I have Lowe's version of American Woodmark (Shenandoah) and have been very happy with them. We had them installed a little over a year ago. Customer service was great on the few issues we had (a cracked panel was the most major thing). We re-ordered one cabinet because the glazing didn't look right and they told us to keep the old one. The cushion close full extension drawers are awesome and the cabinets feel solid. We have the Winchester maple with a coffee glaze.
HTH!
Robin

There are a few people in the FKB with them. Maybe you could email them to get an opinion., My neighbor has them. She has been very happy with them HD was another story though.....

marciag: I had an appointment with their kitchen dept last week and found out about the sale, it really makes it hard not to go that way. Right now we're pricing cabinets for our masterbath, and was surprised at the price difference. We checked out the quality in the vinettes they have set up in the store, and they seem to be ok. However that said we would never ever use a HD contractor to do any work whatsoever on our home. I've heard one nightmare after another about their contractors and I'd rather go through someone we choose and we're comfortable with.

Robin: LOL!!! I don't know if you realize this but...so far we have the same faucet, granite, backsplash choice (slate), and now cabinets! I love your taste!!

I can't speak to the product but the company is listed in the "Who's who in cabinets 2006" as selling a 100% stock product. In Canada this product is provided to HD by Fabritec. There is nothing wrong with stock lines they come in varying qualities just like semi-custom and custom product. You'll have fewer choices but our experience was that for our layout a stock product really did everything we wanted and saved us around 30%. If you can make the stock product work you will often get a better quality of materials and construction for less money. This product is actually better constructed than Thomasville but it has fewer options.

Working with HD is more complicated. Sometimes staff is good sometimes not, sound like you have someone good so don't be dissuaded by someone who wasn't as fortunate. We had a bad experience initially but still liked the product and were in another Home Depot getting something else and were talking to a Kitchen Consultant who we were impressed with and decided to try again. This consultant had been there 2 years and the person who coordinates the installs longer than her and they had one installer who had been with them practically since they opened. I asked to see his work and they arranged for us to visit a recent kitchen he had installed. The installer came to do the in house measure (not some 3rd person).

We had already nailed down the design through the process of checking out other product but the process was still long and you have to be very vigilant - verify their measure against your own, check the product list and ask questions.

One thing to be aware of is they are very cautious so if you want something they are not accustomed to doing you will get some resistance. For instance the product we ordered comes with a 3 inch light valance - we have soffets so it was jut too clunky. They have to cut and mitre it for the install so I asked to have it cut down to 2 inches and they told me it couldn't be done that it would shred - finally when the installer came back to get a couple of additional measurements I asked him and he was sure no problem. Same thing with wanting them to turn a filler on its' edge so I would have just 5\8 between the edge of a drawer bank and the wall (I had seen installs done that way) - oh no not possible - I insisted they asked the installer and he was sure that will work. They like margin and it is a good idea (crooked walls etc) but sometimes you just don't need that much margin for error.

Install will probably cost a bit more than with a showroom but who nows how hard their estimated install prices are. It still wasn't crazy and HD's demo price was nearly 1\2 the quotes I had so in the end it didn't cost me more for the labour and I saved around $2000 on the product compared to almost identical products from other showrooms.

We placed the order just last week so it may yet go south but I think you have to judge by the people and store your dealing with not somebody elses good or bad experience across the country. We saved 10% and got interest free financing for a year by putting it on their credit card. Because you pay up front I would pay by credit card.

We are not buying our countertop through them - I got a much better price through an independant dealer.

I had oak american woodmark cabinet doors on particle board boxes with a veneer covering in my kitchen for years, when I decided to "update" and expand, I couldn't get the same style or color, so I went with Kraftmaid, but I was very happy with the american woodmark cabinets, they looked great and were in very good condition, they were about 22+ years old. I ended up donating them. HTH, good luck!

Yes, I agree with Caryscott in that we too have an excellent designer who seems very anxious and willing to help us get the look that we want. However, again, I can't stress enough that the only involvement HD has with the contractors is taking a fee off the top of the charge for "referring" the contractor for the job. Sometimes those contractors "sub" contract the work to yet a third party and it can (and often does) become a nightmare. It's better to take advantage of the in house services they have to offer, and the discount pricing on the cabinets, and then find your own installer.

LOL Lukki, could we possibly be twins separated at birth???!!!

I agree that installers and KD's vary enormously from store to store. We got very lucky at Lowe's as our KD had been there for years and also taught drafting and design at a community college. Our installer is also a custom cabinet builder who does the Lowe's thing on the side when business is slow. He was phenomenal! Asked all sorts of questions about how I wanted things done, had lots of great advice and solutions to problems we had, and generally went out of his way to come back multiple times, make adjustments when neccessary and even found scrap plywood in his shop to make us temporary counters (free of charge) until our granite came. We have been very happy with the way things turned out with Lowe's, but have heard plenty of horror stories about big box stores. So check things out carefully and decide whether you want HD to install your cabinets or if you want to find someone on your own to do it. But don't be afraid to purchase American Woodmark products if they have the style you like, the price you can afford, and work with your design!

For you Lowe's fans - I was in yesterday and they said they would meet HD's 20% off on their line of Shenandoah. Also - they have 10% off Schuler coming up in a week or so.

FYI

Marciag- I had American Woodmark cabinets installed back in June and they are beautiful (IMHO). I've posted a link to my pictures in the Finished Kitchen Blog. Check it out and message me back if you have any questions (jlwimer57@hotmail.com). They are maple, honey finish, Sonoma door style. I upgraded to the dovetail, full-extension drawers and have them in almost all base cabinets... love the drawers! It was an idea I found here on GW and am so glad I did! I ordered them from a small dealer and had them installed by them. Also, one of the best things that I did (and it cost me, too) was ordering finished end panels for the exposed cabinet ends. It makes a much nicer looking cabinet when they are not custom made or solid wood. Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchen Blog

I also have the Lowe's American Woodmark product (Shenandoah) and we have been very happy with them. We're almost at 2 years now and no complaints so far. We had a couple very minor issues on delivery/install which were handled well and very quickly.

As far as them being a 'stock product' I can't comment on Canada but I'm in the states and 2 of our cabinets were custom depth due to specific space constraints.

I really thought just like lukkiirish about their contracting services and while I don't know what the outcome will be I have a a lot of confidence in the installer we are working with. First try with a HD on the other hand in addition to a less than stellar design we had someone who wouldn't be installing doing the site visit and measure - didn't sit well with me and I worried about accountability - if the HD has a contract with a large install service they don't know whose being hired or how competent s\he is and if I'm not happy it may just turn into a finger pointing exercise between HD and the sub-contractor and they will never resolve the problems. In our case (and obviously others) we know this installer has been working for them for years, he works for other HD's in the area and in fact worked for the HD we dealt with initially and stopped because they were not competent. I asked and he is paid based on the linear foot and the set charge fees not by the cost of the product we are buying.

Would I buy my countertop from them? No. I can contract directly with the same place they work with and probably get it for less (just as lukkiirish points out). In our area the fabricator the HDs work with is expensive but the company I am working with was in fact recommended by another HD who have had more han a few problems with the fabricator they contract with and are now recommending this one on the sly to clients.

In relation to the volume of business HD or Lowe's does the nightmare stories were not at anywhere near the frequency they would need to be for me to write them off all together without checking it out for myself. I was very very skittish and suspicious but they really met my conditions. You need to be hyper vigilant but then again from what I have read here you need to be with almost any company you would be working with.

Again you can't assume that others'good or bad experiences (including mine)at a particular store are applicable to the one your working with. By the sounds of it the product is good and so is the price point so I would test the waters. No good KD is going to work at a store where everything else is bad - who needs the grief. My feeling is usually if it's bad it either all becomes bad (lowest common denominator) or the good people will push out the weak link. Just an opinion.

I have American Woodmark cabinets and couldn't be happier. The quality is good and the KD at HD was great to work with. He even called me at home a few times with questions and ideas. HD will match Lowe's prices. They also had a sale going and by purchasing 10 cabinets, I got one free. The island is my free 48" sink base that would have cost over $700.

I agree with Careyscott--check and double check all your measurements. I avoided a few issues being diligent doing this. Everything went smoothly.

Also, by researching and reading about kitchen design here on the Kitchen Forum, I was a more informed consumer. I was able to ask good questions and know when to insist on something or leave it up to the KD's expertise.

I did not have HD do the install. A friend's FIL is and excellent home contractor and does all the work in our house. His final bill was a little over 1/3 of the HD estimate.
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Thanks everyone. I was pretty satisfied with the options that American Woodmark seemed to have but the KD and I did
"create" a couple of innovations from existing stock, such as a secretary-type desk area using a side-turned cabinet box so I hope I can find someone to make adapatations when the kitchen goes in ....I have a contractor coming tonight to give me an estimate on the whole kitchen reno. My HD in NJ uses their own home services company (I am sure they subcontract out pieces of the job but I haven't gotten that far yet). I will get an installation estimate and an estimate on the rest of the job from them. Beyond a contractor or HD, HOW does one find an installer? Mountainbasketmaker thanks for your email. I am sending you a message!

Mine have been in for almost two years...I love them. I went with the HD contractor and he was a sweetie! He went over and above what I paid for! Maple Mocha.

We bought our AW cabinets from Home Depot and like them alot. We bought the Charlotteville style with the rounded top in maple with Mocha stain. It's only been a year, but they are holding up just fine. As a matter of fact, I've had several contractors in here doing various work, and some complimented on the cabinets and asked who the cabinet maker was. They were quite surprised (not sure why) when I said they were from HD.

I would buy again from there, and frankly, if you get any poorly made doors or uneven stains, etc. it's SOOOOO simple to get them replaced without getting drilled by customer service.

My suggestion if you get them is to go through every box when they arrive and look for defects (if any). Write down what cabinets have issues and call and order any replacements at one time.

I bought the drawers with the soft close feature already installed, then I installed Blum soft close on the doors (not offered by HD then) myself (they're inexpensive too). This is a feature I highly recommend for NO SLAMMING and longer cabinet life.

I am trying to decide myself between a 48" vanity,31"H,21D by American Woodmark in the newport series or one from Merillat in the Arbor Falls series. Home Depot is offering me the vanity with plywood sides for $560 including tax where the Merillat does not come in w/the plywood sides and is $580 including tax. The only caveat with Home Depot is that you have to pick it up youself from the store where Merillat will have it delivered free of charge through their dealer. Any thoughts on this? I am just wondering because I read a lot of bad reviews out their about American woodmark. It seems that AW has the higher quality product.

I just completed (12/08) a kitchen renovation which included a selection of Woodmark cabinets. I took advantage of the HD promotions for both Woodmark and Corian counter tops. There were a few hiccups with the cabinet order but both HD and Woodmark were very responsive. Variety of cabinet sizes, budget and timing were critical factors driving my choice of Woodmark cabinetry. I don't think I could be any happier with higher end cabinetry.

Here is a link that might be useful: Richmond Kitchen Renovation