White Inset Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers

12 years ago

I live in Northern CA. We will be doing a remodel with a new kitchen. I want white inset cabinets with an island of stained wood. Is it true that I need cabinets made outside of CA to have a finish that will last longer? I don't want to be painting cabinets every few years. I have a quote on Quality Custom Cabinetry but I am wondering which other companies I should be looking at? The Quality quote was about 25% more than a local custom shop but I am concerned about the finish lasting if finished in CA. Shiloh and Dutchwood LLC that I read about don't have dealers in CA. Thanks.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

cabinetsbyalan
12 years ago
Cabinets that are finished with conversion varnish are the standard for the kitchen cabinet industry. This type of finish is not like old time varnish that most are familiar with. It can be tinted to just about any color but is not actually a paint. They have made gains in recent years with less volatile coatings that are durable as well. These waterborne coatings are more enviro friendly, they also hold up quite well. The finish killer in a kitchen is the sink cabinet, the doors just get wet. If you are careful and wipe them when they get wet you should be ok.
ILoveRed
12 years ago
I have Wood-mode inset cabinets. Creamy perimeter with dark island. Six yrs. old. They have held up fairly well except for my bread drawer and my cutlery drawer. Small bumps and nicks around the edges that would be covered if they were not inset. I have kids and my kitchen is a busy place. My dark island has held up better and imperfections are less noticeable. They are tough cabinets but certainly not invincible, especially if you have kids.
Related Discussions
White Inset Cabinets: Beaded or Flat?
Q
Comments (14)
Katieob, I have white inset (but not beaded) cabs by Plain and Fancy. I really wanted beaded cabs but the ID argued against it. Because my kitchen has more than one focal point and several dramatic details, he pushed me to consider a more subdued, more minimalist statement in my choice of classic cabs and hardware. I am now pleased to see how right he was about that! (Funny how there were so many design choices I thought I couldn't live without at one point in my planning process. Yet, when it came time to introduce some of those same choices into the actual design mix, they just did not work as well as for me as they did in photos, in someone else's kitchen, etc.) BTW, from your posts I'm gathering we share much in common design and taste-wise. For sure, we share an appreciation for icebox/cupboard latches! Here's a tip for you and others who also like this kind of hardware: I got mine from www.meritmetal.com (See Item #9215 under "solid brass cupboard catches"). After an exhaustive search for those latches, Merit was the only manufacturer I could find who made them in satin nickel -- a finish that was critical to me as it's the finish for the rest of my hardware, faucets, etc. These latches are now installed on my (unbeaded) white inset cabs and I can't get over how beautiful they are. They are solid cast brass and very well-crafted with alot of heft. I did not purchase them directly from Merit, however, as the company is not a retailer. Instead, they referred me to a local source, The Brass Center,(another great design source in NYC and online at www.thebrasscenter.com), where I got them at a substantial discount. How do I know? Well, I note that Cliffside is selling their icebox latch online for $48.50 per latch. However, the Brass Center sold me Merit's icebox latches for only $31.50 each and then shipped them immediately! Still not cheap by any means. But, I go on at length about these latches not only were they were so darn hard to find, but also, once I finally located them, I felt I got them at a "bargain" price. Here is a link that might be useful: Merit Cupboard Latches (Item #9215)
...See More
Lolauren's finished kitchen -- photos! -- white, inset, shaker...
Q
Comments (69)
Hey Tia :) You're welcome to email me if you want to chat about the doors. I don't mind at all... We didn't come up with any permanent fix for the doors, and I'm not convinced there is a solution. I got heavy curtains that help to insulate, but the bottoms of the doors are still drafty. I don't think a 3 panel would be much better as our draft is from the bottom. (I actually wrapped insulation in plastic and wedged that at the base of the door outside. That was the only temporary fix I could come up with. It is in a covered area and we can't see it from inside. However, this is not a convenient thing to have to do!! I was just trying to improvise for this winter. THAT helped a lot, but obviously is a bit tacky and obnoxious since these doors weren't cheap!) As for using the doors this season, we have not yet. It's still a bit brisk and windy here. We did use them in the fall when we moved in, though. Do you have a question about their use? They definitely "bring the outside in." Other positives we have experienced from them: *lots of light *a wonderful view of the yard *a big opening if we want to move furniture in conveniently *an easy way to air out the house if we paint, burn something or similar :) yellowdog--- thanks! good luck with your hubby :) I had to twist DH's arm quite a bit for our white kitchen...
...See More
White Inset Cabinet Install PICTURES
Q
Comments (5)
LOL, The user name is the initials of me, my wife and son. We are a pretty smashing reno team. My wife was pregnant with him while we were restoring the interior of the house (nail guns, hammering, compressors etc.) so he (now 5 month old) can sleep through anything.
...See More
white inset cabinets, dark countertops-?floors
Q
Comments (9)
I am very happy with my medium-dark gray slate-look porcelain tile floor. I have stained wood cabs, but I've seen real slate and porcelain imitation slate in white kitchens with dark counters, and they both look great. With gray grout, they don't show dirt. I have stainless appliances, and the gray of the tile looks good with the SS. My kitchen is a small galley, and I used 12 X 18" tiles set in 1/3 running bond so less grout. I've also seen 24 x 24 tiles/stones that look great. Another nice look is the plank-look porcelain tile. It comes in a lot of colors. I did get gel pads for the sink and the prep/stove area, and they are nice to stand on. I really notice the difference at Thanksgiving or dinner parties, when I stand in the kitchen for hours. They're almost exactly the same color gray as the floor.
...See More
CEFreeman
12 years ago
Check Walzcraft.
Keystone Wood.com
That's just two.

There are a lot that do inset. Lovely.

Christine
fks3
12 years ago
QCC has beautiful inset as well as overlay cabinets but you can only get them through a third party (KD)which puts them at about 25 to 30% above. Dutchwood LLC in PA is a custom cabinet maker that you deal with directly so there is no middle man.

We nearly went with QCC through a KD because of the quality and the fact that the KD had a great price for Blues Eyes granite (50% less than other quotes) because of their volume with one granite fabricator.

We ended up with different granite and went with a custom Amish cabinet maker in PA.

Have you tried working with CrownPoint - I hear great things about them
jdesign_gw
12 years ago
Just my two cents because I happen to have been doing this for more than thirty years and I live in CA (southern). I see a lot of people on this site that are very happy with a good custom guy. But it is more difficult to find someone that can offer you great cabinets and a great finish than it is just going with a known brand where you pretty much get what you see. It's pretty consistent. You see a sample, that's what you get. A custom guy has to have both talents or at least know someone who does. But a good one is going to give your kitchen a lot more attention than a factory would.

As far as finishes in CA...we have conversion varnish it's just formulated differently. Is it as good? I don't know maybe but any finish can get damaged if you abuse it. Personally I wouldn't have any conversion varnish in my house. It's nasty stuff to work with and it off-gasses formaldehyde forever. There are finishes that are better than conversion varnish and they can be use here in California because they are waterbased. They are Italian products know as 2K poly (two component acrylic polyurethane) That's all that's used in Europe. There's nothing better. I know I use it on my own work and I even stated importing it for sale. I'm not trying to advertise here I'm just trying to clear up some facts. If there was something better I'd be using it. It bugs me just a little when someone says they have to get a finish done outside California and I've been spraying these products all day on a kitchen I'm building and I know it blows away any conversion varnish. So if you do find a custom guy you really like I'd be happy to send him a sample and see what he thinks. And I'd also ask him to build your cabinets with formaldehyde-free board. There's a lot of cheap stuff from China floating around that I also wouldn't want to be living with.
John
ILoveRed
12 years ago
Jd--is the Wood-mode brand conversion varnish?
katsmah
12 years ago
I have Starmark inset cabinets. Fieldstone has the same cabinets by a different name. They use a tinted varnish for the painted cabinets with catalyzed varnish finish on top of that. I haven't seen any wear to the finish yet, but have only had them for a year.
jdesign_gw
12 years ago
red-lover
The wood-mode is most likely CV (conversion varnish or catalyzed conversion varnish to be more precise). Most of the major manufacturers have been using this finish for years. The 2K poly finish I mentioned has been used in Europe for many years. It's just starting to catch on here.
John

White Inset Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers

Comments (8)

cabinetsbyalan

ILoveRed

Related Discussions

CEFreeman

fks3

jdesign_gw

ILoveRed

katsmah

jdesign_gw

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US