Homeowner Forum / Construction / October 2005

Cracking is unlikly with any finish or wood type.  Even in dry regions,
kitchens are often very humid.  The doors and faceframes are generally made
of good quality kiln dried hardwood and well sealed with the finish.  In
fact the finish (from a factory piece like Kraftmade) is often superior to
any you can get from a custom builder in CA due to enviornmental regulations
in this state prohibiting many chemicals and making it expensive to operate.

Personally, I hate the man made look of thermofoil or melamine.

Kraftmaid has the reputation of being at the low end of the quality
spectrum.  Look at things like the drawer glides - are they full
extension and what is their rated weight.  Also look at the drawer
fronts are attached - generally the first thing to go.  Cheap drawers
are fastened with rivets and glue.  Also look at how much drawer you
get versus the size of the front of the drawer - the low end makers
provide very little drawer capacity for the amount of space the drawer
fronts take up.

Look at the hinges and see if they are adjustable.  The finish is
probably the last thing to worry about.  Oh and check on the thickness
of particle board used in the cabinet shells - also the materials which
the drawers and shelves are made from.  If you look closely you can see
the differences in quality in the various products.

In my opinion buying factory built cabinets you are a lot better off
than buying from a cabinet shop because you can see what you will get
before they are installed.  Buying custom cabinets is a crap shoot -
yes there are some excellent custom shops out there - their product
typically goes into homes with 2 commas in the price tags.  Do a tour
of the big box stores and ask the sales people what the differences in
the quality of their various products - some know their stuff.

Got to http://www.kraftmaid.com get their phone number and give them a call.