So you loan a friend your car and tell them that no mater how they use it, you'll repair it.
There are contractual warranties mandated by fiat to address the competence of the manufacturer.

Warranty?

He's a craftsman, not an appliance manufacturer. If he does a decent job, the cabinets will outlast everything in the kitchen. Wood doesn't suddenly burst into flames. If you bang them up--that's your problem.

I'd never ask a craftsman for a warranty. It's an insult.

With all due respect Reyesuela, I don't think it's an insult at all. I would be leery of a custom cabmaker who'd only warranty his work for one year. Certainly, there would be no repair or replacement of problems due to abuse, neglect, bashing holes, and that's all, hopefully, written into the contract, but for an expenditure of 15K to perhaps 75K, I would expect the artisan to stand behind his work. If a screw worked thru some MDF or if the paint spray or stain was uneven or prone to wear off, etc. If some 10 year old is riding on the cabinet door, NOT. Hardware does fail, even Blum and Hettich. I'm not aware of the possibilities but I'd want protection.

I'd want a warranty for a car for $15 to 75K. I believe that the homeowner must have a written contract. I talked to 2 custom cab makers, fine woodworkers, craftsmen, who'd give me lifetime warranties.

My cabinets will be custom made by extremely fine, dedicated, reputable, artisan, woodworkers. I know that they will be superbly crafted. When I asked the last guy about a warranty, it appeared that nobody else had ever asked before. Nevertheless, he said 'lifetime'. He's proud of his work.

I am a 'lapsed' painter but if I had had done a commission for an oil painting on an ill prepared ground, or used flawed materials, etc., and the painting failed,-cracked, flaked, etc., due to my screw-up, I'd be responsible. I am unfamiliar with art law, but it just makes sense to me.

Most fine craftsmen are scrupulous and would not be afraid to memorialize the extent and limits of their responsibilities. Beware of a one year warranty.

Mine have a lifetime warranty but they are custom from a cabinet manufacturer not from a local cabinet maker. I recently had a recycling pullout repaired - five years after they were installed - no questions asked.

Thanks, westsider, for bringing this back up. I didn't know quite how to respond before. I'm glad I'm not the only one who would be concerned about this. I'm finding that I ask a lot of questions that no one seems to have asked before! This particular cabinetmaker wants 60% upfront with the balance due upon delivery. 60% seems a lot up front. I understand balance due upon delivery but he also bid on electric and paint. Everything paid before a lot of work being done makes me nervous! I'll admit I'm a bit gun shy -- we had a huge floor debacle when a highly reputable company went under leaving me with bare concrete floors for three months along with a huge fight with Citibank. It all worked out eventually but if we had not paid with a credit card we would have been completely out of luck.

I own a custom shop in NC and I offer a one year written warrantee to match what the builders give to the homeowners but we also have an unwritten policy that we have a lifetime warantee to all clients that were not a royal pain in the a..! We have always helped adjust doors or replace a slide that a kid decided to stand on for no charge even 10 years after the fact just to keep good will and most of the time the folks give us another referall while we are there.

Also we collect 50% upfront before we start the project.

Hope you have a great kitchen experience.

I've never heard of a guarantee on custom cabinetry built and installed by a local cabinetmaker. I've lived in several homes over the years. All had custom cabinetry and book shelving made by local cabinetmakers. Nothing has ever failed, but I'm quite sure that if something did go wrong, I could call the cabinetmaker, and he'd be more than willing to come out and make it right. It never occurred to me to ask for a warrantee. It was just assumed that I'd be pleased once the cabinets were made to my specification and properly installed.

Assuming you've checked references and the cabinetmaker is reputable, building with quality lumber and hardware....what can go wrong with cabinets?

Per their website, Omega has limited lifetime warranties. Per a dealer, the cheaper line of Crystal cabinets have a five year warranty. Another dealer said that Kitchencraft has a ten year warranty. Do you think there is a relationship between the quality and the length and terms of a warranty?

Why should a custom cabinet maker be exempt from a written warranty and a factory cabinet maker is not?

Why would a custom guy only warrant his work for one year? If he's such a good, noble, honest artisan, why not warrant his product for a longer time? What rights does the homeowner have after 18 months? Especially if she bought the product knowing that it was only warranted for a year.

It is likely that problems exist in all situations (Plumeria) but why not have a layer of protection?

We all know custom cab makers who will fix their product for a long time. So what? There are probably many who will not.