They’ve proven that they can’t do your custom color. Don’t settle for two different colors!

But does not settling for two different colors mean I should let them rip it all out AGAIN and try to redo it AGAIN?? How many times do I have to go through that? Or do you think it's reasonable to say, make it as uniform on each side as possible, and then discount me (30%??) on the "wrong" color side...?

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/crystal-cabinetdisastrous-remodel-dsvw-vd~3236981

I would not want to to live with that for the rest of my life. I plan on staying in this house long term and am not planning on another 30k kitchen remodel. Our cabinets cost 16k and are beautiful. If you are selling that kitchen with mismatched cabinets will be a negative. If they haven’t been able to fix it over 3 times and a year and a half I would want my money back and give them their cabinets back.

mdln, I did see that before I ordered from them and like a fool, wrote it off as a fluke or something. so foolish...

No, I think you have been way too tolerant of this entire mess.

You want all of your money refunded - in no more than 30 days. They simply cannot produce the product and 18 months and multiple attempts is far too long for this to drag on.

Are you using a GC?

So this really makes a larger point: Cabinets need to fall into place because counter top, etc usually isn't ordered until they are in. Having your house torn up, and no kitchen, is problematic even when everything goes well.

At this point I would probably want them to come and take their cabinets and give me my money back.

I had custom cabinets done by Wood-Mode and panels that were ordered at a later time matched perfectly. They do several door samples in the custom color to show the wood variations, they then saw the doors in half and then send the customer a set of halves to approve the color. Any future panels are matched to the halves they still have at the factory.

My appliance installers drilled holes on the wrong side of my freezer panel so we had to reorder that panel. This was several months after the order had been manufactured and the new panel was a perfect match. My cabinets were ribbon mahogany with a med/dark matte stain and some distressing.

We also had to replace a drawer front and they did make a mistake. They sent the right wood/stain, but the wrong door style. They resent the order, which was then perfect, but it just took more time. The shop/KD that sold Wood-Mode was also great to deal with and very attentive when we had any problems.

Following.

Definitely get all your $$$ back and have them remove the cabinets. If they won’t consider that then have a lawyer write a letter. Make sure you have everything documented.

" I just can't wrap my head around the idea that I would pay $45K for cabinets that aren't at least good"

I would not want a half pink and half white kitchen even at a 30% discount. Even with a substantial discount off $45k, you would still be paying a lot of money. My thought is, they already tried to make it uniform and failed. Perhaps when they are done trying to fix it, you will have three tones, rather than just the two. Maybe even more. I would be out of patience at this point and ask for my money back.

Pull the plug. It looks terrible. You have been far more than patient and they have proven that they can't do the job. 45K is a lot of money. As painful as it is considering what you have been through so far, get your money back and start over with someone else. I would be afraid that it could also affect resale down the road. If I walked into your house and saw that, I would be wondering if it was sun damage that caused some of the cabinets to bleach out.

Yes, full refund and they remove the cabinets.

I do think you need to realize that colors vary depending on the light. I have gray painted cabinets in my own kitchen and I can tell you that in certain light, the uppers and the lowers appear to be different. I know they're not as this only happens in certain light - full west, afternoon sun. One must simply accept that. It's no different than painting a room with the same gallon of paint and one wall looks different than another due to the light. You KNOW it's all the same color, but it appears to be different.

Agree. Very obvious. I know you have kitchen fatigue but you can't settle for this. Full refund, remove cabinets, find a different vendor.

You are definitely in a crappy situation, so is many others who deal with custom paint selections and creating custom colors, because if something needs to be replaced because of damage or any other reason, the color will never match.

Manufacturers usually wrap kitchens like that at that price tag 10 times in a bubble wrap to relieve themselves from the liability because they know any piece that will be re-ordered it will not be the same.

As the installation goes, being certified by some manufacturer don't mean you are getting an experienced cabinet installer. To get certified by most manufacturers all you need to meet a basic requirement, have the minimum liability insurance and a contractor license.

We do many repairs and replacements of cabinets and doors, fixing decks, etc done by certified installers all the time, and manufacturer doesn't care what happens on the job because everything falls on the installer. They will send a rep and he will say its not a manufacturer defect installer screw up you have to take it out with him.

Same goes for custom paint color, I'm sure on the bill or in your contract there is language in small letters, that says manufacturer is not responsible for any color variation... This is an industry standard clause which being included in the contract by many in the trade when it comes to custom mixed paints when applied to the wood or other surfaces because wood has different grain and character and there is always a color variation and it could be different range of colors that can occur within wood grain.

Good luck I hope you get it worked out and the contractor can make it good on his part and manufacturer can offer best remedy on their part to get a best match...

Hmm. Thanks for the advice. Very good point about resale value.

When we went with the custom color, we were told it would be just like Chispa describes above: they keep the sample and make sure they always match it to it. I really don't get how they could ship anything that's so different. Can't one person just look over the whole order before it gets boxed up...?

GN Builders, can I ask, as a professional, what would you offer? Would you expect the customer to go through a fourth round of order/installation? Or...? I'm wondering what sounds to you like the best remedy...

I wouldn’t accept multiple colors and trying to match sides. you Paid a ton of money, they need to make it right or refund.

@Cobblestone,

Frankly speaking, I don't have an answer for you. In over 30 years in business I never been in a situation like this nor I would allow such situation get this far.

That said, when comes to anything custom like mixed colors, and if I have to provide my customers with a form to sign that manufacturer will be released from any liability in regard to color variation I will warn the customer that they are taking a big risk doing that.

Even if the manufacturer keep a color sample the outcome will never be the same, its just the way it is.

Whitewashed wood often turns pink or ambers. Because wood tannins get pulled through and affect the finish tones. And wood is photoreactive. Light changes it's color over time. Plus, different trees will have different mineral content from different growing condition, and that affects both changes that wood goes through.

Just look at all of the older 80's whitewashed kitchens that are pink and yellow. That's reality after just a couple of years time.

Uniformity in wood color is impossible without tinted clear coats called toners, that masks the wood grain. Thats considered a low end production process, because the whole reason to use wood is to see the grain. Slight variations in color are what let you know that it is real wood. And it will still be photorective.

Even if everything starts out the perfect whitewashed shade, over time, maple ambers and will no longer be white. It's wood. You can't stop wood from behaving like wood. To get the perfect shade of whitewash, most Euro makers will use laminate or a high tech multi piece thermofoil. It's more durable than wood as well.

The cabinet retailer should have set those expectations from the beginning. And all of the missed tries should have given you pause to research and find that out on the front end.

What they never ever should have done is string you along for 2 years. They owe you a refund. And you get to start over.

Take that opportunity to change your parameters. Look at lines that do that finish as a standard and not a custom finish first. There will still be variance and wood aging issues. You have to decide if the way that it will look in two years time is what you want. Because that's the far longer look than fresh white wood.

Or, change to the laminate that will always be the perfect color.

Thanks for the input, everyone. Is there anyone here who has gotten or given such a refund this far into the process? At this point, they are refusing to even offer a discount!

Also, live_wire_oak, I totally get what you're saying. But I do expect that when the cabinets are installed, it's a uniform tone. As you can see from the photos, it's not even close.