Replies

1. 
   Ed_W | Mar 13, 2002 05:49pm | #1

   *
   Frank,
   I have been looking at alot of cabinets lately and have run across the same thing. I haven't really looked at KraftMaid that closely because I just don't wasn't to deal with Home Depot. Some others that I have seen that I feel are comparable are: Medallion, Bertch, Omega, and Crystal. These lines offer what you are looking for. Check out their web sites. Here is a site that home owners discuss the various manufacturers and their likes and dislikes of each. http://www.todayshomeowner.com/forums/kitchens.html
   -Ed

1. 
   Eric_Svendson | Mar 13, 2002 06:18pm | #2

   *A nice feature w/ Kraftmaid (and surely others) is that there are options like dovetailing, all ply construction, birch plywood, stained interiors, etc. My thoughts as an owner of their products is that their quality control was less than I expected but their customer service was far more than I expected.

1. 
   Frenchy_Dampier | Mar 13, 2002 06:45pm | #3

   *I own some craftmaid cabinets and while they are over 5 years old they look new. They came out of the carton nice and I haven't found anything to complain about. What I liked was not having to deal with local cabinet makers. while the local guys may know a little about working with wood they certainly don't understand marketing. I bought mine at a lumber yard I wa;lked down the asile and selected what I wanted. The price was posted and I didn't need to spend hours with the guy talking about details. In a few minutes I selected and paid for them and took them home that day. By the next morning they were in place and lookin good. The local cabinet shop wanted to do a quote, after designing the combinations that would fit. He never got around to telling me costs because everything I asked for, he made it sound like it was the first time such a thing had been considered. Everything was extra and delivery was 6 weeks away. The samples he had didn't show me anything great or exciting. (he did show me a lot of pictures of custom work (he called it all high end stuff)and while some of it looked nice it's obvious that he didn't consider costs as a high priority.

1. 
   Theresa_Sittler | Mar 13, 2002 10:04pm | #4

   *We remodeled our kitchen 2 years ago with KraftMaid from HD. I'm very happy with them. Concur w/Eric. Quality control needed to be worked on (dinged corners; bad wood used in raised panel door; missing significant part of order), but we got replacements without any problems. Note: we have no kids, and have determined we are not 'hard' on things. Not much gets broken around here, unless it's intentional...

1. 
   norml | Mar 14, 2002 02:23am | #5

   *Have installed several Kraftmaid kitchens. Good cabinets if you order the all plywood construction. Most of the problems have been in the shipping, but replacements came quickly and without hassle. HD, Lowes, and larger lumber yards all carry. Have the store do the final measurement, that way if there is a screwup, it's their nickel.

2. 
   Cloud_Hidden | Mar 14, 2002 02:31am | #6

   *We have Kraftmaid and are happy with them. Nice variety available. Workmanship good, but not perfect. Still, good enough for the price. Ordered through a cabinet/appliance company and installed by them, too.http://www.monolithicdome.com/gallery/homes/kaslik/pictorialpp.html(wine holder I added later)Everyone seems to like the display drawers you see 4 of in this pict: http://www.monolithicdome.com/gallery/homes/kaslik/pictorialqq.html

3. 
   Jeff_J._Buck | Mar 14, 2002 02:52am | #7

   *what does HD have to do with Kraftmaid? Jeff

4. 
   Jeff_J._Buck | Mar 14, 2002 02:54am | #8

   *another brand to chack out is Wellborne. 3 price ranges to pick from. Jeff

5. 
   RichC | Mar 14, 2002 03:17am | #9

   *i Quality control needed to be worked on (dinged corners.Lot's of dinged up edges on a recent kitchen I did but, they are a decent cabinet. No need to go to HD. Many design centers supply Kraftmaid. I used them in my kitchen 4 years ago and the only slight problem is that one cabinet facing a window (no sun) has faded.

6. 
   doug_hubbard | Mar 14, 2002 03:40am | #10

   *I have hung a boat load of cabs over the last fifteen years and there are few built as well as Kraftmaid.I would rather install my own or a select few customs that I work with- but I have no issues with Kraftmaid.this whole Home Depot thing -they have supplied several times and no more issues than I would have elsewhere.stay on top of them and welcome to the promised land...I like Kraftmaid- for whatever that is worth.

7. 
   calvin_ | Mar 14, 2002 06:41am | #11

   *It's there nickel but it will be your time. Check their measurements very closely b/4 ordering. I will agree on the poor quality control. All the top drawer fronts on the last kitchen were mounted too high, leaving a "mail slot" under it to the cab below. They did send a rep to remount all the fronts. Couple out of square boxes to deal with and unfinished (sort of) stile edges. They do take care of you eventually, but who's going to wait for new boxes to be shipped when the homeowners kitchen is torn out? On the whole, not as good as some, better than others. Hardware? nothing extraordinary. Check on upgrading drawer slides and door hinges (multi adjustible with quick release mounting plates).

8. 
   jim_"crazy_legs"_blodg | Mar 14, 2002 08:40am | #12

   *I've used Kraftmaid twice, once Chevy quality, once lower end quality. I was pleasently surprised by the mid range priced set, astonished at how cheap the others were (homeowner supplied). A name I haven't heard mentioned yet is DeWills. They make a decent off the shelf cabinet. Dovetailed drawers are way overrated. At one time they relied on the joint to hold the pieces together through seasonal wood movement. The glues, fasteners and finishes we use today make dovetail joints on drawers a waste of time and the costomer's money. Spend the money where it'll do you some good, like full extension drawer slides.

9. 
   alan_senoj | Mar 15, 2002 12:01am | #13

   *Cloud,Just had a look at your kitchen pics. All looks lovely but I am particularly taken with that stove hood. Your design? Stainless steel?Alan

10. 
    Dustin_ | Mar 15, 2002 06:09am | #14

    *I just installed a Kraftmaid and all my drawer fronts were way out of wack, and w/ maple it's kind of frustrating to align. We also found out of square boxes and frames that didn't line up w' the boxes. When you are applying crown to peninsula cabinets and have to put the underside trim on, racked boxes add lots of hours. I have looked into Rutt cabinets but of course without a kitchen to spec you can't get pricing to compare.

11. 
    Ralph_Wicklund | Mar 15, 2002 06:25am | #15

    *Why can't you get pricing for comparison purposes. I can go to any distributor in town with my drawings or specs and have a quote in about 10 minutes. Except H/D or Lowe's. There you have to have an appointment or take a number.

12. 
    joe_beech | Mar 15, 2002 06:48am | #16

    *i have found that kraftmaid are very remodeler friendly. Easy to take apart reconfigure and install Like if your boss orders the wrong box

13. 
    scottD_ | Mar 15, 2002 04:53pm | #17

    *We put in Kraftmaids a year-and-a-half ago. No complaints whatsoever about quality... The hardware (hinges/drawer slides) are sturdy and the finish has really stood up well (4 and 5 years olds and the non-stop tail of 130 lb Lab). They delivered when they said they would and all the pieces were there. I would definitely use them again... We ordered ours through Lowe's.

14. 
    Cloud_Hidden | Mar 15, 2002 05:24pm | #18

    *Alan, Thermador. What's interesting is that I found the model through the internet, rather than throught the showroom's catalog. They kinda denied that model's existance till they called the manuf or distributor to check the part number. SS and curved glass. One off those gulp and agree to eat mac&cheese or hot dogs for awhile decisions.Jim

15. 
    Pro-Dek | Mar 15, 2002 05:51pm | #19

    *Frank -I have Kraftmaid oak cabinets in my office at home.They are very good quality and if you upgrade to the style with the dovetail drawers you will be much happier..The cost difference is not that much..Bob

16. 
    Adrian_Wilson | Mar 15, 2002 08:28pm | #20

    *Couldn't agree more on the drawers. Starting to really like the metal drawer box systems, too.

17. 
    Jeff_J._Buck | Mar 16, 2002 01:19am | #21

    *Dude! Ya found me! Got start a fight in the Woodshed Tavern.....but fight nice.......you may be out of work soon.....and maybe one of these guys will make ya an offer! Part is still a go tomorrow.....you and/or Timmy give me a call for directions. Jeff