i'm back. thanks for all the great posts. i've been very encouraged!!! - Lyban : the pricing is for 2 cushions each of 2 different fabrics. I had cut and paste from the quote so it didn't transfer well. The second set of cushions there was a typo and it should have around $1020 total not $120. So each cushion was around $500 each. - i received an email from another member who relayed a story of local shop (which as it turns out is the same area that i live in - wash, dc) and how the pricing is sketchy at best and perhaps on purpose. Which encouraged me to go look at another shop. - i went to g street fabrics here and they were more than happy to work with me! i thought they might be put off my shopping around but they were willing to try and find the fabrics and said they had a good sale going on. They even broke down the pricing for me right there. A big chunk (almost half) is the actual cushion and wrap. Her pricing was probably 20% lower to 50% lower from what we calculated there (other shop must have way overquoted on one of the fabrics because it was double the price of g street). - the woman i was working with at the previous shop was let go so i would starting from scratch with them anyway. her subtitute didn't even have the quote that was sent! Fortunately my designer had taken good notes so i had enough to piece together what was quoted.

I work a lot with Woodharbor cabinets, and one nice thing is that you can order your legs and other moldings from White River or Enkebol and Woodharbor will finish them to match any of their cabinet finishes including any color paint. It's only about 50.00 to finish a leg or stick of crown and you get a beautiful factory finish that's guaranteed for life. It also keeps you from paying the high markup cabinet companies put on items they have to buy somewhere else, because you are in essence buying it direct from the manufacturer. I'm sure there are other companies that do it, but Woodharbor is the only one I've worked with so far. You can't beat it in my opinion.

Cabinets made in Ca when made legally are to be finished with water based paint and stain products. The cabinets made in South Dakota like Starmark and Showplace are oil based catalyzed varnishes which are much more durable. If you want to test it. Ask to have a sample from both places. Put acetone on the finish and wipe it off. If it is water based the finish will dissolve to some degree during the wipe. The oil based finish will look un touched. The La area store of Ca I work does not offer locally made cabinets for this reason. If you want to buy oil based floor stain or poly urethane you have to drive to San Diego county just to purchase it... The basic premise of the what the dealer told you is correct... The acetone test will tell you if you will get a inferior finish from the local company... I have heard of one company that made cabinets for a project I bid and did not get where the local cabinet maker bought oil based finish in pints to have it shipped in from out of state. You would have to mix all them together I would think it get an even finish color... The national cabinet makers use the oven and the catalyst to be able to finish their products faster. The upside is most also add an hardener to the finish that cures with the oven making the finish more resistant to light scratches and other wear and tear.. I have spoken with many people who have locally made cabinets where the area around the knobs and pulls discolors over time from the oils in the skin from being touched. The out of state finish is likely to be more durable from a reputable company in South Dakota.

This has been discussed longer than I've been around here. (more than a decade) First you are much more likely looking at furniture board-aka particle board than MDF. The vast majority of cabinets do NOT use MDF but an enormous number of KD's, salesman, even contractors will refer to it as MDF. (but depending on type of each they would be on practically equal footing with particle having an edge over most of what is actually used for MDF in cabinets-there are over 100 variations for each) I currently only have one brand of frameless cabinets that offers Particle Board- they also offer ply and every other brand I have at the moment uses plywood sides. I went to great lengths to get that brand specifically for the particle board option. What I tell my customer- once you are at the middle price point, top end at the box store (Kraftmaid, Shuler...) there is no point in paying for plywood except: on exposed ends if that is what it takes to get veneer, and sometimes for shelves greater than 30" wide that will be VERY heavily loaded. So I'm telling them that when they go shopping somewhere else they should be looking at a less expensive options than some of what I have. When I worked at a place that had more particle board options available I told people exactly the same thing. I used to post the physical stats from the National Plywood Association for both- for all but bending under load, particle wins. Search back a few years if you want to see those. My own kitchen is particle board frameless because that is what I wanted and fit my budget. If I were to spend more I would not burn $$ just to be able to say I have plywood. There are far more important aspects to cabinets quality than "pepsi or coke" ply or furniture board. AND once you have settled on a price point there is more to picking who you work with than which brand-who provides it for you counts for more. As to the cabinets themselves- the most important aspect of a middle of the road or better brand is customer service and QC, finish is next, methods of construction and volume come in there (how rushed are the people on the glue line is my favorite thing to see when evaluating a brand- a really accurate indicator of how things will turn out in the long run). Jakuvall