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Scherrs for RTA Frameless Cabinets

jerzeegirl
11 years ago

Have any of you used Scherr's for your frameless cabinets. When I did the kitchen of my previous house, which was about five years ago, some people on the KF were using Scherr's and rated them very highly. I am wondering is any of you used them and if you would let me know what your experience was with them.

Comments (34)

  • youngdeb
    11 years ago

    We are just in the process of assembling ours, and they were great to work with and the cabinets are exactly as ordered. Everything is very tight and they look amazingly solid. Everything came on time as well.

    Deb

  • jerzeegirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Deb: I am trying to convince DH that Scherr's is a good way to go frameless but he's very skeptical of ordering on line (I haven't found any frameless custom cabinetmakers in my area yet). Did you order the plywood or MDF boxes\? Have they been difficult to assemble? I thought the plywood boxes would be a good choice since they are lighter than the MDF but I am open to either.

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  • athomesewing
    11 years ago

    We just talked to Scherr's a couple days ago. It would be September before they could do a kitchen for us...Sigh.

  • chiefneil
    11 years ago

    I did my den with Scherr's - a full 14" wall of built-in's with crown molding plus a desk. I ordered unfinished MDF, except for the desktop which is solid hard maple.

    The quality is excellent, and they're very easy to assemble if you're good at following directions. It can be a bit daunting at first - I remember thinking omg after unpacking everything, but if you just take your time and look at the paperwork, everything is labelled and easy to figure out once you get started.

    If you search there are a number threads in this forum on Scherr's. If you can't find the old threads let me know and I'll repost some photos.

  • nap101
    11 years ago

    I have been looking at Barker cabinets and am impressed by their website and the info and ease of use. They are also RTA. Anyone with experience on them?

  • jerzeegirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    chiefneil: I found the thread of your den and the cabinets and desk look wonderful. Would you let me know how they are finished? Do they have a catalytic conversion varnish that or is that something you have to apply if you want it?

  • chiefneil
    11 years ago

    You can order the cabinets fully finished. At the time I ordered mine, they didn't have the color I wanted - I wanted to match my kitchen cabs. So I ordered unfinished and did the staining and finishing myself.

    The finish is just a regular minwax polyurethane. I hand-rubbed instead of using a brush. Everything is satin except for the desktop which is gloss. Large-scale DIY finishing like that is a lot of work, so it's not something I would normally recommend unless you already have experience.

  • angie_diy
    11 years ago

    I used Scherr's in plywood. I concur with the posts above: they were well-built, tight, and easy to assemble. I would recommend them for sure.

    They will sell you a "sample cabinet" for about $140 (which is deducted from your eventual order if you order from them). That way you can both inspect the build quality and find out how hard it is to assemble.

  • matt
    11 years ago

    Hi jzg:

    Saw your existing kitchen cabs, quarry tile floor, layout, etc and thought I would add my 2Cents. By the way, I have been down in your area by Bradenton, Bird Key and Siesta Key and it is just beautiful.

    Anyhow, I like your idea of continuing the same wood flooring from adjacent rooms rather than putting floor tile in the kitchen. I know its FL but, I am not a big fan of switching flooring materials in the dining/living/kitchen area. One flooring material provides visual/color/texture cohesion within the space and also simplifies floor care.

    As far as cabinets, I think what you have there calls for a cabinet style that is neither traditional nor contemporary. I saw a martha Stewart cabinet display at HD that made me think of your kitchen. It is called Ox Hill and the color is Ocean Floor, a very elegant taupe color. This kitchen would work well with white countertops, a white sink, chrome handles and chrome faucets.


    I know that cabinets are expensive but your awesome location justifies and may even require that you do something that is sharp, and preserves if not enhances the value there. One way to save money (instead of getting sh1tty cabs) would be design the new kitchen with less of them. One idea would be to build a pantry or to store glasses and pans on open shelving in order to cut down on upper cabs.
    Finally, I know you are on a concrete slab there, but I just do not like the sink in that inside corner L. If that was my kitchen I would
    explore some other possibilities such as a more simple galley style kitchen or another layout that eliminated that L. having said that, i know it would be expensive to have a plumber break up the slab to move the drain and water pipes over a few feet.
    Perhaps the pipe location would work with an island in a new layout.
    Anyway, good luck you.

  • bmorepanic
    11 years ago

    Scherr's makes an excellent cabinet. The materials used, precision of the cuts, quality and strength of the hardware used in assembly is wonderful. And they make beautiful solid wood, dovetailed drawers if you'd like. I could literally stand on the top, bottom or sides of the cabinet box before it was installed - it's that sturdy. I did matching plywood interiors - so the insides of the cabinet were wood veneer.

    What Scherr's uses for plywood is not lightweight. What they use contains a layer of OSB in the center to control for possible humidity issues. That is surrounded by a thick layer of solid wood and then veneer or melamine. Together, they make for dead flat, very strong plywood that will remain flat.

    Their particle board is very fine-grained and uniform in texture.

    I think the other thing that's really nice is the ability to customize heights, widths, depths, and now finishes.

    Unfortunately, the scherrs kitchen was destroyed by a contractor error (do not ask - long story). We decided to replace with ikea cabinets with Scherrs doors due to time and available funds. Ikea is not in the same league - like comparing a cheap fiat to a big beemer.

    I can't say I'm deeply unhappy with ikea, and given the same circumstances (no money, no kitchen and no time), I'd make the same choice. But I still pine for my scherrs cabinets.

  • youngdeb
    11 years ago

    We ordered plywood cabinets but melamine drawers and stained doors, and they are fantastic. The worked with me on the design, sent me drawings of everything ahead of time...and everything came in exactly as ordered. The cuts are perfect, everything looks perfect. I ordered melamine because I'm just filling in a few cabinets, not doing the whole kitchen, and the rest of the kitchen is melamine. (They've held up fine for 15 years.)

    My architect came in wanting to push me towards a local company, but when he saw the quote he couldn't really argue - they are a fantastic value. Everything looks great, we're really cooking on the schedule...can't wait til it's all done!

  • toddimt
    11 years ago

    Where in NJ? I am in NJ and have just completed a Scherrs kitchen. I did all plywood boxes and is 100% custom. Leon is great to work with. I really pushed engineering to the limits on what I wanted to do and they came through with flying colors.

    Assembly of the cabinet boxes is not difficult. The 1st cabinet or so would be the "hardest" but then they all tend to follow suit. I had a whole assembly line process and my daughter was a great helper. I installed all of my cabinets solo. This was my first time doing anything like this. That's not to say it was all easy. Was a learning process but I also had items like a counter height window that affected precise layout.

    There also are items that you will have to adjust on your own like fillers, toe kicks and other minor items. There could also be some other modifications you may need to make on your own. You also can order a sample cabinet, where you can assemble an actual small cabinet and get an idea of quality and the whole process.

    If you were local, maybe I can show you and your DH a Scherr's kitchen 1st hand.

  • jerzeegirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Todd for the kind invitation. I wish we could drop by to see the cabinets but we are in Florida so unfortunately that won't be possible. DH and I have put together tons of Ikea furniture and I am assuming the process is similar with cams and allen wrenches and all that stuff but even if it isn't I am sure we can figure it out. We would hire someone to do the actual installation - we're not THAT good.

    I feel like I have two good choices for frameless cabinets now - either Scherr's or Ikea + custom door maker. We did get a soft quote for Innermost cabinets last week that was in the $13,500 range - this is kind of shocking because my kitchen is not that big although I am certain they are great cabinets since they appear to be made by Medallion (the uppers are standard 13" deep - nice!).

  • jerzeegirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks heri for your feedback. I love the cabinets in that pictures. We saw a Martha Stewart display in HD the other day that my DH really liked - it was a yummy light green color. We might have considered Martha's cabinetry more seriously if they were frameless because we did like the way they looked.

  • clg7067
    11 years ago

    I have Scherr's in my kitchen and IKEA in my laundry and garage. The Scherr's are super sturdy. I ordered plywood on the ends, but furniture board on the other sides. They have been up for several years and holding up great.

    And it's not so much like ordering online. Leon will help you through the design process and send you a final drawing before you pay your deposit. If you like, they will send you a sample door.

  • matt
    11 years ago

    Frameless box cabinets with big Euro-hinges screwed into the sides are all show and no go, IMHO.

  • billy_g
    11 years ago

    Scherr's was great to work with and their cabinets, drawers and door were excellent.

    Get your DH on the telephone with Leon Scherr and work with him on a quote. It will help him gain confidence and then you can decide if you you are comfortable working with them.

    Billy

  • toddimt
    11 years ago

    jerzeegirl,

    The process is very similar. With Scherr's though they used glued dowels, which are pre-glued and you have to spray water into the holes. Same process with all other types of ikea self standing furniture. Actually easier in some respects since you don't need to nail back panels on like Ikea furniture I had to do in the past.

    However, you are on your own for installing items like door handles and the leg levelers. Things like this would be pre-drilled on Ikea, since its all self standing and fixed. These items will depend on your hardware and distance etc of how you want to setup the toe kicks. If you are having someone else do the installation then those parts can fall on them.

    Scherrs hands down is awesome with the process, any issues etc. I worked with Leon for like 6-8 months on refining my project. Leon was always happy to please. They were willing to try pretty much almost anything I asked. I will also tell you that Scherrs is there for you after delivery as well. Still had tons of questions and all were answered promptly. I am not going to tell you that everything was 100%. I had an issue with the sink base, some drawer/door fronts that were most likely damaged in transit. Some filler that was not painted on all exposed sides, etc. Some of this had to do with some of the custom ideas I had. However, Leon either devised an amicable solution to solve the problem or shipped me out new parts, door/drawer fronts etc right away.

    My cabinets were painted and all plywood construction. I had Scherrs assemble all of the drawer boxes. Doing that on your own will require more skill I believe. Less expensive (both parts and shipping) but I think you get a much stronger box if they build it. As far as my kitchen goes, I have the following custom details:

    - Custom Panels made for the Fridge, Dish Washer, and Freezer drawer. I have a tall appliance wall (fridge, DO, Pantry over freezer drawer) and the panels on the fridge mimic those of the pantry/freezer drawer.

    - Blum servo-drive automatic trash rollout

    - Blum space-corner cabinet.

    - Sink Base for 36" Stainless apron sink.

    - Dividers in my larger drawers.

    - Cabinet for a stool at the end of my peninsula.

    - Double thick filler, so filler face aligns with cabinet drawers/doors face.


  • aries61
    11 years ago

    Just received a preliminary quote for Scherrs unfinished and thought that the price wasn't that great. Pricing was about the same that I received from an Amish frameless cabinets that were already finished. Barker cabinets were considerably less expensive. I've looked at both framed and frameless and so far Shiloh I feel is the best bang for the buck. Still going to get a quote from Conestoga.

  • bmorepanic
    11 years ago

    (whispering)
    Ikea actually has a couple of leg systems, and afaik, they don't pre-drill for the legs - the different legs are attached at different places on the bottom of the cabinet.

    I think just about nobody pre-drills door handles (maybe places like kraftmaid does if you use their hardware?). Ikea sells different types and sizes of door handles and they don't pre-drill because how would they know what handles you were going to use?

  • sjerin
    11 years ago

    Todds--could you a show a picture of your cabs and their interiors? I'd be so grateful!!!

  • toddimt
    11 years ago

    aires61,

    Without seeing the Amish cabinet, its hard to give feedback. Conestoga I believe are framed not frameless. As far as Barker goes there are several differences I see. Scherr's has leg levelers or you can build your own supporting platform. Barker has notched cabinets with integrated toe kicks. Barkers would be the hardest to install, especially if the floors are not level. Cabinets that require you to build a site made platform or use leg levelers are much easier to install. My floor ended up being 1/2" off throughout the cabinet run. Leg levers were a godsend. Not to mention this made it easy to run some other plumbing and HVAC duct work. Actually, I now see that Barker can be ordered without any toe kick's as an option. The Scherr's also have full solid tops. More rigid and a solid flat level platform for the countertop. This also prevents possible jamming in the top drawer since things could get caught in the gap behind the top stretcher that holds the top together. The Barker assembly instructions show only conformant screws holding things together. No additional pre-glued dowels to securely hold the cabinets together. Nailers on the back of the scherrs cabinets are also set in somewhat from the edges to help for ease in installation if walls are out of plumb or have any bows. Some of these things might not matter but just wanted to point out the things I could see so you can make an informed decision.

    Bmore,

    I was only referring to the pre-drilling of hardware in regard to other ikea pieces like wall units and other furniture. At least that was the case with the tons of stuff I put together 12 years ago. I know Jerzeegirl mentioned that they have familiarity putting together other ikea stuff. Was just pointing out the details that could/would be different with kitchen cabinets.

    sjerin,

    Is there anything in particular you want pics of? I will post some pics tomorrow. I haven't yet revealed my kitchen pics on the forum yet :). Let me know what you want to see and I'll post here.

  • sjerin
    11 years ago

    Todd, I'd love to see your corner cab, your large drawers with dividers, stool cab, and the filler you say is double thick--I'm not 100% positive what you mean by that.

    But if you'd rather wait until you post your pictures of your entire kitchen, that would be fine too. Thank you so much for all the good information you posted!

  • jerzeegirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Todds, I would like to see your cabinets too, but please don't wait!!!

  • c9pilot
    11 years ago

    I'm just glad to read that Scherrs is so busy that they're back to a several month lead time for cabinets. I know it's too long for some of you, but back in 2008 when we did ours, it was 50% down to get on the list, 6-months and a minimum order because they were jammed.
    Many of their employees lost homes last year in the flooding (you may have seen Minot on the news?) but the factory was fine. I emailed Leon just to tell him that we were thinking about them because we just loved their work, and he told me what was happening.
    It is not like ordering online, as another poster said. We were designing our kitchen from California for a new home in Florida and couldn't get the customization any other way without being in town. The biggest factor was getting 30" deep lowers with 27" long Blum soft-close that nobody else apparently could find.

  • jerzeegirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I was told that a 30" pantry with pullouts couldn't be done until I talked to Leon. He said no problem!

  • angie_diy
    11 years ago

    Leon used Haefele pantry pullouts for mine. They are built like a tank!

  • PRO
    Epiarch Designs
    11 years ago

    I recieved a prelim number from them for unfinished, RTA cabinets, and they were higher then Bertch Legecy and the same price (including shipping) as Omega quote and a local custom shop who does beautiful work.

  • mrsjoe
    11 years ago

    I got a quote from Scherr's and the price was pretty shocking. They were about the same or more than 3 different custom shops in my area, all of which do quality work, so basically I would be paying the same and have to do the work all myself. And that was before shipping was even considered, which was a lot due to my location. Additionally, the local guys can do exactly the door I want, where Scherr's said they couldn't. Leon was very nice and knowledgeable, but I can't see spending that much and then having to assemble and install myself. I think we're going to go with Barker's with the toe kick removed from all the cabinets so we can still use levelers. Barker's isn't much of a savings compared to what I could spend for most semi-custom, but I would have a top quality cabinet customized to exactly what I want. They are less than the area customs, so I guess in the end there is that savings.

  • sjerin
    11 years ago

    I was almost set to go with Scherr's (many thanks, Angie!) when I found a local guy who makes his own for almost the same price. What a huge relief it was as my contractor didn't want to use someone who wasn't local. But I am convinced that Scherr's makes a very good cabinet.

  • cabinetsbyalan
    11 years ago

    A website for cabinet makers is called woodweb. If you got to this site and go to cabinet makers forum and post for someone who builds frame less cabinetry in your area I think you will get a response. If someone replies go to their website and check out their work. Most on this site do beautiful work and I think you will be very happy. Just post: Looking for frame less cabinet shop in your city and state. Something to be said for buying local.
    Hope this helps

  • Fran528
    11 years ago

    I'm looking to find a distributor of RTA chinese cabinets beside the one like Scerrs.One that will have cabinets stock