Episode 1906
Transform Your Space: 10 Must-Ask Questions for Cabinetry
Thinking about investing in cabinetry for your home? Eric G. reveals his top 10 essential questions to ask before making that significant purchase, potentially saving you thousands of dollars and a lot of headaches. From the meaning of "custom" cabinetry to the importance of finishes, Eric emphasizes that not all cabinetry is created equal, and understanding the details can make a world of difference. He highlights the critical aspects of construction, hardware, and design, ensuring you know what to look for to avoid common pitfalls. Join Eric as he guides you through the complexities of cabinetry shopping, helping you make informed decisions for your next home improvement project.
Navigating the world of cabinetry can be daunting, especially when the stakes involve significant financial investments. Eric G. shares his top 10 essential questions to ask before committing to cabinetry purchases, emphasizing the importance of being informed to avoid costly mistakes. One of the highlights of the discussion includes the misconception surrounding the term 'custom cabinetry.' Eric clarifies that custom does not equate to quality; it merely indicates that the cabinets are built specifically for a project. He cautions listeners against assuming that custom options always deliver superior craftsmanship, pointing out that some of the worst cabinetry experiences come from small custom shops that lack modern technology and quality controls. Instead, he advocates for understanding the construction methods, materials used, and finishes that impact durability and aesthetics.
The episode also delves into the significance of finishes, with Eric expressing his aversion to lacquer—a finish he believes does not hold up well over time. Instead, he recommends options like conversion varnish or modern water-based finishes that provide better longevity and resilience against the rigors of kitchen environments. Furthermore, Eric underscores the necessity of scrutinizing hardware quality, urging homeowners to ensure their cabinetry includes reputable brands known for reliability. This in-depth exploration into cabinetry not only aims to enhance listeners' knowledge but also seeks to empower them to make informed decisions that align with their style and budget, ultimately saving them thousands in the long run.
Takeaways:
- Before purchasing cabinetry, remember that the term 'custom' doesn't guarantee quality.
- Always inquire about the type of finish used on your cabinetry; lacquer is often inferior.
- Check the hardware brands used for drawer glides and hinges to ensure durability.
- Ensure your cabinet drawings are detailed, reflecting all specifications before approval.
- Avoid designing your kitchen without professional help to prevent costly mistakes.
- Consider the environmental impact of cabinetry materials, opting for certified plywood when possible.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Pyramid Heating and Cooling
- Monument Grills
- Sherwin Williams
Mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
Foreign the house.
Eric G.:My top 10 questions you should be asking if you're out buying cabinetry and this is a huge deal so this can save you a ton of money and headaches.
Eric G.:If you follow my rules here.
Eric G.:It's going to help get you the information you need so you know how to make the decisions and where to spend money and maybe where not to.
Eric G.:We've been cruising through the list here and this is really big.
Eric G.:We were just talking about a box construction and inset.
Eric G.:Around the House show is brought to you by Pyramid Heating and Cooling serving in Oregon, the Portland metro area and Bend, Oregon.
Eric G.:They are your one stop shop for heating and cooling and indoor air quality.
Eric G.: yramid heating.com Oregon CCV: Eric G.:This is around the House.
Eric G.:Welcome to the Round the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Eric G.:I'm Eric G.
Eric G.:Thanks for joining me today guys.
Eric G.:This hour's brought to you by my friends at Monument Grills.
Eric G.:If you're looking for that brand new barbecue, maybe just your barbecue's done and we got the big game coming up here in a month or so.
Eric G.:So you need a new barbecue for that.
Eric G.:For all your friends coming over to watch your favorite team, whoever that is.
Eric G.:I just know it's not the Seahawks because we'll be all watching it from the sidelines.
Eric G.:And guess what?
Eric G.:Check them out@monty mcgrills.com We've got a great show for you today.
Eric G.:I'm looking forward to talking about some stuff here for cabinetry.
Eric G.:But first I wanted to talk real quick and we' talk about this more in a midweek special here one of these days.
Eric G.:But I tell you what, I am not a fan of the new Extreme Home Makeover.
Eric G.:I know you guys always ask me questions about the TV shows out there so I always take I couldn't stomach through it.
Eric G.:It was just the other ones were bad enough.
Eric G.:I'd been on the sites before I had volunteered.
Eric G.:I had worked around on those and and been a part of it.
Eric G.:I tell you what, this one was cringe worthy.
Eric G.:So if you're looking for cringe worthy tv, check out I think it's on abc.
Eric G.:Extreme Home Makeover.
Eric G.:Not a fan at all.
Eric G.:And building the house in seven days is not a good program.
Eric G.:And quite frankly I think some of these people really end up losing their home at the end of this.
Eric G.:The ones that I saw Everyone start doing some research.
Eric G.:They all lost their homes because they ended up getting mortgages and couldn't afford to manage their money correctly when they got these new million dollar homes.
Eric G.:And so it just went badly.
Eric G.:So be careful, it's cringe worthy.
Eric G.:Just a show that doesn't get my seal of approval.
Eric G.:If today I wanted to talk about my top 10 things you should know before you sign on the dotted line on cabinetry.
Eric G.:Whether it's a bathroom cabinet, whether it's kitchen, whether it's a laundry room, whether you're doing something in the garage, what are you doing with cabinetry?
Eric G.:Here are my top 10 tips for you out there to ask these questions first so you know what's going on.
Eric G.:Now, the first rule here, this is probably one of the most important ones, but it's something you have to understand when you're shopping cabinetry.
Eric G.:So many people go, oh yes, I'm having custom cabinetry made for my home.
Eric G.:It's so beautiful.
Eric G.:And the sentence goes on and on.
Eric G.:But the first thing to remember with cabinetry, it's the word custom means nothing except that they're building it for your project.
Eric G.:It's not a stock cabinet or it's not semi custom, which means they're building it even though they're building it for your project.
Eric G.:You can do some modifications too, but the word custom has zero to do with quality.
Eric G.:And the worst cabinet jobs I've seen across the country are always custom because there is those designation.
Eric G.:There is no designation for custom as far as quality.
Eric G.:Usually custom means it's a guy in a garage and he's got a table saw and some basic tools and he's going to make some cabinets for you.
Eric G.:Now, there are some high end, beautiful custom cabinet makers out there, and that's not what I'm talking about.
Eric G.:But there are so many people out there that are little tiny custom cabinet shops that are using old technology, old styles.
Eric G.:And that's what we're going to talk about in today's episode.
Eric G.:So that way when you look at customers, you go, oh, I asked these other nine questions and now I know what I'm getting because that's one of the biggest problems we see out there when it comes to cabinetry.
Eric G.:So just remember, custom means nothing as far as quality.
Eric G.:It could be the worst thing in the world.
Eric G.:And quite frankly, there's a lot of larger cabinet shops out there that are not quote unquote, custom cabinet shops that do better than some of the smaller cabinet shops out there.
Eric G.:And listen to this episode.
Eric G.:You'll understand why as we dive into this.
Eric G.:So the next one on here, which is again another important one, the finish on your cabinetry is one of the most important things to consider.
Eric G.:Now when I'm looking at cabinetry finish, whether it's a stain or a paint, when I hear the word lacquer, my hair stands up on end because there are so many better finishes.
Eric G.: er is what you saw go on your: Eric G.:Now if you remember in the 50s, 60s, 70s into the 80s Saturdays, what were people doing there out in the front yard waxing their car, Polishing, waxing and getting that lacquer to look good because you had to rub it out and make it look good with some wax to protect it.
Eric G.:It's no different when you're looking at lacquer on wood cabinetry.
Eric G.:Now the exception here is when you're doing like the sanded high gloss contemporary, 22 coats of hand gloss lacquer.
Eric G.:I get that you're trying to do that super contemporary with an old style with that.
Eric G.:I get that's not what I'm talking about here.
Eric G.:I'm talking about your painted shaker that they painted it with a lacquer.
Eric G.:I'm talking about the maple cabinets that they stained a little darker and put a maple over that maple and put a top coat over the top fit using clear lacquer.
Eric G.:Those just don't hold up.
Eric G.:And especially on woods like maple that are hard and non porous.
Eric G.:Many times you around the kitchen sink when you see lacquers, you'll see the finish peeling off.
Eric G.:You'll see just from moisture that lacquer coming off the stained finish down below.
Eric G.:So that's definitely one of those things you, when you look at it, you go, man, okay, lacquer, stay away from that.
Eric G.:I'd much rather see something that's been on cabinetry for 20 years, 20 plus years out there.
Eric G.:Conversion varnish.
Eric G.:That's a two part conversion varnish.
Eric G.:So when they mix the hardener with the product, it sets up many times that will be in a larger factory area.
Eric G.:They're going to actually have an oven that bakes it or UV cures it.
Eric G.:That's one way to do it.
Eric G.:Another way is there are some urethane finishes out there that are new, that are water based.
Eric G.:And I tell you what, the new water based finishes are really nice.
Eric G.:They've Done a great job 15 years ago.
Eric G.:They looked a little milky.
Eric G.:They weren't that great.
Eric G.:They have really come a long way.
Eric G.:And I would much rather have a newer water based finish than an old lacquer one because the lacquer just doesn't hold up.
Eric G.:It's too soft.
Eric G.:It checks.
Eric G.:It just doesn't hold up to wood that's moving around all the time.
Eric G.:It was hard enough to keep a good looking on.
Eric G.:On metal that doesn't move near as much.
Eric G.:That as soon as you get that around wood and moisture that goes sideways.
Eric G.:So take a look at the finish of what's going on and ask those questions.
Eric G.:If it's lacquer, I walk away.
Eric G.:Just I don't think it's a quality material.
Eric G.:And that's a big one right there.
Eric G.:And we're going to talk a little bit more finish on this when we get later on in the episode because our last one here has got some more finished stuff on it.
Eric G.:But just what I want to talk about, this one here, making sure that you've got this dialed in on the finish and knowing what's going on there.
Eric G.:And it's depending on the woods.
Eric G.:Some people will go, hey, I'm gonna do a, I'm gonna do a white oak with a, with just a clear finish over the top.
Eric G.:Great.
Eric G.:A good cabinet company uses finishes that are great examples.
Eric G.:Sherwin Williams, they have a commercial finish division for water based, for their chemical based.
Eric G.:That's not a water based but more their oil type based finishes which are more of a.
Eric G.:They take thinners and things like that to clean up.
Eric G.:But really those non water based finishes, those all go through the commercial.
Eric G.:So those guys don't typically get their finish through what I would call a paint store.
Eric G.:And so really cabinet people work with their finish reps and they drop off 5 gallon to 50 gallon buckets of this stuff.
Eric G.:And that's what's going on your cabinets.
Eric G.:If your cabinet person is going down and grabbing stuff off the paint store shelves, you're making me really nervous because that finish is not going to be what you expect.
Eric G.:And a lot of people expect a really nice finish and that can be really tough.
Eric G.:I have seen painters come in and paint kitchen cabinets and they looked beautiful.
Eric G.:I've also seen them come in and they don't know what they're doing.
Eric G.:They caulk all the doors, all the gaps on that and then they come through and paint it and it looks absolutely like garbage.
Eric G.:And you've got a ruined finish already.
Eric G.:And now you got to Strip that down, which is a hot mess.
Eric G.:So making sure that finish is what you want it to be early, that's one of my top questions to ask.
Eric G.:Now when we come back, we have got some really big details to cover here on cabinetry.
Eric G.:On those questions asked just as soon as around the House returns.
Eric G.:To find out more about us, head to Aroundthe House online dot com.
Eric G.:We'll be right back.
Eric G.:Should I be allowed to be so hot?
Eric G.:So many.
Eric G.:Welcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Eric G.:Thanks for joining me today.
Eric G.:I'm Eric G.
Eric G.:If you want to find out more about us here, if you're one of the new radio stations catching us across the country, find out more about us social media.
Eric G.:Just look for around the House show or go to around the house online.com and you can find us there.
Eric G.:Now this segment is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Eric G.:To check them out, head to monumentgrills.com if you're looking for a killer barbecue for under 900 bucks, there's a great savings there.
Eric G.:We've been talking about my top 10 questions you need to know the answers to before you buy cabinetry out there, before you go out and look for that kitchen, bathroom, den, office, garage, whatever you're doing.
Eric G.:These are the questions that I think are the most important to ask so you understand what you're getting and you can make the right decisions for your project.
Eric G.:Now, unless if you're joining us in the podcast, of course, you're still listening to us here.
Eric G.:But if you're listening on the radio show or streaming out there, we were just talking about making sure that you understand what's going on.
Eric G.:Custom does not mean quality.
Eric G.:So understanding what's going into this is big because custom, anybody could be custom.
Eric G.:They're just making it for your house.
Eric G.:That's all custom means.
Eric G.:And then of course, the finish is an important one.
Eric G.:Now the next one here is really big and it's how are the cabinets going to be built?
Eric G.:And I'm talking really about the hardware here.
Eric G.:I'm talking about the drawer glides, the hinges, pull outs, any of that stuff, what's going on there.
Eric G.:Now here's where this becomes an issue.
Eric G.:If you go on to your local Southeast Asia import cabinet knockdown, they come in a box.
Eric G.:You got to put them together like Ikea.
Eric G.:And I'm not talking a key here, but I'm talking about your import knockdown companies.
Eric G.:Many times they are not using name brand hardware.
Eric G.:What do I mean by name brand?
Eric G.:Hardware.
Eric G.:There's three hardware companies that I think are legitimate companies out there.
Eric G.:There's probably more, but these are the common ones.
Eric G.:You've got Bloom, Blu, you've got Sally, which is S A L I C E.
Eric G.:And then you've got Grass, G, R A, S, S.
Eric G.:Those are three different.
Eric G.:Bloom to me is the best.
Eric G.:Celici second grass, probably third.
Eric G.:We could have a debate on those, but that's where I'm seeing those in my line of work.
Eric G.:And the reliability of all those.
Eric G.:You'll see some different brands in different places, but that's really the three main companies.
Eric G.:The problem is it's down the road.
Eric G.:Maybe you got a kid plan or somehow a hinge gets broken.
Eric G.:Those hinges are finely machined into the cabinets and if you can't find a replacement piece, it is going to be a woodworking masterclass to fit another hinge on these cabinets.
Eric G.:And there's a lot of choices and a lot of places mistakes can happen.
Eric G.:So I want to make sure that when you're getting cabinetry, what brand of hinges are they?
Eric G.:Soft, close, Are they undermount, Are they concealed?
Eric G.:What's going on with that?
Eric G.:And to me, under mount glides are going to be the best.
Eric G.:Because those are underneath the drawer box.
Eric G.:There's really no reason to be using the white epoxy coated side slides or kind of the bottom slides with the little white rollers on them that you see in all the super cheap home improvement store stock cabinetry stuff.
Eric G.:That stuff's garbage.
Eric G.:Just don't do it.
Eric G.:Spend the money on the hardware so it holds up.
Eric G.:And also as you're doing this, take a look because traditionally a drawer box, when you open a drawer box off, throw a tape measure on it, there's probably two and a half, three inches between the back of that drawer box and the cabinet back there.
Eric G.:There's a little bit of space.
Eric G.:Some of these cheaper Companies might go 5 inches or so and now all of a sudden you're losing a lot of space.
Eric G.:I get it when there's two and a half, but if you're getting up four or five inches behind a drawer, unless you've got a something going up there like a faucet, which wouldn't make any sense because you got to have a sink in there.
Eric G.:You see where I'm getting at?
Eric G.:It doesn't make any sense.
Eric G.:So for me, you want to make sure that those things are deep enough that you're going to get the storage.
Eric G.:So I expect to see a few inches back there.
Eric G.:That's Fine, that's standard.
Eric G.:Many times companies will have a 21 inch drawer depth front to back and then you've got a 24 inch deep cabinet box.
Eric G.:That's super common.
Eric G.:Not a problem.
Eric G.:I just want to make sure you're getting a 19 or something like that because they're saving money on hinges, on glides and on drawer boxes.
Eric G.:Now when it comes to drawer boxes, as far as that construction, plywood is great.
Eric G.:I have no problem with it.
Eric G.:Dovetail is nice, but it's not as big as it used to be.
Eric G.:When you had cheaper drawer glides like the side glides or the little white epoxy mount ones that were on the edges, that drawer box had to stay together.
Eric G.:But when you have undermount glides, it doesn't mean as much.
Eric G.:So to me, unless you want it to look beautiful when somebody opens a drawer up.
Eric G.:Dovetail is nice, but it's not needed like it was 15 years ago or 20 years ago.
Eric G.:So that is not.
Eric G.:That is a luxury item.
Eric G.:I would add it is not a definite item.
Eric G.:Where the undermount drawer glides that are bloom celici grass are more important than the drawer box construction because you're just adding money that is not adding value to you on what you're doing.
Eric G.:So just think about that through how that's going to work with that.
Eric G.:So make sure you're paying attention to where that hardware is coming.
Eric G.:And if it's an import cabinet, make sure it's not some ugly knockoff that you'll never find replacement parts for.
Eric G.:So that's a big one.
Eric G.:Now how the boxes are construction is another big piece.
Eric G.:How these things are built together.
Eric G.:And that is huge.
Eric G.:And there's three major types of construction for cabinetry that you see in the United States.
Eric G.:The old school face frame style cabinet, that's where it's got like a one by two face across there that's built across it.
Eric G.:And then your drawers and drawers go.
Eric G.:Drawers and doors go over the top of that.
Eric G.:Right.
Eric G.:And so that's your traditional face frame cabinet.
Eric G.:Now if you look at frameless euro style cabinets, or full access depending on what you want to call, these cabinets just have the sides which are five, eight or three quarters of an inch and everything fits in within that.
Eric G.:So if you have a lot of drawers, that frameless style gives you a lot more storage.
Eric G.:On a small kitchen, that can give you an extra 18 inches of cabinet storage.
Eric G.:If you've got a lot of drawers.
Eric G.:Hey, adding a four drawer 18 inch to a small kitchen is big when it comes to storage.
Eric G.:So think about that.
Eric G.:That is big and that's where you can save.
Eric G.:Now there's another version of a face frame style cabinet and that's an inset where when you're looking at a face frame cabinet, the doors and drawers typically overlay fully over that.
Eric G.:So there's like a 316 gap around the cabinets.
Eric G.:Now if you're on a budget, you're trying to just do something on the cheap, then you have those what they call half overlay or a modified overlay where there's a half inch that the door is covering the frame and there's a big gap between the doors.
Eric G.:Now if you're looking at a more classic furniture look, that's where you see flush inset and that is where you have a face frame.
Eric G.:But the doors and drawer fronts are flush inset into that.
Eric G.:So instead of them laying on front, they're inset.
Eric G.:Now these do waste a ton of space.
Eric G.:There are a ton of problems with this.
Eric G.:You need to make sure that this is going into a house that has a full system for making sure that humidity is under control, that you're not putting in a vacation house or a coastal property.
Eric G.:Because here's what happens.
Eric G.:Those drawer and drawer fronts, you usually have a nice tight gap in those.
Eric G.:By the time everything expanding and contracting, you will fight those things.
Eric G.:If you don't have your humidity 100% controlled in that place, if you're on a lake, if you're at the beach, you're in Hawaii, just bag that idea.
Eric G.:It's not worth the hassle.
Eric G.:So those are not great for that.
Eric G.:It's just the same thing when it comes to little side note on that as well.
Eric G.:It's like doors and drawer fronts.
Eric G.:I don't.
Eric G.:When you look at high end flat slab doors and drawer fronts that are contemporary, veneers are the best way to go.
Eric G.:A solid piece of maple, oak, white oak, whatever, tends to move around a lot.
Eric G.:So veneers are better and will be more reliable than that solid piece of wood.
Eric G.:Because that wood's going to want to warp, it's going to want to move around.
Eric G.:It's what happens with those things.
Eric G.:Now when we come back, we're getting the meat in the heart of this here with some of the big ones on those questions you should ask before you order cabinetry just as soon as around the House returns.
Eric G.:To find out more information about us, head over to around the House online dot com.
Eric G.:We'll be right back.
Eric G.:Welcome back to the around the House show.
Eric G.:The next generation of home improvement.
Eric G.:I'm Eric G.
Eric G.:Thanks for joining us today.
Eric G.:Really appreciate you catching us either on the podcast, the national radio show, or streaming all across the United States and beyond.
Eric G.:Thanks for tuning in.
Eric G.:Today we've been talking about my top 10 questions you should be asking.
Eric G.:If you're out buying cabinetry.
Eric G.:And this is a huge deal.
Eric G.:So this can save you a ton of money and headaches if you follow my rules here.
Eric G.:It's going to help get you the information you need so you know how to make the decisions and where to spend money and maybe where not to.
Eric G.:This hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Eric G.:Check them out@monimcrials.com we've been cruising through the list here and this is really big.
Eric G.:We were just talking about box construction and inset and, and the different types of construction there.
Eric G.:And the next one's important too.
Eric G.:When you're ordering cabinetry, whether it's semi custom, whatever, there are things that you need to make sure that you're signing and approving that are warning signs.
Eric G.:If they're not doing this when you go write the check or give them your credit card and here's what they are.
Eric G.:When ordering cabinetry, you need to make sure that you have a set of drawings that have been measured by them and that you're going to initial and approve.
Eric G.:You should have already figured out your appliances.
Eric G.:Now this is going to be the drawing of exactly what they're building and everything should be noted on those drawings.
Eric G.:If there's doors and a drawer, don't assume that you're going to have two pull outs in it behind that door.
Eric G.:It better say it on the drawings.
Eric G.:So those drawings are to protect the cabin shop and you.
Eric G.:So make sure on those drawings it shows all the right details, all the stuff you need, whether it's the little, you know, whether it's all the little stuff you need.
Eric G.:I'm talking about anything box, construction, finish, door style, all those things.
Eric G.:I want to see it on the drawings.
Eric G.:Everything right there.
Eric G.:You're good to go that way.
Eric G.:Then after that, I want to make sure that you've got a stain sample that you've initialed or that you're referring to that you've approved and a door sample that you've approved.
Eric G.:Now here is the problem when you look at a little 3 by 5, you know, 3 inches by 5 inches color sample and you're proving it, that kitchen might not look like that sample.
Eric G.:And here's where you run into problems with cabinetry and this is a big one.
Eric G.:Let's say that sample was a light cherry.
Eric G.:If that sample is over a few months old, what you get will look different.
Eric G.:And I can promise you that because cherry ages, it darkens as it gets some time under its belt.
Eric G.:And if there's a lot of uv, there's windows out to the lake and there's light reflecting up in there, it'll change quick.
Eric G.:So much so that I've had cabinets that were installed.
Eric G.:They were doing.
Eric G.:The painters were doing final painting and they left some tape on it for more than a couple of days.
Eric G.:There was enough UV coming in that you could see tape marks because it had blocked uv.
Eric G.:Now it took a few days for it to catch up.
Eric G.:Wasn't that big a deal.
Eric G.:But this is where these problems arise.
Eric G.:So what happens is, and with lighter woods, it can be a little bit different.
Eric G.:Let's say you went and got a natural.
Eric G.:You wanted a contemporary kitchen.
Eric G.:You're like, I love natural hard rock maple, that light white wood.
Eric G.:Guess what, is going to show off way too much in a whole kitchen.
Eric G.:Unless you're spending big money.
Eric G.:Here's what happens.
Eric G.:Depending on the minerals of the soil content where those maple trees have grown.
Eric G.:For custom kitchens, I would get all the veneers from the same tree and they would still be a little bit off.
Eric G.:If you've got different trees going on there.
Eric G.:And now if you're ordering these from your home center, these are not options you will ever have.
Eric G.:This is where you get into a higher end cabinet to do this.
Eric G.:But if you go in and try to order a maple veneer kitchen out of, let's say, craft made, I don't even know if they'll do that anymore.
Eric G.:But let's say they did.
Eric G.:You're going to have serious color variation issues between cabinets.
Eric G.:That's why I want to make sure that if you're doing that, you're paying more and getting it where they're flitch veneering.
Eric G.:So they are actually taking those veneer flitches, they're matching them up.
Eric G.:And here's the problem.
Eric G.:Let's take it from the cabinet manufacturer side.
Eric G.:These folks are looking at it and they're a mid level or an entry level shop.
Eric G.:They look at it and they all look good to them.
Eric G.:But until you get the finish on it, it doesn't really rear its ugly head.
Eric G.:There's just not enough variation.
Eric G.:But what we would do is we would set them all out in a cart in the light and take a look and see how it looked first.
Eric G.:And if they looked perfect, then probably going to be okay.
Eric G.:Now, one way to get around that is a lot of the companies go, hey, we're not going to do it in the semi custom world.
Eric G.:We're not going to do a natural.
Eric G.:We'll do a little tint to it.
Eric G.:And that kind of makes up for that a little bit.
Eric G.:But really, these are the problems you run into with natural woods.
Eric G.:And you can run into that where you got white oak that goes a little pink, even though the red oak will look really pink.
Eric G.:You can get many different varia.
Eric G.:This is wood.
Eric G.:This is not a printed picture.
Eric G.:This is not something that we see in a laminate.
Eric G.:This is not one of those things.
Eric G.:So the problem that we see with this is that, yeah, that tree grew and it grabbed iron out of the ground and it soaked it up into it.
Eric G.:Whatever it is, whatever that mineral is, it can change the color of that.
Eric G.:So the panels might be a little bit different or you get into some woods.
Eric G.:There was a wood that I used in a penthouse, actually used in a whole condo project up in Bellevue, Washington.
Eric G.:And this stuff was a eucalyptus green hybrid, so it'd grow out of the same stump again.
Eric G.:So it was really cool idea.
Eric G.:And it was a.
Eric G.:It was called Liptis wood.
Eric G.:And what we did is we did this whole kitchen, bathrooms out of this on the whole condo project.
Eric G.:It was super cool.
Eric G.:However, the problem was, is with the lighter stains.
Eric G.:The wood refracted light, so the rails, think of rails like a train rails.
Eric G.:The pieces in the bottom of the door, the side pieces that went up and down, those will always look lighter.
Eric G.:So you would have these kind of problems from the wood.
Eric G.:So this is why I want you to make sure that you see a stain sample.
Eric G.:When I was running my kitchen, a bath company up in the Seattle area, that place up there, I tell you what, we had it where we would order a door in and you would sign it.
Eric G.:That way you knew exactly what you're getting and you didn't have to work with a little tiny sample.
Eric G.:So that way you could see what you were getting.
Eric G.:Now there's going to be some variation because it's wood, but I want you to understand where the hiccups are going to be so you understand it.
Eric G.:I have seen color samples.
Eric G.:We would replace our color samples in cherry and even maples and some of the other woods every six months because we wanted something that would be accurate to what showed up at your house, not what it looked like six months later, because natural woods love to change colors.
Eric G.:Now you'll see this with walnut.
Eric G.:Walnut can get darker, but as soon as it gets a lot of sunlight, it gets way lighter and bleaches out, out.
Eric G.:Cherry will actually do it.
Eric G.:I saw a old cabinet showroom that was up in Vancouver, Washington one time, other side of the river.
Eric G.:These guys have been there for 20 years at a cherry kitchen in this front, just absolutely west facing display with floor to ceiling glass.
Eric G.:It was so white, it was like driftwood.
Eric G.:You open the door and you're like, that's cherry.
Eric G.:Wow.
Eric G.:That's really how you can tell how these woods change.
Eric G.:When you're out looking at cabinet displays, Open those doors up.
Eric G.:It's been around for a long time.
Eric G.:First off, you'll see it because it'll look dated.
Eric G.:But if you notice the inside is different than the outside.
Eric G.:You had some aging there and light can do that.
Eric G.:So be very careful with that.
Eric G.:Now, some of the things as some of these cabinet companies too will change their finishes along the way.
Eric G.:Ten years ago, they got rid of lacquer and they went to a conversion varnish.
Eric G.:Some people won't show that, and sometimes those formulations for those colors are slightly different.
Eric G.:So that's why I want to make sure you sign off on those things.
Eric G.:But these are the problems that you can get really careful that you can get burned on.
Eric G.:So just make sure that you've approved everything.
Eric G.:And if not, that should be a warning sign that you could have some issues and you might not be getting what you paid for.
Eric G.:So that's a big one.
Eric G.:Now here's another one that's a little controversial.
Eric G.:And I want to talk about this before we go to break.
Eric G.:Do not design your own kitchen as a homeowner or even a contractor.
Eric G.:Because I tell you what, here's the problem.
Eric G.:A good kitchen designer, after they've learned their trade, maybe they've gone to design school.
Eric G.:Even coming out of college, they probably need two years of designs to get good at what they're doing.
Eric G.:So I bet you they need 30 or 40 projects to really start getting their feet under them.
Eric G.:Even coming right out of a good college and an internship, it just takes that long.
Eric G.:There's a thousand things that can go wrong in a kitchen project, and I don't want to see that happen to yours if you did it.
Eric G.:So you want to have somebody with another set of eyes.
Eric G.:We'll talk about what to look for in a designer when we come back because this is a big one and this can save you a ton of money if you do it right.
Eric G.:So you're not ordering cabinets twice.
Eric G.:We'll do that just as soon as around the House continues with this great subject on those 10 questions you should be asking before you write the check on that cabinetry.
Eric G.:We'll be right back.
Eric G.:Welcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Eric G.:I'm Eric G.
Eric G.:Thanks for joining me today.
Eric G.:We've been Talking about our 10 things you need to know at least 10 before you go order that cabinetry for whatever project you're working on.
Eric G.:Whether it's a home office project, that kitchen remodel, the bathroom remodel, office den, whatever you're working on.
Eric G.:These are the things you need to ask of your cabinet people before you place that order.
Eric G.:And in this we got a lot to cover here.
Eric G.:So I want to jump through this pretty quickly and stay on task here just to make sure let you know.
Eric G.:This segment is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Eric G.:Check them out@monument.com and if you want to find out more about us here at the show, head to around the House on com and make sure you follow us on all our social media channels.
Eric G.:So we were just talking about hiring a designer and the biggest thing here is to have somebody that knows a lot more about this than you.
Eric G.:And that is to bring in somebody I prefer an NKBA National Kitchen and Bath association here in the United States, one of their certified kitchen and bath designers.
Eric G.:I'm old school.
Eric G.: certified kitchen designer in: Eric G.:But here's the thing.
Eric G.:This is what you need to do this.
Eric G.:These to get through this, they have to have years and years of experience.
Eric G.:They have testing.
Eric G.:They need to make sure that they know what they're doing.
Eric G.:And these people are going to keep you out of issues.
Eric G.:Is it going to be foolproof?
Eric G.:No.
Eric G.:But at least they have the basics to design you a great kitchen and to avoid those thousands of pitfalls.
Eric G.:Because the last thing you want to do is exactly copy the plan you had before.
Eric G.:That's a huge problem.
Eric G.:And you don't want to do that because kitchen 30 years ago, we have a lot different things going in those kitchens.
Eric G.:And the appliances are different.
Eric G.:Lots of things are different.
Eric G.:You want to start over with that new plan.
Eric G.:So making sure you use a kitchen to bath designer.
Eric G.:I like the certified ones.
Eric G.:That's the way I would go.
Eric G.:And they're really not going to charge you much more than Another designer.
Eric G.:But make sure that they specialize in that, and that's going to save you money.
Eric G.:So here's the debate here that this next one that I wanted to cover because it's a little controversial, is plywood better than furniture board or particle board?
Eric G.:And to me, it's where are the materials coming from?
Eric G.:If I'm getting something coming from a knockdown Southeast Asia company and they're not coming into California, they're coming in anywhere in the United States.
Eric G.:I start to get really worried about is there formaldehyde or other bad chemicals in that plywood?
Eric G.:Because formaldehyde glues work really well and they're cheap and they give off horrible chemical results.
Eric G.:To many people out there, that's not healthy.
Eric G.:Formaldehyde is great for embalming bodies, but it's not great to be in your cabinetry.
Eric G.:Now from.
Eric G.:Formaldehyde is natural.
Eric G.:It should.
Eric G.:There's.
Eric G.:It can show up in an apple.
Eric G.:It's there, but I don't want to have it added to my cabinetry.
Eric G.:So import stuff.
Eric G.:Yeah.
Eric G.:Be careful of this.
Eric G.:If you're buying something, I want to see plywood that it's certified.
Eric G.:No added urea.
Eric G.:Formaldehyde, that's what you look for.
Eric G.:That knoff plywood.
Eric G.:That's a big one.
Eric G.:Now here's the problem.
Eric G.:Is it more water resistant?
Eric G.:Not usually.
Eric G.:If you get a leak under the sink and it's a plywood base versus a particle board, the part of particle board is going to warp, the plywood is going to warp, the finish on top is going to come off.
Eric G.:The difference is usually when you've got the white, you've got the melamine on there, which is a little more durable than the like eurobox or whatever that wood is.
Eric G.:Whether it's a birch or a maple ply that's got a clear coat on it.
Eric G.:That coating usually on that white melamine or maple melamine or whatever it is as.
Eric G.:Or more durable, depending on how they built the box.
Eric G.:Yeah.
Eric G.:And the other thing is the particle board is very accurate in a cabinet plan.
Eric G.:That a half inch is half inch.
Eric G.:5, 8 is 5 8.
Eric G.:Whatever it is, that's what it is.
Eric G.:The bigger problem gets in when they're building cabinet boxes because plywood is three quarter.
Eric G.:Plywood is not three quarter.
Eric G.:It's how many.
Eric G.:It's close.
Eric G.:But I've had long kitchen runs that you design out.
Eric G.:This is why you need to use fillers wall to wall.
Eric G.:I've seen an inch grow out of cabinets because that plywood was a little thicker than 3/4.
Eric G.:And if you add a 16th cabinets, guess what happens?
Eric G.:You've added more than an inch because you've got two sides.
Eric G.:So this is where you've got to be really careful with what's going on in those cabinet boxes.
Eric G.:Plywood can be a pain sometimes because I know that the cabinet shops are not sitting there before they put it into the CNC machine.
Eric G.:Most of them are not miking that off to let you know what the internal cabinet parts are.
Eric G.:And if those sides are a little bit thicker, that's going to make it up on the outside because most of the time that's where that's going to show up.
Eric G.:So be very careful with that.
Eric G.:That's where you run into problems.
Eric G.:My house, I did particle board because I didn't see the value of an extra 15%.
Eric G.:And that was me.
Eric G.:Now I could have spent more for it.
Eric G.:I just didn't because I just didn't see the value.
Eric G.:So that's what you're going to have to decide on what you want to do.
Eric G.:Plywood is going to be a little stronger many times.
Eric G.:Yeah.
Eric G.:If you've got kids, you're not going to rip out drawer glides as easy.
Eric G.:You're not going to rip out hinges as easy.
Eric G.:But most of the time you break the door anyway.
Eric G.:That's the weak point.
Eric G.:So I wouldn't worry so much about that.
Eric G.:So be careful on those upsells.
Eric G.:That can be an issue.
Eric G.:So the next one here is interesting and this is my best advice to you guys out there.
Eric G.:Focus on made in USA products with cabinetry.
Eric G.:Even though many, if not all, I'm gonna go with many of the companies that you see selling cabinets at a Lowe's, Home Depot, those big box stores, most of them are shipping plywood and particle board to southeast Asia.
Eric G.:Having it cut, shipping it back.
Eric G.:Because they can do it cheaper there than they can in the states.
Eric G.:Many of these guys are importing cut parts and they are assembled in the u.
Eric G.:S.
Eric G.:But not all of the cut parts are made in the US and that's how they're saving on labor.
Eric G.:And that is.
Eric G.:We'll talk about this.
Eric G.:I'm going to bring the kitchen cabinet manufacturers association on down the road here, working on setting up a detail here after the holidays with them.
Eric G.:But I'm going to have them come on.
Eric G.:We're going to talk about some of this unspoken stuff that's happening out there.
Eric G.:Make sure you're buying the made in USA stuff when you can.
Eric G.:Guys, let's support these local cabinet companies.
Eric G.:And not be supporting some of the other companies that have been dumping and or have tariffs on them because they've been putting it into the US Cheaper than the raw materials.
Eric G.:Even are trying to put out American jobs.
Eric G.:I don't like that.
Eric G.:I think we should support our made in USA companies, even made in North America.
Eric G.:I don't care if it's coming out of Canada.
Eric G.:That's fine.
Eric G.:I love our neighbors to the north.
Eric G.:A lot of the woods are coming out of there anyway.
Eric G.:But you see where I'm getting at.
Eric G.:Let's support local as best we can.
Eric G.:Now, the next one here is interesting.
Eric G.:The cabinet layout and design is just as important as the cabinetry itself.
Eric G.:So make sure that you're spending that time on the design and the layout, paying attention.
Eric G.:When I design things out, things to look for.
Eric G.:These are things to look for, things that I go, hey, we need to do this.
Eric G.:This is important stuff, really.
Eric G.:When it comes down to it, you think about zones in the kitchen.
Eric G.:It used to be 20 years ago, and some people still do it today.
Eric G.:They think of this kitchen triangle, which is basically the cooking surface, the cooktop, the sink, and the refrigerator.
Eric G.:I do it differently.
Eric G.:I do cooking zones where I have a prep zone, a cleanup zone, those kind of things.
Eric G.:So if I have a sink on a wall and my range is over there to the right, or my cooktop is to the right, I don't want to put the dishwasher in there because I now I'm putting my cleanup and my prep zone in the same area.
Eric G.:So in that situation, I always want to put the dishwasher to the left.
Eric G.:So that way all the dirty dishes stay in the left of the sink.
Eric G.:You can put the trash can below it on the right.
Eric G.:Here's why.
Eric G.:So think about this.
Eric G.:You're standing at the sink.
Eric G.:Visualize this with me here, guys.
Eric G.:If I've got my dishwasher to the left and my range to the right, I want to put my trash can in a cabinet below on the right.
Eric G.:So then when I'm prepping, I can throw it down below, and if I'm loading my dishwasher to left, I can scrape stuff off into the trash on the right side and put stuff in the left.
Eric G.:So these are all the things that you should be thinking about as you design out that kitchen and making it work correctly.
Eric G.:So this is where you plan and fix those design issues that they put in 30 years ago that didn't really matter then, that really matter now.
Eric G.:And that's a big one.
Eric G.:So think about how these things all work together and of course how everything plays together in the kitchen and where you're going to store stuff.
Eric G.:Glass doors, awesome.
Eric G.:Except they're display.
Eric G.:It's not where you put the Cheerios unless you've got extra storage.
Eric G.:Maybe think twice about glass unless you're okay with seeing everything that's in your cabinets.
Eric G.:It'll control dust, but that's a big one.
Eric G.:Now, my last one here before we go out to break is important and quite frankly it's super regional as well.
Eric G.:But here are my rules.
Eric G.:I don't like finish in place cabinetry.
Eric G.:There is no reason why raw cabinets should be showing up in the field and they're going to be stained at the project.
Eric G.:Those should be finished at the shop and taken care of.
Eric G.:I can see with moldings why it would make sense to finish in place.
Eric G.:But if you've got a great carpenter, they can make that look amazing on the install.
Eric G.:Finished in place cabinetry, though it's hot, especially with painted in certain parts of the country does not give you as good a finish.
Eric G.:It's a softer finish than anything you're going to get that's factory applied.
Eric G.:I like a baked on finish where the computer comes through and uses the robot on a flatline finishing system, finishes all the doors and drawer fronts, puts the right mill thickness in a hermetically sealed clean area and bakes it on and goes out to the job site.
Eric G.:I'm Eric G.
Eric G.:And you've been listening to around the House.
