apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

There are 11 reviews on Yelp and several are pretty negative. I would be very wary of the company based on that. It sounds like the quality is pretty cheap, some pieces have flaws, some of the shelves sag and their service is poor.

What is it that you didn't like about IKEA? My family (grown kids included) has installed four IKEA kitchens to date and we've all been very happy with them.

Although I don't have IKEA cabinets yet (remodel still in planning stages), I do have 7 friends who have used IKEA in their kitchens (from 9 years ago, to just last month).

All of them are still super happy with the quality of their cabinetry. If you hate the styles, I can't help you...but if you're only worried about the quality, it's there. They use Blum hardware just like the mega-expensive euro cabinet companies.

If you don't care for the IKEA cabinets - Why not just use the cases and hinges and have custom fronts made and use handles/pulls from other sources?

both my cousin and my aunt have IKEA cabinets, and both use their kitchens a lot and have had absolutely no problems in the several years since installing them. we installed ours last year but have been away more often than not. still, i believe they are excellent value for the money.
the only thing i wasn't happy with was the numerar laminate countertop which looks great but the silver foil on the edge started to peel almost immediately after installation.

i'd go with an ikea kitchen again, but i would splurge on stone countertops.

Thanks for the comments all...

I do like the look of the Ikea cabinets, and was set to go with them, but on closer inspection, I noticed that at the East Palo Alto store, the doors do not appear to line up properly. As I was looking to go with a medium brown stain, the birch boxes stood out... of course I was nit picking. Did any of you have problems with that when constructing them?

Thing I like about KWW is that they are all plywood boxes (not MDF) solid wood doors, dovetail joints, and come pre-assembled in a few days at the equivalent price, if not less, than IKEA.

My concern with KWW is their poor customer service, quality of the door slide, and that it seems that you really have to scrutinize over each cabinet when you pick it up.

Decisions, Decisions. Would love to hear what others think, especially those who have used KWW or other ready to assemble (RTA) cabinets.

-Eric

as for the cabinets not lining up, eric, all it takes is a screwdriver: there is a special spot to tighten or loosen for the doors to line up. we had no problems at all. i put them all together myself and i am hardly mechanically minded.

I just used a set of preassembled Chinese manufactured cabinets- in Seattle and not SF. I agree with Eric that the boxes are plywood and come preassembled etc. I actually went back a couple of times to get filler panels, changed the size on one cabinet, changed my mind on the sink cut out(they provided the granite as well)... On the whole the experience was a good one. No complaints about customer service either- they are definitely cheaper than anyone else in the market. The caveats- there may not be as many interior storage solutions as a part of the complete kitchen package and if you are looking for a more european contemporary look- this might not be the choice to make- the solid wood options are traditional/transitional.

"...but on closer inspection, I noticed that at the East Palo Alto store, the doors do not appear to line up properly."

That's not a fault with the cabinet - that's due to being on the floor and people hanging/yanking on the doors, etc.

The hinges are adjustable in all 4 directions - all it takes is a Phillips head screwdriver and a bit of patience to adjust them properly and they'd be where they need to be.

Overall I am happy with my ikea cabinets. However, I ordered the Adel series in cream and and have had issues with the coating. It has separated along the edges in places and in one case melted. They discountinued the cream color and gave me a credit, but I'm kind of stuck.

I looked into those cabinets but wound up going to Sincere in Oakland where they have better quality cabinets from Craftmade. Though they were about twice as much, they were better constructed and had all the nice storage iotions I needed (lazy susan, fully extending drawers, spice rack, microwave shelf, etc). I also decided on white thermafoil (not wood) doors which I'm so happy I did. Creates a nice clean kitchen and is way easier to clean. ****In any case MAKE SURE to leave filler space around your oven if it's self cleaning- the heat will warp a lot of cabinet doors.

I'm looking for a new kitchen in the East Bay too, and one of the things we're considering with China made cabinets: what kinds of glue will be off-gassing into your food for the next 10 years? Formaldehyde is very common and very nasty!

Ikea's cabinets, while particleboard (I agree, not as good), don't have that concern. Their off-gassing met California's new 2009 emission standard three years ago! I'd rather risk killing a particleboard cabinet that's easy to swap out than having chemicals around my food!

@Lizliterarius - I too was worried about emissions. I did see a sticker on the back of the cabinets at KWW that said "California 93120 compliant for formaldehyde Phase 1 TPC-014"
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/9593/dsc02713c.jpg

Assuming that means it is good to go?

Just my two cents, echoing everyone else: I looked into KKK and heard mostly negative reviews. I went with Ikea. I love the Ikea cabinets. As mentioned, you can adjust the doors to line up at installation. As to the birch vs the brown stain, we did nexus yellow brown with white cabinets, purchased the side panels and covered up all the white. Now there is no issue with clashing colors/wood. Good luck in your decision!

A point on design. Well made cabinets should last a generation or more. Appliances, electric and plumbing have potentially much shorter life cycles. Keep this in mind to get the most value and design you cabinetry to support future changes. For example, a block of cabinets/counter with large appliances at each end creates flexible space/size for appliances without requiring new cabinets or counters.

What a surprise to see my cabinet photo posted here. Anyways, since I wrote the 1st review on Yelp, I've had many people ask me about KWW. I don't know what negative reviews darciekd is talking about as there's only 2 really negative reviews on Yelp.

Quality wise, the cabinets are decent, depending on the type of install you plan to do....long term or short term...and they style that you're shooting for. They are plywood framed with real wood doors. They are a lot lighter than the particle board cabinets (Ikea, Kraftmaid, etc) that are out there. It doesn't mean that they're going to fall apart. I installed my KWW set in a home that I had hoped to flip. It turned into a rental, and they held up the past couple of years...they still look new. At that time, the shaker style looked really good and I don't regret getting them ($2300 for about a 10x10 space). Compare that with Ikea cabinets (which I installed for my recent kitchen remodel) and you'll most likely save about $1500.

Are the KWW cabinets well made? It depends on who put it all together for you. They churn them out based on the demand. They use nail guns to put the frames together, so of course you're not getting the best. The sliders can also be a hit or miss. Most are fine, but there may be one or two that doesn't slide smoothly. It's the customer's duty (not your contractor's) to inspect the cabinets before you leave the store. Sure, there can be some issues, but they're usually able to fix it right then and there.

As for customer service, their counter allows for at most, 2 employees to work on a design per customer. Because most people go in there without a clue as to what they want, of course it's going to take time to figure out the layout. Same with Ikea. There are also certain days that you shouldn't go in, just cuz they're extremely busy.

The only reason I didn't go with KWW this time around is that they didn't have the style that I was looking for (Nexus brown-black look).

I think if you're looking for something inexpensive, and you like the designs that KWW has, then it's worth the time to consider. However, if you have higher tastes and want clean lines, Ikea does have nice cabinets...if you don't mind presswood.