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Went to a high end kitchen showroom and walked out frustrated
I visited a custom kitchen showroom in Raleigh last weekend and every single cabinet had face frames made from poplar with a veneer, no solid wood anywhere. The sales guy told me nobody asks for solid wood anymore because it costs too much. Has anyone else noticed this shift away from solid wood in higher end work?
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betty_perry242mo ago
Read the fine print on those "solid wood drawer fronts" because a lot of makers are using MDF cores with a thin wood veneer on the outside. The real shift is that people are prioritizing stable materials and clean finishes over just the word "solid", but poplar veneer on a cheap frame is still a ripoff if they're charging premium prices. Is that really saving money when you're replacing warped doors in five years?
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emma_wells832mo ago
Bought a mid grade kitchen from a local builder last year and went with plywood boxes and solid wood drawer fronts instead of full face frames. The plywood is actually more stable than solid wood for cabinet boxes and doesn't warp as bad over time. Saved a chunk of money and the cabinets still look great after a year of daily cooking.
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barbara_jenkins661mo ago
Poplar's actually a soft hardwood, meaning it dents if you look at it wrong. That sales guy is pushing cheap materials and calling it premium. Real high end work uses maple, cherry, or oak for face frames because they actually hold up to daily use. Poplar is for paint grade trim work, not for cabinets you're paying thousands for. The veneer's probably paper thin too, so one scratch and you see the cheap wood underneath. You got frustrated because your gut knew something was off about the whole setup.
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