Creative Cabinets & Faux Finishes LLC

We initially contacted CCFF to have new kitchen cabinets installed. After talking with the salesperson, we decided that we would have our kitchen cabinets painted, especially since they were in good shape. This was a big step for us because we have lived in many homes through the years with painted kitchen cabinets, mostly government housing, and they were horrible. The salesperson convinced us that painted cabinets had come a long way and that they would have a smooth and strong finish. She even brought a painted cabinet door to the meeting to show us what the painted cabinets would look like. Painting our cabinets turned out to a big mistake. The cabinet doors were removed and then taken to a shop for a beautiful finish. It was suggested that we update our cabinet crown moldings. Light rails were not discussed because we already had the light rails. The finish on the new cabinet crown moldings were installed with unprimed maple wood. The painted finish on the new crown molding is very disappointing. The finish is rough, not smooth and no sheen. They look and feel like a flat painted, rough wall. The corners, nail holes were not properly caulked and there is over-caulk dispersed throughout the molding. The light rails were never supposed to have been removed. We paid over $500 for something we already had. The salesperson was supposed to have removed it from contract and we did not catch the mistake when signing the revised contract. It just seems bizarre that Creative Cabinets would tear it out and put the same thing back on. The finish on the light rails is exactly like the cabinet crown moldings. Rough, no sheen and not smooth. After 50 years of DIY painting projects, I could tell that the new wood needed a light sanding and another coat of paint sprayed. However, it could also have been the paint or the paint process. Only the people that applied it would really know. The end result convinced me that painting the kitchen cabinets was a mistake that we have to live with for the rest of our lives. The tile work was the worst we have ever seen. CCFF said they would redo the area that was poorly installed, but that we would have to sign a waiver acknowledging that we could end up with more unsightly areas than what we currently have. They also told us that the tile installers did not want us in our home during the redo and lastly, that they would charge us for the redo. It seemed unreasonable to have a customer sign a waiver for “unsightly” work and then the company charge them an additional $885.00 on top of the $8,860.00 billed for more “unsightly” work. If Creative Cabinets cannot have tile installed in a Herringbone pattern without “unsightly” installation, they should never have recommended that it be installed. At the very least, we should have been told that it would be “unsightly”. Instead, they took our money and passed it off as “normal construction practices”. We were also told that we could not be in our home so that the tile installers were not interrupted during the redo. During the original installation, the tile installers demonstrated unsafe working habits which impacted their performance and jeopardized their safety. No one from Creative Cabinets showed up for the original tile installation leaving us to monitor, correct and provide equipment so they could adequately do their job. It would have been foolish of us or to agree to these terms. Despite all the excellent reviews, our experience with Creative Cabinets was extremely disappointing and frustrating. I would not recommend them.

Susan Fossom is a delight to work with. She is charismatic and responsive to questions and issues. CCFF provided excellent customer service and quality product at a reasonable price. The finished product is as good as new. The job site was kept cleaned and job was finished promptly with minimal interruption of use. We will definitely call Susan again for future project.  

Let me start with what is most important thing, the end result.   The cabinet work that they did is very good.   I would have given them an A for quality if it weren't for them using the wrong paint to do some touch up work on the walls near the redone cabinets (which they did come back and fix on their dime).  
So, they do really nice cabinet work.  I don't want that to get lost on readers, since my frustrations with them was more during the selling process and prep.  
Here is the main thing...if you work with them, you should really only deal with Jenna the owner.  Jenna is very good.   The problems i had stemmed from the initial sales person.  I won't go on and on with details, but there were multiple examples of sloppiness....either recommending colors that the painters can't actually do, or sending me photos of a home that wasn't mine, or forgetting to do the pre-work walk through, etc.  So work with Jenna, and I think you will be fine.  
From a cost standpoint, they were in line with other reputable cabinet refinishers.    Its just expensive work.
I bet if i had dealt with Jenna from the start this review  would have been a B overall, maybe even an A.

I initially got the work estimated by another company that was recommended by a close friend. Their work was amazing as an end product - but they were challenging to work with and I never got a written estimate. The reason I share this information is that it did validate the Creative Cabinets estimate as being reasonable.

From the very start - Jenna and her team were great to work with. They really listened to what my vision was and seemed to understand what I wanted. From the first sketch to the actual drawings - I was really impressed with how close they were to what I wanted. The other intangible here is that she and her crew seemed excited to be doing the work and enjoyed me asking for their ideas.
Once the designs were locked and the work underway - I had a few calls with the build guys. It's funny how little I knew or cared about the and quot;internalsand quot; of the cabinets in terms of pulls, drawer sizes and slides. They guided me through it and the end result was simply amazing. These cabinets are solid - they look great and are holding up great.
We had the install and paint done while we were on vacation - so I can't speak to how that really went other than I'm glad they worked with my schedule. I found a little bit of overspray and a few little touchup items that they took care of when they installed the pulls and knobs.
I would definitely recommend Jenna - we are thoroughly pleased with the experience, the price and the end result.

They did everything they said they would do and so far I am very satisfied with the way it is holding up. Painted cabinets can be notorious for chipping but we have had none of that and it has been quite some time now well over a year. I was amazed that they could paint over thermofoil and have such a good result. The added doors to the side panels at the ends of the cabinets made such a huge improvement to the appearance of the vanities. They look like pieces of furniture now.
The owner of Creative Cabinets came to our house with cabinet door samples of their finishes and after some time we decided that none of the colors were exactly what I had in mind so she custom mixed a color for us and prepared a sample door. We were very pleased with it. We proceeded with the work and it was completed in a timely manner and on schedule. It exceeded my expectations since I was so worried about the entire project and at the time my confidence level in contractors was pretty low having suffered a bad experience with the rest of the bathroom project. I am sure it was apparent in my extra cautious, wary attitude.
I can say with full certainty that I would recommend this company for cabinet painting as that is what we had done. I think they need to be listed under cabinet painting and faux finishes as well as the other categories because there wasn't a correct work description to check when I set out to review this company. I have seen their carpentry work in other kitchens as my neighbors have used them and I also saw their work in a show house kitchen. Their work is excellent and impressive and more importantly it holds up well. I would not hesitate to use them again and hope to in the future.