Is she the one who introduced you to Kraftmaid? Meaning, is this one of her lines that she reps? She probably gets a kickback. Of course she will tell you that Kraftmaid's finish is better.

I'm not sure if she thinks that by going custom you are hiring Jed Clampet to make your cabinets in his basement and Granny is down there painting them with a flit can.

FWIW, I had Kraftmaid, the top of the line construction with a peppercorn stain in the last house. Beware if you go with a dark stain that fingerprints show up and could bug you. I was forever trying to get them to look "new". (of course the painted white ones I just wiped off and voila..)

So, take a look at your cabinetmaker's work. Go out and visit some former jobs. See how they look. Don't just listen to her. She could just be seeing dollar signs disappearing right before her eyes.

I know you want to save money, and that is great. Our Kraftmaid cabinets worked fine for the 2 years we had them before we moved.

(And I can tell you the custom cabinets I have now are far superior to those I had from Kraftmaid. )

Bee

You'll go through any number of appliances during the lifetime of the new cabinets, so really the quality of the cabinets is the more important issue. It's been my understanding from things I've read here that Kraftmaid is a medium-low cabinetry choice. You know the work of your guy, does it exceed medium? Would he charge you less if you chose maple or oak instead of cherry? Cherry by its nature gets darker with age and light, but if it's painted that shouldn't be an issue one way or the other. Many people here have done custom cabinetry and can perhaps speak to the quality of paint application question.

We went the custom route in our kitchen and we have NO regrets.

We were able to talk it through with our guy and create the size WE needed, depths of the cabinets not standard because he could do what we want.

As to the finish, ours used a clearcoat conversion finish, which as I understand is the industry standard. He buys his doors and drawer fronts from a mill that only sells to contractors and they are excellent quality. We were working with red birch and my husband had certain things he did not want in the grain pattern, so our contractor gave the mill his requirements and told them he'd send any doors back that didn't meet the criteria. Will Kraftmaid do that for you?

I would suggest you look at my link to my nearly finished kitchen to see pix of most of the following:
1. microwave wall entirely custom
2. See the deep drawer with the Dutch oven and large metal strainer/bowl? It is 23" long. I had the space and didn't want to waste it.
2. All top drawers are a 5" deep box because I hate super shallow ones.
3. I have a split front drawer for my silverware, the top part being a separate cutting board. (Most places have a cutting board that can't be opened solo. It's nested inside the drawer). And that couldn't have been done with a typical drawer box either.

Moneywise, I didn't like the entry-level stove anyway, so we kept our old one. When the time comes, hopefully I will have rebounded from the kitchen costs and buy a better one than the entry-level models. Had we been short another $1200, we would have held off on buying the fridge and stayed with our contractor.

Another money question: How does Kraftmaid handle change-orders and the pricing for that? I realized after our cabinets came that one of them was not what I'd expected at all. It was my fault, really. So we decided to do a change order and eat the cost. Our cabinetmaker wanted us to be happy and went above and beyond in getting the change done and being beyond fair in what he charged us for it.

Here is a link that might be useful: nearly done U kitchen

Thanks for the input. We chose an interior design team who are independent and would creatively look at our overall space, not just the kitchen. They actually have brought in quotes from several different suppliers, and I have gone out on my own to get quotes as well. So, I don't think they are getting a kickback. I think they are looking at our overall budget.

Thanks Colorfast for suggesting the type of finish you used.

We are having a load bearing wall opened up, 2 entry areas enlarged and a closet moved, the window area over the sink enlarged, a french door removed for a single entry door from the deck so we have more room for cabinets. I am concerned that even having someone else measure the space to order factory made cabs will result in error because the space hasn't even been recreated yet. I know our contractor will build the cabs to fit. He is an excellent technician who wants the job done right.

I guess I'm letting the "perfume of a discount" entice me!

I am concerned about the comments your interior designer made re Cherry. I see no downside to your cabinet maker. You will get exactly what you want. And you can either hang onto current appliances and upgrade/change later or keep shopping for appliances. Cabinets should last a long time, so you should get the best you can.

I have custom natural (no stain) cherry, and love them. My cousin has Merrilat (I believe) also in natural cherry and I love them also.

Clarification: Your designer has given some indication that he/she has a lack of knowledge about cabinetry.

I have had both Kraftsmaid and local custom cherry, no comparison our custom are better. The finish on Kraftmaid can become damaged and any repairs are usually visible. The workmanship on our custom is much better and everything is made exactly to size needed, no fillers. FYI- cherry darkens in the sun so maybe your KD has a cherry color stain on a different wood? Also, you should make sure to shop around a lot for your appliances. I tried so hard to make it work with a local dealer but ended up going with a bigger chain (ADU) and saved a bunch.

Always in search of answers to a necessary question like this, I came across the following thread on another well known kitchen forum a while back:

"Remodeling kitchen Why expensive cabinets and not Kraftmaid?"

Of course, times have changed since 2009 and it's very possible that recession cost cutting on finishes have compromised Kraftmaid products as has been said and publicly lamented.

I look forward to a summer drive up to Dutch Wood to see their small showroom and talk with them. I understand it's open during weekdays (M-F). No denying their beauty, and many have attested to their sound structure too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link:

I got true custom cabs, and I'm so happy I did. Actually, mine were not more expensive than Home Depot, after you added on the upgrades to compare apples to apples (or cherries to cherries, actually.) Many people have said on here that custom often is not more expensive. My Mennonite cabmaker said he did so many cherry kitchens that he got a good price in the lumber, so he could give a good price on cherry. He mixed a custom stain for me, and he made changes right up until about 3 weeks before install. He had fabulous long guarantees on finish and workmanship. A woodworking friend of mine (sayde's incredibly skillful DH, in fact) pointed out that the planks joined to make the front panels of the doors were so well matched that it looked like one piece of wood. The end panels are made just like the doors, whereas factory places often just screw a door panel onto the end panel. The finish is excellent. I've spilled down them and washed them off in places, and they are still perfect. He also gave me matching touch-up sticks and pens, so if I ever get nicks or scratches, I can fix them myself. If you can afford it, get custom. (If you live in western NY, use my cab maker.)