Pictures would help.

Are specific materials for the cabinets specified in the order/contract?

Melamine covered substrate(MDF/etc.) is not usually a problem in moist areas. Plain MDF is a moisture sponge unless primed and painted, but any unpainted gaps will allow moisture to be absorbed and swell the MDF. However, MDF is a terrible choice for doors. Screws in hinges seldom hold long term.

Your situation sounds like one caused by a difference in humidity, poor material choices, or both.

I told the builder I wanted to upgrade to wood cabinets and choose birch. However, the custom cabinet place tried to talk me out of it and then informed me that only the door frames outsides were wood. The panel is MDF and the inside is melamine and the rest is MDF.

He warned me that if I'm painting them, not to use wood (b/c you can see the line separation where the wood comes together) but I don't like MDF and formaldehyde so I told him I still wanted wood. Anyway, I believe the areas I'm having issue with are the MDF areas, not the wood.

Here are a couple pics. It's the first photo I find most concerning as we don't even live there yet so nobody is using the kitchen - except the subs although they know better. This is the side of the cabinet box, not a door.

The second photo looks more like installation damage perhaps? The photos of the door panels splitting did not show up so I can't include those. That's all I know at the moment as I was stuck with the contractor's place or on my own. I wish I would have chose on my own...

They are fixing the damage, but my fear is that there is a bigger issue at play and this is not the end of it. I want to know why this is happening. They were built in town in the factory, then installed on site. They sat for at least a month before being spray painted. The HVAC was running the entire time for the tile, so I don't see that being an issue, but don't know. It's possible this area got wet from subs using the sink, but still, this should happen so easily. We are in the Midwest and it's been cold and dry since the cabinets arrived. Thanks!

Those two examples cannot be made from new stock.

I would not only not accept such garbage, I'd be contacting a lawyer.

Here is what the builder is saying - I am trying to contact local cabinet makers to come on site for a second opinion. I still don't know about the first photo. The only thing I can think of is that the tile and painters were using the sink right below there and may have got it wet, but that still shouldn't have happened from some overspray.

Reply

Yes, the cabinets have all been primed. It sounds like what happened on those pieces in the master bathroom (second photo) is that the top part of the cabinet was not smoothed out at the cabinet shop before it got installed so the splintering had probably started well before paint was ever applied but it was not noticed. Then once the countertops got installed that probably made it worse because the countertops were slid on which added to the splitting issues. We've been in touch with about getting these side panels completely replaced - not just patched.

I know you are concerned about the cabinets overall and things you are seeing but I still don't see this as being a long term issue with laminate or an underlying cabinet finish. This type of stuff happens quite often and it's especially bad the first winter in a new home because everything is so dry outside compared to the humidity of when the cabinets were built at the shop back in September. I would say almost every house has this occur the first winter and it's one of the most common warranty calls I get.

The fact that the cabinets are wood and not MDF is also playing into this. I realize you had your reasons for not wanting full MDF which I completely understand and respect but the splitting and separation you are seeing would not be happening near as much with MDF. The problem with painting over bare wood is that the wood is going to shrink and contract much easier than MDF so even by putting the primer on it's still going to happen to a certain extent. Unfortunately there is no way to really prevent that but again I firmly believe this is not a long term laminating issue. After we do the touch ups next week, the majority of these issues should go away because the cabinets have now had several months to get acclimated to the low humidity. However, if it does happen again we will cover it as part of our warranty. The way our warranty works is we will do a 60 day follow up with you post-closing (if needed) and then another follow up at 12 months. I realize you do not want people coming in all the time. However to expect the cabinets to be 100% done with no further shrinking before you close is unrealistic unfortunately.

It's no different than any other house where we know within the first year we will have some fixes like this. I know that does not work out ideal for your situation but that's most likely what will have to happen after a year and possibly at 60 days also. But again, I strongly feel that after next week 90% of it will go away since the cabinets have now had time to adjust to the humidity levels.

That reply from cabinet maker is known as "adding insult to injury," After seeing it, I retract my first comment and say I like Mac's.