I have handmade painted wood cabinets and they look nothing like this! There are some minor issues, of course.

What are you planning on doing? Have you paid yet?

I also have custom painted wood cabinets and I only had to send one cupboard door back and the GC agreed. He said it look like some dust got into the work. But the rest of the cabinets were perfect. (I put on my reading glasses and inspected every inch of them). You have glaringly obvious imperfections in the work.

So do you think it is the wood itself or the fact that the proper prep work wasn't performed and that they can be repaired if prepped properly?

I didn't mean just imperfections in the paint work but also in the construction. It looks like things aren't lining up either. You won't see those constructions misalignments in my cupboards either. Is there a problem with the actual quality of the wood - can't tell from pics and I wouldn't know anyway.
And he will never replace those cabinets after they are installed and you have accepted the work, he will probably (judging by what you have said about his attitude) just do piecemeal repairs.
Can you call in a third party to mediate the problem and get another opinion?

This is poor quality all the way around. I wish you the best of luck.

Another question I have is the base trim 1/4 round or whatever it is called that goes around the base of the cabinets. I don't understand its purpose and to me it sticks out like a sore thumb. Most of the kitchens that I have seen do not have this border. Is this common?

The trim isn't uncommon---it's sometimes used to hide the edge between flooring and cabinetry. One kitchen our cabinetmaker had done had it because they put the tile floor in after the cabinets and wanted to cover the grout/caulk line. We weren't fans so he recommended we run the floor in first under the cabinets so we'd get a very clean line between the two. That's what we're going to do.

alexism, I haven't caught your story from the beginning. You have said restoration company a couple of times. Does that mean you had water or fire damage to your new kitchen and that is where the problems started?

Here is a link to my original post- http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1021142119950.html

I don't have custom painted cabinets. I haven't followed this post until this morning. I am just a homeowner and DIY. What I can tell you is this...I would not accept that level of craftsmanship from anyone, not even myself. We have installed all new finish carpentry in our turn of the century home and we have, as DIY'ers done a much better job that what you have there from a so called professional. I hope you can achieve resolution. Good luck to you.

Could you please put the link where it is supposed to go so that it is clickable?

Ok, I have posted the link properly. Hopefully it works this time.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Cabinet Story

I have also added an easier link to the kitchen photos. This should make viewing easier.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photo Album of Kitchen Renovation

Alexism, there are a few things that really stand out to me as inferior craftsmanship, things that I think any contractor/carpenter (and the insurance company inspectors) would recognize as shoddy workmanship.

The painting, obviously, has a lot of mistakes, probably due to poor prepwork AND poor initial construction. Here for example the cabinet face frames (top cab and bottom cab) were not set on flush, with a terrible attempt at spackling the difference (this is a structural issue, weakening the cabs' stability perhaps?). And it looks like the paint was applied without sanding the wood or smoothing the caulk:

There are screws crookedly sunk and marring the cabinet sides/possibly interfering with drawer movement:

There are exposed plywood edges that were simply painted over with no attempt at smoothing, skinning or covering:

The painting buffoons apparently couldn't even be bothered to remove the hardware before spraying (!!). This is a really bad sign for the quality of the rest of their work:

I would stand firm and have them replaced in their entirety. So sorry you have to go through this!

"Cheap wood" is a pathetic excuse. Everything about that job looks wrong. Stand firm. Does that five year warranty cover "get this junk out of my house and re-do it"? I certainly hope so.

If the contractor insists on trying to weasel out, I would get thee to a lawyer ASAP--not to sue him, but just to find out what your rights are and what the time limits are in your area (for example, what's the statute of limitations--if you don't sue him within 1 year of this installation, are you out of luck?). You could spend half an hour or an hour with a lawyer who specializes in real estate-type work, figure out what your rights are, and have the lawyer send the contractor a nasty letter. You'd be amazed how effective nasty letters from lawyers can be.

To find a lawyer, ask friends for recommendations and/or look on Angie's List and/or contact your city or county bar association to ask for a referral to a real estate lawyer. Also, lawyers should be listed in the yellow pages by specialty.

No offense, but you look like the before on a Holmes on Homes TV show (HGTV). You need to talk to a lawyer (as ideagirl2 suggested) and find out just what your rights are. This is so terrible, I'm really sorry you didn't get a better result.

Also, you can complain to the BBB, your state Attorney General and any other organizations, your contractor might want to stay in good standing with...it's why these places are there and you should take advantage of them. Good luck :)

I spoke with the seller's insurance agent today and he basically told me that it is between me and the restoration company. I told him that this company is on their preferred vendor list and needs to be removed but he basically was apathetic to the whole situation. Let's just say this insurance company didn't leave us in " good hands".

Since the new crew members have been in this week they complained that it was bad wood, the cabinet builder's fault and that they needed to be completely replaced. The assistant GC sent me an e-mail today stating that I did not need to interact with the crew members and any concerns questions or comments needed to be directed towards her or the GC. First off it is OUR home and I deserve to see what is being done, second off if the gc or assistant gc was here supervising any questions they had they could direct to them instead of asking me.

So sorry for venting, I'm furious. We have been dealing with this for almost 3 months and it doesn't look like we will be enjoying Thanksgiving dinner this year in our first home :(

Did you speak to the seller's insurance agent ot adjustor? By all means, get yourself to an attorney for sound advice.

I spoke with the agent should I speak to the adjustor?

Yes, definitely talk to the adjustor - the agent is irrelevant. But most likely you'll need to talk to a lawyer.

I would expect this level of work from a minimally skilled homeowner, not a licensed contractor. The 1/4 round not only looks terrible, but all the angles are off as well. They did not use cabinet grade plywood either.

As far as having him redo your cabinets, I wouldn't want this particular contractor doing anymore work in my house. Contact an attorney ASAP.

I may have missed it but what state do you live in?

We live in The Woodlands, TX but the company is from Houston. I spoke with an attorney this morning and he said that they could issue a demand letter to the contractor but to wait and see how everything is after the corrections have been made. He also said that going to court may not help dependent on the size of the restoration company. The whole scope for the kitchen and wood flooring was $20,000. The lawyer said to pursue legal action that it may end up costing us $5,000 +. We do not have this kind of money as we spent most all of our savings purchasing the house and appliances.

I don't know if you've looked at this page before, but you may be able to file a complaint with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR.)

"The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) is a state regulatory agency that currently oversees over twenty types of businesses, industries, trades and occupations. The agency is responsible for issuing licenses, conducting inspections, investigating complaints, assessing penalties, setting rules and standards and holding hearings."

Sometimes just the threat of a lawsuit can help remedy the situation but do not let the contractor know that you are not financially equipped for a lawsuit.

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Attorney General

I would drive to the nearest DIY store and buy the cheapest sheet of half inch plywood I could get. I'd take it home, paint it white and then letter it in big black letters: Come see my NEW KITCHEN installed by XYZ company of This City. In only _ months they did all this. Plant it in the front yard. Tie some balloons onto the sign, maybe some of that flag stuff that comes on a rope. Be "seen" so that anyone who might be curious would at least stop. Don't say anything too negative, let them look. Maybe mention "a few things we will have to do ourselves to get it just right." There's no better advertisement than word of mouth.