PSA: That showroom maple plywood is lying to you

I visited a high-end kitchen showroom in Portland last week and every single cabinet was wrapped in veneer. They had the nerve to call it 'solid maple' while I could see the plywood edges right there. In my experience, real customers get burned when they order something based on that showroom shine. Has anyone else dealt with clients expecting showroom quality on a production budget?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_webb13d ago

Totally feel you on this one. I walked a client through a "custom" cabinet shop last month and they kept pointing at this gorgeous rift-sawn white oak finish, then got real quiet when I showed them the spec sheet and it was just MDF core with a thin veneer, not solid wood at all. It's such a bait and switch, especially for folks who don't know to check the edges and the back panels. I've had to talk three different couples out of ordering after they fell in love with showroom samples that were basically furniture-grade plywood tricked out with premium glue-ups. Gets me every time.

the_faith13d ago

Hate seeing good folks get tricked like that, @blair_webb.