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.

You may want to also post this in the Kitchens Discussions forum - you'll probably receive many more replies there. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/kitchbath/?

Because of our terrific experience with our current kitchen, we are using Scherr’s for our next one (new construction). Leon is fantastic to work with - we give him the basic layout and appliance models # and he makes it all fit. None of those issues with fridge doors that won’t open and improper spacing and such. I wanted lower wall ovens than “standard“ and slots for sheet pans and pizza pans and cutting boards above, shallow drawer below for pie pans. The best best cabinet in the kitchen. We are doing 30” deep custom cabinets along one wall and the island (30” counters are the best thing we did in our current kitchen) and they found us 27” blum soft-close rails, so our drawers and pullouts are huge. The other “custom” cabinet makers would build 30” deep boxes, but all the pullouts (all the bottom cabs and pantries) would only be standard 24” rails, so the drawers and pullouts would all be short. There’s no point in paying extra for that. Better to pull standard cost cabinets 6” away from the wall to get the extra counter space. What I also love about Scherrs is my mixed-hardwood drawer boxes. They are made from cast offs or short cuts from all kinds of beautiful woods, but they are only seen when we pull a drawer out. They have all sorts of material options for drawer boxes and cabinets and doors, including making door fronts for IKEA cabinets. Many woods, many finishes, many styles. Totally customizable for a very reasonable price. The biggest drawback is that there is a long lead time right now. Get your deposit in early for your place in line. You can work on the details and finalize later. And Made in the USA in Minot, ND! Scherr’s Website with excellent cabinet FAQ