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william siegel
05-31-2007, 02:39 PM
Have any of you ever dealt with this company or know about their installation process. I am working with a lady who had her home remediated for mold (need I say more) and the company left her high and dry. Very poor workmanship on the installation.

The cabinets come with special screws for the installation. The installer used wood screws instead and only used two screws per cabinet instead of the recommended three (by Kraftmade).

Now, I am sure we all know what the eventual outcome of this will be. Has anyone ever dealt with this issue before and does anyone have any idea how long wood screws will last (I do not know the size of the screw). The instuctions say that other screws are needed, but they do not give any specifications as to what type of screws to use. Any thoughts

Jerry Peck
05-31-2007, 04:41 PM
I believe you can order those made-to-order (standard cabinet box sizes with your finish and door) from the Big Box stores.

Typically, wood screws or sheet metal screws are used, and they last a long, long, long time.

Many times, you will see them installed with drywall screws, which are rather brittle and snap.

If the cabinet manufacturer says '3 screws' you need '3 screws'.

Regarding their 'special screws', I don't know what they are made of or what type screw they are.

Kraftmaid (I believe that's the correct spelling) does not (as I recall) install cabinets, they just manufacturer the cabinets. When order from a Big Box store or another source, you will get whatever installer you hire, or whomever the Big Box stores use if you have them install the cabinets.

That means the leverage for installation is limited, unless the Big Box stores provided the installation.

Too many unknowns to speculate further.

I'd ask her who installed the cabinets, where they were ordered from, and see if she has any supporting paperwork.

If Billy Bob and Jose's Cabinet Shop installed them, good luck on getting things corrected.

Jack Feldmann
05-31-2007, 06:06 PM
I got some cabinets from a big box store for my office. They came with screws, about 3" long with big heads on them. The phillips head would strip out before the screw hit home. I ended up putting them in with 3" hex head screws. My cabinets called for 2 on top and 2 on the bottom. I guess if the cabinets were wider, then maybe 3 would be needed.
JF

I'm sure JB would say to hell with the instructions and no one is going to tell him how many and what type screws to use.... but that's another story. Sorry

Eric Van De Ven
05-31-2007, 06:15 PM
Have any of you ever dealt with this company or know about their installation process. I am working with a lady who had her home remediated for mold (need I say more) and the company left her high and dry. Very poor workmanship on the installation.

The cabinets come with special screws for the installation. The installer used wood screws instead and only used two screws per cabinet instead of the recommended three (by Kraftmade).

Now, I am sure we all know what the eventual outcome of this will be. Has anyone ever dealt with this issue before and does anyone have any idea how long wood screws will last (I do not know the size of the screw). The instructions say that other screws are needed, but they do not give any specifications as to what type of screws to use. Any thoughts

Bill,
Kraftmaid is still carried at Lowes.

The picture below is of the proper screws. They have a tapered point on them and as you can see, there are three of them. They came in a plastic bag that was stapled to the cabinets.

I got my cabinets from Builders Square and they sent me two cabinets that were the wrong size. I ended up with two extra cabinets and the mounting screws.

I am sure you can get the proper screws from Lowes.

James Duffin
05-31-2007, 06:24 PM
The problems I have repaired with these cabinets is the side of the cabinets coming loose from the mounting strips at the top of the cabinet. An easy fix is to add a 1 x 3/4" strip on the top of the cabinet with bolts through the top of the cabinet and new screws into the wall studs. The cabinets are not made very well but the mounting can be improved from the top with no visible signs.

Eric Van De Ven
05-31-2007, 06:29 PM
The problems I have repaired with these cabinets is the side of the cabinets coming loose from the mounting strips at the top of the cabinet. An easy fix is to add a 1 x 3/4" strip on the top of the cabinet with bolts through the top of the cabinet and new screws into the wall studs. The cabinets are not made very well but the mounting can be improved from the top with no visible signs.

Like this......



One day, Eric will get around to installing the crown molding!:D

James Duffin
05-31-2007, 06:34 PM
You lay the board down flat so you can't see it!:)

Jerry Peck
05-31-2007, 07:13 PM
When I installed the new cabinets in our kitchen here after gutting and re-doing the kitchen, I installed a 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/18" aluminum angle along the wall for the cabinets to set on and take the weight, then I attached the top with screws into each stud, 2-3-4 per cabinet where the studs were, then 2-3-4 screw at the bottom into each stud.

I suspect my cabinets are going to stay up there, as long as the cabinets themselves stay together. :)

william siegel
05-31-2007, 07:55 PM
Thanks for the answers.

They did come from Home Depot. The screws came with them, but the installer (one of them remediation comanies) used some of the screws. On others they used wood screws, but only two, where three were called for. The workmanship is terrible all the way around and they are primed for a lawsuit. Your answers helped greatly.

Jim Robinson
06-01-2007, 02:10 PM
I put them in my kitchen a few years ago. No significant problems so far. For the money, they are good cabinets. I do remember liking their screws, because they were a square drive and wouldn't snap off halfway through the stile. The thing to do is to not wash your hair for about 5 days prior to the cabinet installation. Then you just run the screw through your hair real quick, and it will glide into the stile without snapping. Or a bar of soap works pretty well too. For the screws or your hair.

I don't know why they would use other screws when they were given perfectly good ones from the company.

Thom Walker
06-01-2007, 02:13 PM
Because:

He needed them for a project at his house
He pulled the cabinet out of the box and threw everything else away
He didn't have a bit for that screw head

Jerry Peck
06-01-2007, 08:18 PM
Those flat head screws really needed finishing washers to keep them from counter sinking into the wood and to distribute the load to a larger area on the cabinet.