Are my expectations for professionally painted cabinets too high?
bastet984
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (110)
cat_ky
5 years agopaintguy22
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Cabinets- low to high, oh my
Comments (17)Patty- I've seen it done to fridges by making a box that is applied over the door but not in a long time. Problems are clearance and stress on the hinges. Since fridge hinges have gotten poorer in recent years I would not panel one that was not designed for it. Panel ready DWs have heavier springs needed to support the extra weight. Ontario- have not looked at an Ikea box in a decade, can't say. No idea who is making Canadian Thomasville, US is Shock AFAIK. Brands at HD are same as at dealers so any of their better are fine. Note that around here many (not all) dealers often beat the box price, good idea to check. Even with a tight budget it is a good idea to shop for a person instead of a cabinet. Determine a number ask if they can get what you want for what you want to spend. Just asking for the cheapest doesn't work too well though....See MoreAre my expectations too high?
Comments (28)In our case, our builder was a college grad and former successful accountant. Why he wanted to build houses I'll never know. He would be the perfect no personality, deadpan, humorless accountant, lol. I feel for you nhbaskets because we asked repeatedly for an accounting sheet because that was supposed to be his big advantage having been an accountant in the past. He was going to give us regular updates. When we did finally get it, it was about what we thought but had hoped to be wrong, lol. We put quite a bit of cash in along the way as you are doing to pad the allowances. Such as I wanted to buy my own lighting rather than have the cheapest brass fixtures from local big box stores that are in every other house on the street. Ditto with ceiling fans, faucets, those cosmetic features on the exterior such as trim over and under the windows, exterior lighting. I had to laugh when you talked about the wainscot. I was just getting warmed up on choosing windows and stopped by the house later that week and every window was already in! I was shocked!!! Windows are very important to me because the house we moved from had single pane, ill fitting swollen wood windows that wouldn't open without a body builder's help. They would fall shut. Well, these are the same way though they are double pane. They have those awful pinch in mullions that you can take out to clean the window but they never stay in after that and fall out all the time and then just fall apart. Did I mention that I HATE them? Errr….Some of the things still bug me but life goes on. As it turns out, they cut a swath to a new parkway that I can see from my house now and I almost never have the windows open. So much for my wooded view. I have some french doors that I open for cross ventilation sometimes but it's not peaceful since they put the new road in. Sheesh….it's not right in my backyard but I can see it from a distance and it's amazing how much dust and noise it creates. It must have been badly needed because it is constantly busy! Looking back on it I would say you are correct, communication was the whole thing that was missing. I thought we were going to have the opportunity to choose everything from insulation to roofing materials but that was not to be the case. He was calling himself a custom builder but what he meant was you can choose this color or that but everything else was by "his book". He was getting good rates on materials for buying in bulk and being a good payer of bills which let to a spotless reputation. That did not include customer satisfaction but if you checked on him he would have a spotless reputation as far as honesty and paying his suppliers and his subs. That can not be said of all of them. I can see now why he would consider us such a PITA but we felt just as put out not understanding that we did not actually have much say in the process. This was at the height of the building boom and he had more business than he could handle and besides building our house he was building an entire subdivision that was going to be his true bread and butter. It sort of bugged me that those houses were bigger and more impressive than ours but cheaper in price. But the difference is when you go outside the margins of mass production the price goes up exponentially. He probably got a better deal on the land as well. I feel now that some of the misunderstanding was partly our fault as we were just so naive and with him being a man of few words and not good with social skills, it just was a disaster waiting to happen. The pros are that it's a well built house, the framing is excellent, we have very few nail pops, we've never had a roof leak or a basement leak or any other major problem with anything "knock on wood". So I feel grateful for that, the big stuff was definitely done well. I've changed a lot of the cosmetic things over the years through updating things as needed....See Moreexpectations from professional painters
Comments (5)You are not being too picky. Unfortunately, you should have checked more carefully before they left, but we have all made that mistake -- it looks good from a distance and then you start looking around and notice things. I would call and start off very nice and professional -- gosh, you had heard such good things about their detail work and there are a few areas that need a little more work. Perhaps their best detail person was off that day, but you'd really like that person to be on the crew that fixes it. Play off the fact that you could be a good referral source, etc. Then go through it carefully when they are there -- make a list. If they are not cooperative, you can always get more firm/mean as you go, but don't scare them off before you give them a chance to fix it....See MoreCustom kichen cabinets estimate is way too high!
Comments (22)Like dcward89 above, with a similar sized kitchen, the only way we got to a number close to what you want was by getting Barker cabinets and installing them ourselves. I had a local cabinetmaker's finish person stain and finish the doors and drawer fronts (as a shop-sanctioned moonlighting job). Even with that and some extras (crown moulding, soft close drawers & doors) it ended up in the range you mentioned. Many urban areas also have affordable crews that will hire out to put together Ikea kitchens, which are similar enough in design that they could definitely put together Barker's cabinets. I second the idea of going to Barker's website and putting together your cabinet order. I did this over and over, making little changes each time, and it really paid off...my kitchen works just the way I wanted it to....See MoreHillside House
5 years agonosoccermom
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoBeth H. :
5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agoweedmeister
5 years agoUser
5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agothinkdesignlive
5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agodan1888
5 years agoUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agobastet984
5 years agohollybar
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoUser
5 years agopaintguy22
5 years agoUser
5 years agoulisdone
5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agosalonva
5 years agosondramartina
5 years agobastet984
5 years agobastet984
5 years agokchreg
5 years agoAJCN
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agobastet984
5 years agohollybar
5 years agobastet984
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoChessie
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoBeth H. :
5 years agoBeth H. :
5 years agoeinportlandor
5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agojust_janni
5 years agoBeth H. :
5 years agopaintguy22
5 years agobastet984
5 years agosalonva
5 years agocat_ky
5 years ago1929Spanish-GW
5 years agoDiane
5 years agoUser
5 years agoartistsharonva
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoHome4Here
4 months agoHome4Here
4 months ago
Related Stories
MOST POPULARFrom the Pros: How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets
Want a major new look for your kitchen or bathroom cabinets on a DIY budget? Don't pick up a paintbrush until you read this
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSPainted vs. Stained Kitchen Cabinets
Wondering whether to go for natural wood or a painted finish for your cabinets? These pros and cons can help
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSKitchen Cabinet Color: Should You Paint or Stain?
Learn about durability, looks, cost and more for wooden cabinet finishes to make the right choice for your kitchen
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSHow to Update Your Kitchen Cabinets With Paint
A pro gives advice on when and how to paint your cabinets. Get the step-by-step
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSNew This Week: 6 Blue Paints for Stylish Kitchen Cabinets
See how undertones in blue cabinets create diverse styles and moods, from playful and fun to daring and dramatic
Full StoryPAINTINGWhat to Know About Milk Paint and Chalk Paint — and How to Use Them
Learn the pros, cons, cost and more for these two easy-to-use paints that are great for giving furniture a vintage look
Full StoryMOST POPULAR8 Great Kitchen Cabinet Color Palettes
Make your kitchen uniquely yours with painted cabinetry. Here's how (and what) to paint them
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESRoom of the Day: Elegant and Eclectic Salt Lake City High-Rise
Hand-blocked wallpaper sets a beautiful organic tone in this young professional’s apartment
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNWhat Goes With Wood Cabinets?
Make those high-quality cabinets look their best by pairing them with the right colors and materials
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSThese Jewel-Tone Kitchen Cabinets Really Shine
For a colorful but sophisticated look, paint your cabinets one of these dazzling hues
Full Story
Beth H. :