

Read somewhere about Starmark cabinetry being excellent brand kitchen cabinets!
Anyone out there with any use Starmark cabinetry,what's the opinion on them!
Looking to buying a semi custom kitchen with inset cabinets in a transitional style!
Please help
Helena

We produce our own "Bretonwoode" brand cabinetry here in Bucks County, PA. Our website is www.theshopkitchenandbath.com.
We only use domestic plywood, quality wood, Blum and Hafele hardware and finishes from Benj.Moore. We offer excellent value for the investment.