My apologies in advance for the length of this story but it began over 300 days ago and the story needed to be told.
We began our kitchen remodel in February 2020. After being in our home for 28 years and saving up for a change we felt it was time.
I realize that doing a remodel during the Coronavirus pandemic wasn't the greatest plan and had we known when we decided to start that this virus would have shut everything down we would have delayed.
Our first visit to Cabinets to Go in Denver, CO was on February 29, 2020. We walked into the store and began looking at the cabinets on display. It was fairly busy so it wasn't unexpected that nobody talked to us. We decided that the cabinets we liked were a frameless shiny gray.
We returned home and began the huge task of measuring and designing. We created detailed drawings of the existing layout and sizes of the existing cabinets so we could order the proper sizes. Our kitchen was fairly small and it was decided that the wall between the kitchen and front living space would be partially opened to enlarge the space. With that in mind we measured for cabinets to be installed above the wall opening.
We returned to Cabinets to Go with our drawings and plans for the new kitchen on March 9th, 2020. We spoke with Rick who was very helpful, but didn't really listen to what we were telling him as the drawings he created from our specifications didn't have the correct measurements in some cases. I stated that I wanted the stove centered on the back wall and that the sink be centered under the window. Everything else could be installed around those two requirements with whatever size cabinets and spacers needed. We received a quote for all the cabinets we would need to complete our remodel at a cost of $4085.22 plus $3300 for installation and $99 for an in-home measurement (to make sure everything was ordered per the specifications in our home. This in-home measurement was done by a company called Flawless Floors (seemed odd to me for cabinets but anyway). We were assured that all the measurements were correct and that the cabinets ordered were correct.
Demo began. It's not nearly as fun as it seems on TV, that's for sure.
When it came time to open the wall between the kitchen and living area the opening needed to be very accurate. There was going to be a countertop extending through the opening at the bottom and cabinets were going to be above so there was no room for error. We called and emailed the installer to inquire what the top and bottom measurements should be to allow for base cabinets, countertops, and upper cabinets. We received no reply. I called Cabinets to Go and Rick said we could have whatever opening we wanted and that the cabinets would be installed however they needed to be - not much help. If cabinets were installed at the ceiling wouldn't the doors scrape the ceiling? We decided to allow for 2 inches so there wouldn't be any issue with the function of the doors.
Down comes the wall.
So here we are, ready for cabinets. Delivery of the cabinets came on April 2, 2020. A very nice man hauled all of the cabinets in and placed them in the kitchen per our request. It was a lot of work for 1 person and he was worn out by the time he was finished.
I took our order form and matched it with the part numbers on the boxes to make sure everything was present - all good!
The installation began on April 6, 2020 with 2 individuals from Flawless Floors, Armando and Sam. Because of the Coronavirus pandemic we opted to keep our distance from the installers as much as possible. If we had to interact with them we tried to maintain as much distance as we could. Armando said it was ok because he wasn't sick.
Armando commented that "oh you purchased frameless cabinets". I asked if that was going to be a problem for them to install. He said he had done them before so it was fine. Armando then commented that he would appreciate good reviews of their work, to which I asked for their names. Upon repeating the names back Armando sharply stated to me "Do NOT try to roll the Rs". Um, ok. They began to assemble and install the cabinets.
During one of their breaks I snuck up to the kitchen to check the progress. I noticed that the upper cabinet installed in the corner didn't look right.
The corner wasn't matching up with the soffit and looked horrible. Once I mentioned this to Armando, he stated that it was installed per the drawing specifications and that in order to move it, the lower cabinets would have to be moved as well in order for the layout to look symmetrical. I insisted that the cabinet be moved.
It didn't look perfect after the move but it was much better than before. The installation continued. The cabinets that were installed above the opening we had created in the wall had a gap at the top where we thought would be a finished piece of molding or at least a cover. This did not happen. There was a bare strip of wood left behind. Armando called his manager and said that they would acquire a strip of material to finish the space appropriately.
On to the next issue. If I have to make one thing very clear it is this: DO NOT ALLOW ANY INSTALLERS / CREWS TO LEAVE TOOLS AT YOUR HOME OR DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK! Armando asked if it would be ok to store their toolboxes etc so they wouldn't have to load and unload them each day. We foolishly said that was ok. It wasn't too long until a drill was missing and we were accused of taking it. Now we have a garage full of tools and couldn't care less about his equipment. I don't know if he ever found it or not but it was inappropriate to make the statement that we had done something wrong.
Soon after, another issue was found. The lower cabinet for the sink that was to be under the kitchen window was not centered. When I mentioned this, Armando said that he again was going by the drawings and that he could show me many pictures where the sink would not be centered under the window. I insisted that it be centered and had made that very clear from the beginning. Armando called his manager and spoke to him in Spanish, stating that I had requested more changes to the layout. I do not speak Spanish but do understand enough to know what was being said.
When I had my husband come and look at the issue, Armando would not maintain any kind of social distance and stated that it was OK because he was still not sick and that Jesus was protecting him from any virus. He also stated that he would pray for us to be ok as well. Now we do not have any issue with religion, per se, we simply do not follow the practice. My husband stated that he was not interested in being prayed for and left the house to spend time away and in the garage. Armando followed him and kept pushing the religious aspect to which my husband sharply asked for him to drop the conversation.
Upon moving the cabinet to be properly centered under the window, the back and bottom were destroyed.
You can see how far the cabinet needed to be moved in order to properly center it under the window. The tray at the bottom was cut apart as well and Armando said they had extra ones so he would bring a new one. This of course never happened. Another issue with this move was when Armando removed the power receptacle from the box attached to the wall stud and attached it to the back of the cabinet. I would think this would not be safe or appropriate.
Installation is now several days in. and the issues continue. Each day after the installers leave, I perform an inspection and take photos of any issue I find to be addressed the following day.
One day I noticed a substantial dent in one of the cabinet doors. It is difficult to see in the photo but is quite noticeable when the light reflects on it. I contacted them on April 8, 2020. I had to provide detailed photos to them to which they agreed to replace the door.
The very same cabinet had an issue with the hinge at the top which was loose and made the cabinet door open very rough and seemed floppy. The hinge didn't appear to be installed correctly, so I brought this up to the installer. Armando said he would fix it.
After removing the door and taking it outside it was discovered that one of the screws had been stripped out. Armando blamed his helper Sam for this. He told me that the only way he could fix it was to do this to the hinge.
He cut apart the hinge and scraped up the inside of the door doing it. I was very upset at this. I was told that they would replace the hinge and since that was the door I had ordered a replacement for, it would be ok.
There were several other hinges that seemed loose and Armando decided that he would replace all of the ones that were defective. When he returned he stated that he could not get the damaged hinge because they were not in stock and I would have to order one through Customer Care. I did this on April 22, 2020.
I had many email exchanges with the installers and was increasingly frustrated because they felt I was being unreasonable in my requests for proper installation. At one point I sent an email because I noticed a large hole on the underside of one of the upper cabinets and inquired why it was there.
The installer assumed the email was from my husband and stated that "the lady of the house" approved the damage because of the request to move the cabinet and that you could just put a sticker over the hole. They had left some extra stickers with us for that. When I replied that he was speaking with the "lady of the house" and that I most certainly did not approve any such damage. I also stated that at a cost of over $200 per cabinet I should not have to cover any damage with stickers.
The stickers, by the way, continually peel off and look very tacky. I was told to continue to press them on and maybe they would stay. Armando again blamed his assistant Sam for maybe having dirty fingers when applying these. I decided to order plastic cap inserts to replace the cheap looking stickers, painted them to match the color of the cabinets and installed them myself.
At this point I decided that I did not want the installers to come back. I had given them many chances to fix the issues and only ended up with more damage each time they left. I made my wishes known to the installation company and was told that they didn't have any control over getting materials and all of the issues were because of my desires to change the plans. I never changed any plans - measurements were confirmed and materials should have not been an issue.
The installer manager stated that he understood that I did not want Armando to return and stated the following in an email - This things happened because Armando and I attempted to keep you happy and move around the cabinets that were different from the lay out and that you sign off with the store, and we wanted to make sure your husband don't keep raising his voice to Armando that is also copy in this email. So ends the working relationship with Flawless Floors.
In the meantime we moved forward with countertops. I do have to say CW Granite and Quartz in Denver were the highlight of this remodel. I highly recommend them. We had measurements done and ordered the countertop. Installation began on May 5, 2020.
Upon installation of the countertop for the sink, it was determined that the pantry had not been installed properly and was so crooked that the countertop would not fit. We had to remove the pantry and slide it over to allow for the countertop to be properly installed. It was at that time we discovered that the pantry was not even completely assembled. Several pieces of hardware were missing.
I went to the Cabinets to Go store and picked up the hardware necessary to stabilize and complete assembly of the pantry.
We decided to complete the rest of the remodel / installations ourselves. Having never attempted some of these it was challenging but rewarding when we were able to complete them.
I received several emails from Customer care stating that the door we needed was backordered but we finally received it on July 27, 2020. I contacted Customer Care to inquire about the replacement hinge and was told it was also backordered. I received a notice stating that the hinge shipped on 8/4/20. It had not shipped but was again backordered. I received a notice that the hinge had shipped on 12/4/20. It was received on 12/9/20. Unfortunately the hinges did not come with the plastic insert/dowels that give the screws something to hold onto when being installed. I contacted Customer Care again. I received the package on January 3, 2021 and found that I had been sent the inserts that are for shelves - nothing to do with hinges. Again, another call to Customer Care. They decided to send me a cabinet hardware pack - sounds good right? Package scheduled for delivery 1/10/21. I decided to check the tracking on 1/9/21 and found that the package was delivered - but not to me.
So here I am, 316 days later with still an incomplete kitchen project. We moved ahead with everything that we could.
Before and after (so far) kitchen remodel.
On Sunday 1/17/21 we finally received the right parts to install the hinges on the replacement cabinet door. These press in plastic pieces were attached to some new hinges - which didn't belong to anything but I was able to remove them from the hinges they were on and put them on the correct ones.
I assembled and installed the door. I used the existing door to mark where the door handle would go, as Armando used a jig to make sure the measurements of all the handles were correct. I found that his measurements were all off by about 1/16 of an inch. Pretty horrible for someone that insisted everything would be perfect and that he had the best tools for the job.
Bottom line, DO NOT USE CABINETS TO GO OR FLAWLESS FLOORS! 325 days and our dream kitchen that we've waited for so many years to get is completed - unfortunately it looks like a disaster. I've never been so disappointed.
#remodelfail #cabinetstogo #flawlessfloors
