2014 Landmark-poor quality wood stain

jbbdc · Jun 22, 2013

While looking at Landmarks last weekend at a dealership we noticed poor quality and mismatched stain throughout the unit. On cabinet doors, the stain was applied so thinly that it gave the impression the trailer was well-used. The color looked more pink than reddish. There was also an obvious mismatch between doors and and cabinets. We left hoping that was an isolated case.

Last night we were looking at pictures online and came across the two I added below. The problem here is obvious and similar to what we saw at the dealership.

Has anyone seen this before? Is this the standard glazed pecan offered in the Landmark? Any problems with the optional chestnut?

I don't know how others feel, but I find this disappointing.

Thanks,
Jim

4ever · Jun 22, 2013

I just picked up our new rig two weeks ago and have the Glazed Chestnut. No problems with any color matching with the cabinets. Only problem I had was the the two dining room chairs were completely different wood stains. Like I said cabinets were fine. Also, we realyy like the color of the Glazed Chesnut.

jbbdc · Jun 22, 2013

4ever, would it be too much trouble to post a picture of your Glazed Chestnut?

4ever · Jun 22, 2013

Here are two pics. Guess they came out ok.

MCTalley · Jun 22, 2013

Camera flashes will do that. When I went through our house several years ago with a digital camera taking pictures after they had just installed the kitchen cabinetry and looked at the pictures on the computer, I was ready to call the builder and tell them that the cabinet facings were all different colors and, quite frankly, sucked. Once back inside during the daylight looking at them, they looked totally fine.

Something to do with the wood grain reflecting the light, I suppose.

dave10a · Jun 22, 2013

jbbdc said:
While looking at Landmarks last weekend at a dealership we noticed poor quality and mismatched stain throughout the unit. On cabinet doors, the stain was applied so thinly that it gave the impression the trailer was well-used. The color looked more pink than reddish. There was also an obvious mismatch between doors and and cabinets. We left hoping that was an isolated case.

Last night we were looking at pictures online and came across the two I added below. The problem here is obvious and similar to what we saw at the dealership.

View attachment 24823 View attachment 24824

Has anyone seen this before? Is this the standard glazed pecan offered in the Landmark? Any problems with the optional chestnut?

I don't know how others feel, but I find this disappointing.

Thanks,
Jim

Welp mine are not that noticeable. However, my wood work is average over-all as compared to trailers I see at the shows.

ParkIt · Jun 22, 2013

4ever said:
Here are two pics. Guess they came out ok.

View attachment 24825 View attachment 24826

Well, now I know what our finish is called, with ours being a sort of 'one off' I wondered what the factory considered our finish is. And yes, the yellow microfiber towel is in the same place I keep mine

jbbdc · Jun 22, 2013

Thanks for posting the pics, 4ever. I have yet to see a problem with chestnut cabinets. Yours look good.

We just returned home after a couple hours at a dealership going over every inch of a San Antonio and Key Largo. The chestnut in one was excellent. The pecan in the other had lighter and darker shades throughout. The salesman told us they had a Landmark come in on special order that the customer refused to accept until all the cabinets (pecan) were redone. They had a local shop do the work and said the customer was very pleased in the end.

I can't agree that camera flashes might be the culprit because I've seen several Landmarks in person with different shading on the cabinets when pecan is used. My wife likes the pecan in areas where it's applied correctly. I prefer chestnut. I'm hesitant to order pecan since there's no assurance of adequate quality control.

We'll probably end up with a Landmark in the coming months. Just need to decide between the San Antonio and Key Largo.

dfk009 · Jun 22, 2013

jbbdc, After showing the photos to DW, she quickly informed me that the two-tone stain colors has been used for several years in new home construction kitchen cabinetry. Not that we like it either, but have found the RV industry to copy what is new trends in home interior décor. She found magazines with pictures to back-up her claim. We both agreed that we like the chestnut color. Don

jbbdc · Jun 23, 2013

Don, I'm not certain that Heartland is doing this intentionally to mirror home interior trends as this variation in color is not consistent in the Landmarks we've seen, both in pictures and in person. I've seen some pecan cabinets that look great throughout the coach and others with the mismatch on several cabinets. Why would Heartland intentionally apply this trend on a couple of cabinets and not on all the cabinets within the same coach?

For example, one Landmark we looked at yesterday had a door that was poorly stained attached to the same cabinet with the other door looking acceptable. The salesman confirmed there is a problem at the factory.

kakampers · Jun 23, 2013

We have the dark Bordeaux finish and have no color issues with it...remember that different woods also take stain differently, but what you saw would be unacceptable for us too.

kakampers · Jun 23, 2013

P.S. don't think Pecan is an option any longer...Bordeaux and Chestnut are what is available...contact Heartland directly to verify your choices.

jbbdc · Jun 23, 2013

kakampers, that's interesting and raises other questions. Their 2014 order form lists it as pecan with chestnut being a no-charge option. So, this reddish stain I'm seeing is the new Bordeaux?

We, too, have seen the pecan/Bordeaux finish in units that have looked really nice. The problem is there doesn't seem to be consistency from unit to unit. I'm concerned over what our unit would show up with if we ordered that color. The only consistency we've seen has been with the chestnut which has looked great in every coach.

Theresau · Jun 23, 2013

My understanding is bordeaux is cherry. Saw it at the factory design center yesterday for the Landmark. BC has the bordeaux and BH has the chestnut. Ours has a great deal of variance and is the bordeaux. However it's still attractive. I'm more concerned about the final finish which is inconsistent. We've polished and that greatly improved. But now I'm seeing fingerprints.

dewwood · Jun 23, 2013

I think one of the problems perhaps is that the cabinet parts are manufactured off site and possibly from different vendors. They are then assembled at the Heartland facility during production. If they are not carefully color matched there very well could be color variations as they may not all come from the same batch or supplier. Also different woods are used and they will accept the stain at different degrees of absorption. This is not an excuse as I am not connected to Heartland but a possible explanation.

kakampers · Jun 23, 2013

jbbdc said:
kakampers, that's interesting and raises other questions. Their 2014 order form lists it as pecan with chestnut being a no-charge option. So, this reddish stain I'm seeing is the new Bordeaux?

We, too, have seen the pecan/Bordeaux finish in units that have looked really nice. The problem is there doesn't seem to be consistency from unit to unit. I'm concerned over what our unit would show up with if we ordered that color. The only consistency we've seen has been with the chestnut which has looked great in every coach.

Strange...the 2014 Landmark Price Sheet posted here under "Landmark Prospective Owners" thread shows Bordeaux Wood as the standard under the Landmark Interior Package and the Glazed Chestnut as a $479 option....here is what our's looks like

dbbls59 · Jun 23, 2013

It may be the shape of the wood. My fascia around the slide appears darker than the smooth cabinet doors but I think it is the carving in the fascia that makes it appear darker. However, it could have been harder to wipe the stain off the milled fascia and it may be darker.

jbbdc · Jun 23, 2013

kakampers, your cabinets look better than anything we've seen on the lots. Your Bordeaux looks more brown and doesn't appear to have the reddish/pink variations we're seeing on units with the pecan. Apparently, a dealership we're working with sent us an outdated order sheet last week for ordering a 2014. Bordeaux is not mentioned, just glazed pecan, and shows chestnut as an option.

I really hope someone from the factory will chime in this upcoming week and clear up the color choices for 2014. The salesman we spoke to yesterday wasn't very helpful other than saying the factory has been having problems.

kakampers · Jun 23, 2013

Contact Heartland by phone and speak with the sales rep for area you think you will be buying from...that will give you your most accurate information and will keep you up to date with running line changes. We are in Goshen and the rally just ended. During the factory tour we saw several and were informed of several others coming in the very near future.

The pic is deceiving...there is a reddish cast to our wood...not seen any pink though.

jbbdc · Jun 23, 2013

Thanks, kakampers! When you say there are several others coming in the future, are you referring to several new wood color choices for '14?

2014 Landmark-poor quality wood stain

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