I like to introduce the occasional wrinkle into the build, this either keeps me interested or creates some unwanted havoc or hardship at the site (or all of the above). Over the years I have grown either bored or unsatisfied with the end product in certain situations when using pre finished (factory made) cabinet products that are then assembled from cut pieces at the site. The issue is the pieces, often gables, trims, mouldings etc, dont ‘mitre’ well, or butt together well and you have a lot of unsightly seams, gaps, joints, or reveals that do not appear as nice as I’d like them to. This is not avoidable because the factory provides sheet products, not edge banded or mitred trims that are custom to each job.
One option is site painted doors and trims. This has an unwanted effect of creating a lot more work for the finishing painter at the site that formerly would not exist. The site painter doesn’t have the advantages of a commercial paint booth to work from, he must do everything inside the dusty and imperfect job site. However the advantage is all the instances where the trim is up against the ceiling, walls, or other objects the finish product can be much better integrated. The skill and attentiveness of the painter (and products used) is a deciding factor in how, from the builders perspective, the site painted option will be measured against the typical pre-finished product.
So it appears the site painted cabinetry is both a luxurious specification with potential to have a superior outcome and also a labour intensive nightmare. As the job progress moves along we will determine if the extra work and cost is overcome by the quality of the end product. For now we’ve got the first house ready to go at the K35 site and the pain stage is going to be wrapped up before the holidays begin.
Much paintwork yet to come. Will the end product quality justify the additional time/cost/effort on site? Hard to turn back now!