rmgoetz, for our pullout pantry, we ordered a Barker tall cabinet with door. We already had the Ikea pullout pantry. We detached the pullout shelves from the Ikea unit and reattached them to the Barker unit, and didn't need any additional hardware (we had ordered the door without hardware in any case). So the cabinet box and door were from Barker, and the shelves and their hardware were Ikea. For the rest of our cabinets, we used all components from Barker. And scrappy25, if you're still checking this thread!, I think the RTA cabinetmakers commonly offer unfinished drawer boxes, as it's an easy thing to do at home and will save quite a bit of money (why we're doing RTA in the first place). Scherr's offers them finished or unfinished, for example. It took me the better part of a week to get all my drawer boxes finished (two coats of Osmo). It was easy, and only time consuming because there were so many. It does look like at Barker, if you choose the clearcoat option for the doors and drawer fronts, they also clearcoat the drawer boxes -- something to check on, if you think you'd want that.

n123, 1. Basically, due to the small width and depth of the sample cabinet at 12 1/2 " wide and 12 deep, the DECK and TOP parts end up being 11" x 12". Such small parts just barely hit the pins that reference the Y and X axis on our CNC equipment. In addition, these parts are only being held down by only two suction cups (normal parts are held by 4 or more suction pods) while they are being machined. We drill horizontal holes in the sides and a dado in the rear of the part. Any slipping of the part, even 1/32" can result in a small lip. Keep in mind the way the confirmat screw sets up in the wood will yield a very small variance (usually within 1/64") that can be adjusted by tapping the part into the correct position using a mallet or the palm of your hand. I have adjusted the CNC with some new suction pods to eliminate this issue for future sample cabinets. If you have a sample with a lip, email me and I will have a new one shipped, no charge. I don't want to rip other manufactures cabinet lines and construction as I am not here to slander the competition, but I have yet to see another cabinet company offer a sample cabinet for sale at all. Most will not supply a sample as it doesn't work well for their sales pitch to see their quality prior to delivery of the order. Just a thought, check around. 2. I am not sure how clamping will contribute to better assembly. We have used clamps back when we built face frame and flush inset cabinets. You use the clamps to hold the face frame on the case prior to nailing. The GC may be used to assembling face frame cabinets that require glue and clamps prior to assembly. Most other cabinet companies that provide assembled cabinets that are stapled and glued together in the factory. Staples and glue are both areas that are very prone to failure. Staples loosen and fall out, and glue can degrade over the years especially in humid/wet conditions like at the sink cabinets. We use metal screws and American made plywood to bond cabinet parts together, no glue. For our cabinets to fall apart after installation, one would have to unscrew the parts. This is not possible as the screw heads are always covered by another cabinet or a finished end panel preventing them from unscrewing. Another way would be to take a sledge hammer to the face of our cabinets, but the cabinet won't go down without a fight. 3. When sourcing cabinets, keep in mind that a lot of contractors will try to stick with their local cabinet maker as they are used to working with them on past projects. This works well for the contractor as they are able to stay within their comfort zone but they typically supply a sub standard cabinet for up to 50 to 60% more than the cost of ours. They will then find every excuse to try and tack on charges for things like assembly, and installation. When price is a concern, make sure you compare apples to apples with cabinet case materials, hardware, and overall quality. We include the very best of everything without special up-charges for things like PureBond plywood case (no formaldehyde), soft close slides and hinges (Blum), dovetailed drawer boxes, conversion varnish finish, all Made in USA components, etc. I would recommend assembling the cabinets yourself rather than paying someone else to do it. Ask anyone else who has purchased our cabinets how fast they are to assemble. In addition, you will have the pride of knowing you had a hand in building your cabinets, and you might end up having some fun too! :) Chad Barker Here is a link that might be useful: Barker Cabinets

Very disappointed in quality and workmanship. Employees evidently not trained to read a ruler. Miss calculations on measurements by 3/16 inches on doors and drawers. Not cleaned and finished sanding well, hinge placements varied 3/8 inch off. Wood grains on paneled drawer fronts running wrong way. Wow!!! What can I say but very poor quality for price we paid. Do not recommend to use this company unless you know nothing about quality. Also time frame on unfinished cabinet doors took approx. 2 months.

Quick update. The painters are finishing up today. The electricians, plumber and carpenter all showed up as promised. The carpenter installed a routed board that goes over the sink to create a soffit that contains two lights. He had delayed because he wanted to make sure the electricians could access the wiring. He also helped the electricians install our 12 year old Thermador double wall oven. Man than thing is heavy. It's a double convection oven with a small microwave. I'll keep it as long as it keeps on working. It's dirty because I don't run the self-clean cycle. The outside is stainless and in good shape. Every year that I don't have to replace it is a victory. The electricians wired up the Vent-A-Hood. I confess there was a moment of female superiority with this installation. They were complaining about the small amount of wire that was protruding from the hood. I realized they had no idea how to install it. So, I handed them our socket tool, told them to take off the black motor and wire it from that side. Nice guys, but a little red in the face for a minute or two. Chalk one up for the little lady. They also finished wiring all of the outlets and switches. We have to wait to the painters to finish the ceiling before we can install the ceiling lights. The LED can lights were considered a fixture. That meant I needed to go get them. Home Depot had what I needed. The LED under cabinet lighting was delayed, also. We had another miscommunication. I thought the electricians were providing all of the necessary equipment for installation. We had a discussion three months ago. Who can remember three months ago? None of us. They thought I was providing it. Therefore, no supplies or equipment was available. I got on the horn to InspiredLED (Thank you GW) and Garrett hooked me up with everything we need. The components should arrive Friday. The plumber did his magic. He installed our old Bosch dishwasher. It's over 10 years old and was the top of the line in it's day. It still works beautifully. It will work even better now that it is properly installed. He installed all of the faucets. Unfortunately, the Hansgrohe pull-down faucet at the main sink has a leak in the sprayer unit. One call to Hangrohe and a replacement hose is on the way. He hooked up our new Insinkerator garbage disposals. We hooked up the Forever_MT soap dispensers. (Thanks GW, again.) We had to call back the back splash installers. Two of the boxes for light switches and outlets were too small. We couldn't get the covers on them. Even thought we could have done it ourselves, we didn't want to damage the tile. Their boss insisted on sending them out to make the fix. We started moving back into the kitchen. I've started cleaning house. We washed and cleaned off the back porch where everyone worked and all the supplies were stored. I can cook in the kitchen. We are still camping out in the temporary area waiting for the painters to finish. The painters started working on the final touches yesterday and will be finished today. It looks great. We will need to let things dry for a few days. Now, we find ourselves with a small to do list. It never ends. We need to install the under cabinet lights and ceiling can lights. We have the replacement hose for the Hansgrohe faucet. I've looked at it and I'm going to get the plumber back out to install it. I'm sure it's a simple fix, but it's not obvious to me. We also need to fasten the HVAC vents to the cabinet toe kicks. I think that's about it. Pictures next. I'll do the big reveal at the end of the week. Thanks for all the encouragement.