Cracks in kitchen cabinets

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I am re-modeling my kitchen and my general contractor have a ordered new cabinets. They have laid the new cabinets as of now.However we have discovered major and minor cracks in majority of the area in the cabinet.the center island cabinet have 3 major cracks running through the base and wall cabinets have both major and minor cracks. Both wall and base cabinets have cracks where screws/nail connect the joints and angle with each other.When i showed the issues to them, They are trying to talk me out of it. They are offering me some wood glue type of patch up solutions. But i am not convinced.So i would like to learn from the community is whether such cracks are acceptable or how do i negotiate and convince them to do the job right way.Please help. I will try to upload pic too. How do i upload pictures here?

Featured Answer

User

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Incredible. What a horror show. Total hack job.

The joinery is all wrong for melamine covered particleboard and whoever built these cabs has no idea how to work with and join this material. Adjusting the torque setting on the screw gun and using a face clamp could have helped to avoid some of these problems. But, there is good reason why particle board cabinets are most often joined with cam lock hardware.

As stated above: total do-over. But, whoever created this disaster has no idea what they're doing, has no shame either and won't learn in time to build any type of quality cabinetry for you. I'd want 100% of my money back and shop for cabinets somewhere else.

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Comments (9)

nosoccermom
7 years ago
Completely unacceptable.

Where are you located, and where do these cabinets come from? I've never heard of "White Melemini"
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User
7 years ago
Someone doesn’t know how to use the torque setting on their screw gun. That’s a do over.
Shreyas Patel thanked User
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Mrs. S
7 years ago
None of that is acceptable, of course. I think it means "white melamine". For that look of white shaker cabinets, I would've chosen a painted finish from a reputable cabinet maker.

What does your contract say about the cabinet brand, finish, and all the details? Surely all this is specified. Does your general contractor care about his/her reputation?
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Anglophilia
7 years ago
TOTAL do-over! How can they look you in the face and claim it's acceptable. My 16 year old grandson would be embarrassed by that quality of work.
Shreyas Patel thanked Anglophilia
2ManyDiversions
7 years ago
That's completely unacceptable. Do not pay them a penny more for anything until those are replaced. Keep the photos. What concerns me is there are cracks where there have been no screws over-torqued. There appear to be numerous stress fractures and cracks - incredibly large ones. I would be concerned about the quality of cabinets at this juncture. I really feel for you.
Shreyas Patel thanked 2ManyDiversions
Shannon_WI
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Don't pay them anything more. And I am sorry, but whatever you've already paid them will be a loss. You need to start over with a new contractor - one who is reputable and experienced, since it is evident that this contractor is neither of those things.

Having this contractor do anything over or "repair" anything will not be a workable solution. It will still be shoddy work. He is not suddenly going to become skilled at installing cabinetry. Find someone else before even more of your money gets thrown out.
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Creative Design Cabinetry
7 years ago
Are these all new cabinets? I don't understand the screw holes on the finished end of the second to last pic.

If these are all new cabinets, yes that work is unacceptable. Is this a modified and repainted kitchen? Any surface with a finish should look new. Are your doors new? They should't have cracks.

Some things can be fixed and you may not like the idea, but properly fixed it is acceptable.

To fix what you have shown above can be done, but not cheap. I wouldn't pay them any more until properly fixed.

Maybe see if a local cabinet maker can come look at it and give you their opinion.
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User
7 years ago
There’s plenty of crack in those cabinets. The kind they were smoking.
Shreyas Patel thanked User