MDF

Reply to: @P C I too originally considered Omega early in my kitchen renovation research, primarily because I saw so many archived posts here at Houzz, particuarly posts from the old Garden Web contributors, praising Omega's quality. Then I went on various other websites and review boards around the internet and saw that Omega and its sister brands such as Kemper have had some recent issues with finish quality and lack of backup on warranty fulfillment for other problems. It is no surprise to me at all that you've seen color discrepancies with Omega given other customers' recent reviews. It is sad that a company once known for great quality has fallen off on quality control. Perhaps the finish problems are something that will be fixed in time, but I wasn't willing to risk my precious, one-time budget on that chance, so I crossed them off. You should really look at the Harmoni cabinetry line. It is excellent quality, though not in the budget price range, but if you have a good dealer that will work with you, it could be a great option with a reasonable value for you. They've been around a couple of decades, originally as the fully custom Bentwood line, but they haven't gotten much widespread notoriety until the demise of the original Wood-Mode/Brookhaven at which time a number of distributors switched over to being Bentwood/Harmoni dealers to fill the gap. Another great line is Plato Woodworking. Their products are on the expensive side for sure, but they back up every single customer service issue with finesse. Their entry-level Prelude collection offers some great options, and they are continuing to innovate with new frameless lines to add to their stable of offerings. Jay Rambo is a little company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that does outstanding work. Their finishes are very durable. They have people on staff who will work with you if you don't have a dealer in your area. William Ohs is based in Colorado and is on the upper end of pricing, but dollar-for-dollar would way exceed the finish quality you would get from Christopher Peacock. Kennebec cabinetry company located in Maine is another winner. They specialize in quartersawn woods which are very stable in the presence of moisture and also in inset cabinetry. If you are going for a specific look that they offer, they would be oustanding. Signature cabinety company and also Shiloh are more budget-friendly choices that are worth your time to investigate. I believe Aspect is a subsidiary of Shiloh, and a lot of people seem to like the Shiloh quality and service for the price. You won't get the same level of quality with either of those lines, Aspect or Shiloh, as you would with Kennebec if you are doing inset, but once again, budget plays a role. Waypoint doesn't compare to any of Shiloh's lines in my opinion. I've seen a display of Waypoint in person, and there is so much lacking in the way of quality with that. If you were flipping a home and wanted something on the cheap, then maybe consider Waypoint. IKEA is an option you shouldn't cross off, especially if you wanted to do custom doors from a place like Semihandmade or TaylorCraft. There are a number of dealers in these forums who comment on the Dura Supreme line. It's not a budget choice, and there are some people who have had quality issues to be dealt with, but there are some extremely reputable desginers who particpate in the Houzz forums who use Dura Supreme regularly for their clients. I don't know enough about the other brands you brought up to say much on them. As with any brand, you would want to get online and research several sources for recent reviews. You can search the Houzz discussion archives to find tips, and you can also look at Google reviews for each brand. There is a nice website called Kitchen Cabinet Reviews or something like that which hosts a lot of reviews about several of the larger brands. Then, you'll find individual articles or blog posts as well to help. If I had to recommend something for starters, it would be Harmoni, then Plato's Prelude line, then maybe Signature, then Shiloh. If you are on a budget, take a look at IKEA with custom-made doors. Also check into the finish your custom local guy offers and see if it would be durable, as I described above.

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Reply to: Two things you need to know about solid wood. 1. Wood moves. You cannot stop it but you must allow for it. It is anisotropic. I tell people it's analogous to people putting on weight. If I put on 50 lbs, I would not get much taller. Wood expands (and contracts) minimally in length (along the grain) with absorption (and desorption ) of moisture. It will expand and contract more in two directions, (a) radially, from the center of the tree out and (b) tangentially, along the growth rings, i.e., around the circumference. For most woods, the tangential is approximately double the radial. This is why if you see some dried firewood, you'll usually see a pie-piece shaped crack/void. It's also why plain-sawn wood can cup. If I put on 50 lb, I'd probably put on a significant "beer belly" (front to back) and a little bit less of "muffin top." (side to side) This is why you would never put a solid door inset into a cabinet. In the dry season, it'd have a big gap and in the wet season you may not be able to get it open. As to whether or not it might warp, it depends on how the wood is chosen and what the grain pattern is like. Quarter-sawn wood will have maximal expansion in thickness and minimal in width and less tendency to warp, other things being equal. 2, Wood has planes of weakness and planes of strength. Did you ever see martial arts hit a piece of wood and have it break? Did you ever notice that the grain is running up and down and not between the hands supporting it? Otherwise, they could probably never break it. The wood is weakest up and down the tree. In your second scenario, the grain will be running perpendicular to the rails (horizontal pieces) and if that's only a couple inches wide, it will be very weak. Compound that with the expansion issue above and this is not an option I would ever choose. That is why the "5 piece" AKA frame and panel, is the most common construction method. The rails and stiles have maximum strength and minimal cross grain expansion. If the panel is plywood or some engineered wood, it will have minimal expansion. If it's solid wood (AKA raised panel) then its expansion and contraction is within the stiles' grooves. Solid wood doors often have internal expansion joints and battens on the back to retain them. Engineered woods do not have these issues. Sometimes a sheet, say MDF, is routed out to look like a raised panel, but it's really still just a sheet of MDF. If the corners are rounded and not square, that's the tip-off. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/WoodMovement.pdf https://www.thisiscarpentry.com/2010/09/03/moisture-content-wood-movement/

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Reply to: My cabinets doors are 1 piece. I live in CA and don't like the seams that appear after a few years in painted wood, but wanted a white kitchen. Also my edges are nice and crisp.....my doors are from Merit.

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