Hi,

Can you tell me wher to find reviews on quality/durability of kitchen
cabinets?  In particular, I am interested in comparing IKEA to other
brands such as Kraftmaid.

Are there other makers of sleek frameless cabinets in addition to
IKEA?

Interesting question. We are doing some research with regards to
renovating our kitchen, and are pretty much settled on IKEA cabinets.
I used to live in Philadelphia, where the first IKEA was opened in the
States. When they first came here they had lots of inferior quality
furniture. The past few years, their items have imprived in quality,
greatly.

Back to the kitchen. So, once we finalized our plans, I ordered a
sample drawer front, so that I could see the quality of the wood, etc.
(I no longer live anywhere near an IKEA.)

The sample piece came and I was shocked by the good quality. It is
solid wood, nothing shredded and formed about it. Woo hoo!

For our kitchen, IKEA came to be about 50% less than any other cabinet
maker. I had KraftMaid cabinets in my last house, and while I had no
complaints about them, I don't think there is much difference in
quality between them and IKEA. The difference comes in with regards to
service, at least for me, since I will have to install myself.

If you're near an IKEA I believe they have installers, and then you
would have someone to turn to for service issues.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Dear aarongindc, 

There are several sites that compare products and review them: 
Epnions - http://www.epinions.com/search/submitted_form_~searchbar/tax_name_~Home+Furniture/search_vertical_~t120165761/pp_~2?search_string=kitchen+cabinet

Lycos BizRate - http://bizrate.lycos.com/buy/products__cat_id--13170103,keyword--Kitchen%20Cabinets.html

However, both do not contain comparison between IKEA and Kraftmaid.
Such a comparison could be found in the Berkley Parents Network site
<http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/home/kitchcabinets.html>
(Kraftmaid is under Home Depot).

eBuild has a good section (maybe the best) on Kitchen cabinets, alas
IKEA-less <http://www.ebuild.com/building/kitchen-cabinets.asp>.

I couldn't answer your second question, and recommend, if you want it
answered, to post it again (since this one is about to expire).