My guess is that it is moisture coming through the lacquer finish.

Your cabinets are having an identity crisis and want to be pickled oak? You don't want pickled cherry. They are too pretty under that gunk.

Can you contact the manufacturer? Most will have some sort of warranty.

yes, still under warranty. What did the cabinet maker do wrong? not enough stain? will this be a major re-do?

This is likely "bloom" which occurs when lacquer is applied either in high humidity conditions or when the wood is not adequately dried. For small areas you can apply an aerosol bloom eraser, which is carried by Rockler and some woodworking shops. For larger areas, you have to totally redo the finish. I know because this is what had to be done to much of the stained cherry panelling and woodwork in our custom home.

I recall someone else on the kitchen forum experienced this several months ago. She posted a question asking what it was, and later reported that her cabinet maker was fixing the problem. You might see if you can find that post, contact her, and see what they did.

be sure to post a follow up with what you find out - please.

Custom cabinets, right? The finisher applied the finish in a room with too much humidity or without an air drier for the compressor, or the maker didn't use fully kiln dried wood. Or both. Both typical mistakes of the junior league "custom" variety. Do over time.

It's moisture. What is the topcoat? It is probably a water based topcoat. If it was solvent based there would have been peeling earlier. You need to find a finisher who knows what to do. Don't make assumptions and proceed on your own. You must know exactly what is on there and how to fix it.
Sorry you are having this problem on such gorgeous wood, but there will be a solution.

That's a shame. Beautiful wood. In my opinion, you should get replacement doors. Obviously a defect. Call your KD or cabinet maker. Let us know the outcome. Just curious, what brand are they?

joyce6333, cabinets and box were made from small cabinet maker company. The guy who actually cut the moldings has 20+ experience and produces high quality work. I guess whoever did the finish was not as experienced.

I have no problem having the company unattaching all the doors and fixing them. My worry is the cherry paneling attached to the box that is not easily removable. Any thoughts on this?

Sad but simple choice: either uninstall the cabinets or he's got a big, messy on-site project. Anybody else have any ideas?

Just want to follow-up on the whitening problem on the kitchen cabs.

One diagnosis from a very reputable company (waiting for confirmation from another company), problem is that not enough varnish was applied on the cabs nor was it evenly applied.

The solution is to hand apply polymer type finish coat such as Mohawk Finish-Up and most of the problems will go away.

Obviously, this is all very theoretical. Any experts willing to chime in on the solution?

What guarantee are they willing to offer that their "fix" will work long term? Are they willing to come back next summer and refinish or replace everything when it doesn't work? Will they still be in business then? Pouring on a new finish over a compromised one NEVER works.

They are trying to minimize their cost and time to repair this at your expense. Don't let them. The doors need to have all of the old finish removed before anything new is put on them, or they need to be replaced. That's it. A simple solution.