I have natural maple cabinets made by Dynasty. They are beautifully made... plywood boxes, drawers roll easily, beautiful finish. I imagine their painted cabs would have a beautiful, durable finish as well. They are semi-custom...their custom line is Omega and you can mix and match the two as needed. A truly quality product made in the US. Wait for a sale and their price is comparable to lower end brands. I would buy them again without hesitation. Visit kitchen design centers as well as big box stores to get an idea of quality and prices.

Also forgot to mention that many people here have stated that using a custom cabinet maker can be about the same as ordering from a cabinet line. You just have to get estimates and educate yourself. There was a recent thread on here where people rated cabinet brands low to high end. I will try to find it.

You can also post the area you live in and ask for recommendations for cabinet makers/kitchen designers/showrooms, etc...you will probably end up with at least a few names to investigate.

Here is the thread..hope it helps....yes, it is a daunting task since there are so many choices.

Here is a link that might be useful: GW Cabinet ratings thread

Forgive me if I post incorrectly. Just signed up yesterday. Just wanted to thank Joanieponie for input. I haven't heard of Dynasty and will have to check it out. Anyone else have ideas, I am all ears.

Hi Lisalovesreno,

You really have to do your homework. I ended up using a custom cabinet maker and his quote to replace the kitchen cabinets as they were was less than the big box store quotes. However, I ended up going with an abundance of custom features which took me quite a bit over the big box store quotes.

i found my cabinetmaker by asking the tile guy, the painter, etc. (non-direct competition) for referrals.

There is almost no difference in price these days between locally built custom cabinets and mid-range manufactured cabinets. Plus, you get better fitted cabinets from the local guy.

When comparing prices, remember factory cabinets have to be installed -- and that's not usually included in the price. With local cabinets, it usually is.