Kitchen Cabinets

Wow, haven't heard of Semi-Handmade. Looks like a great service. I would definitely consider this for a cabinet project.

I've messed with cabinet doors and I'd recommend hiring a pro for installation if you are doing more than one or two. They are fiddly and have to be aligned precisely if you want them to close without touching the walls. Doors also tend to move over time and if you hire the right installer they can adjust them for you down the road.

If you go the painting route, I would have a professional come and do it and spray them. We had that done for a kitchen remodel and it looked great until the paint started chipping. I put that on the paint rather than the painters. For some reason that particular color isn't as durable as the same brand in other colors. Also, as an add-on to your question, has anyone used a clear enamel to add durability to their cabinet paint? Thoughts?

The folks who owned our house before us put a clear enamel on all the wood finishes. Now it is peaking off in a somewhat annoying way. This may just be the brand of enamel they used and it may behave differently on paint than it did on wood finish. At the very least, I would ask about that when you get your enamel if you go that route.

I hired Zeke Vicenio from ES General Contractor - they specialist in custom kitchen cabinets. He does beautiful work -- he did the cabinets for under my stairs and, because my house is a hundred years old and not perfectly even, it was a challenge. They turned out gorgeous! 425-559-1072.

Wholewood Seattle Cabinetry
13622 NE 20th St Ste C, Bellevue, WA 98005
(425) 747-4085
maps.app.goo.gl/hxLdMGEdS6J...
Unsure what semi-hadmade means but we had a great experience with Wholewood. Yao brought the company from Texas so it is new, in Bellevue and had the fastest turn around AND cheapest quote!! We got white shaker and didn't attempt to paint. We did the demo, they came and measured, they ordered and built the cabinets then we picked up and installed ourselves. Was a very smooth process and Yao was helpful with what would look good and what wouldn't.

We remodeled our kitchen and added a dining room about 10 years ago. We went with Acorn Cabinets (in Newcastle - south of Bellevue) after getting quotes from several local cabinet shops. We worked with our architect (Terry Mulholland - an incredible architect) to design the cabinets and shelves which were built to our specification. It was nice to be able to visit their showroom and manufacturing. You can see the cabinets here: mulholland-design.com/raven...
We had them installed by our contractor and painted by a professional as part of the overall remodel. I consider myself moderately handy, but I wouldn't want my first cabinet install project to be my kitchen. Painting them yourself is a viable option. Good luck!