I’m honestly not sure. We built a new home with a reputable builder in town. The cabinets are custom from a local place. The painters finished everything, but there have been many quality issues. Can you please tell me the typical process of finishing cabinets like these? Why are the staples visible on the inside and what should have been done differently? I wish I knew more of the details but really trusted our builder. I’m in a tough spot:/

Were the cabinets pre-finished from the maker or painted on site by another painter? Onsite painting is seldom as high quality as factory painting because environment conditions can't be controlled as well.

They were finished by the painters at their shop. Sounds like the cabinets should not be cracking and it’s a not-so-good paint job?:/.

That isn’t how doors should be built. No staples should exist. Or finished. No caulk should be there. There are multiple issues.

Describe your understanding of the build, finish, and install process, please.

What has your builder said? The cabinet guy?

Does anyone know of a third party inspection type group I could hire to come in and assess things?

No there is no one for that type of service, is this a tract/developer home or a custom home?

It is a custom home.

Builder is not really commenting. I questioned the staples and they didn’t have a reason. I should speak to cabinet person. It was my understanding the cabinets were built in cabinet shop, delivered to house, taken by painters to their shop for finishing, returned to home for install by trim carpenters and cabinet people.

How are cabinets like this typically finished? We have a paneled refrigerator/freezer and it’s cracking too:/. I’ve been so bummed about all this and don’t know what to do.

Refrigerator panel

Checked with painter. Facings were caulked.

What should they have done differently?

How are custom doors typically built and finished to avoid these issues?

I’m in MN. Can you personal message me?

You actually commented on my stain issues post in October as well. Same painters did that too:/

Contact a local construction attorney , with your contract in hand. The GC has ultimate job responsibility for the work of his subcontractors.

How is the humidity level inside your home? Wood moves.

The lack of humidity can cause wood to shrink, for sure. That’s normal. But without the caulk, you wouldn’t get that terrible cracking. You might get a bit of a halo effect. Where you’d see the unpainted wood of the panel. But not ^ that.

Cabinets should not ever have the center panels caulked. Because that is the predictable result. The frames should have little rubber space balls inside those frames, to cushion the panels. That allows them to move, yet remain centered. Caulk restricts that movement. It also just wrinkles up and looks bad.

Join the Kitchen Cabinet Painting Experts group on Facebook if you want to learn the professional way that the job should have been done. Hzz seems to want to remove factual information and leave the fluff.

Can't use Spaceballs with the method OP's cabinet doors were constructed.

The back side of OP's doors are rabbeted and the panel was laid in. Like a print is set into a picture frame. The staples were used to hold the panel in place.

Normal cabinet door construction uses a dado to receive the panel. Spaceballs are used in the dado.

Process of cutting rabbet:

Laying panel into rabbet:

Cabinet door that I built. Panel is laid into a rabbet and then covered on the backside with a thin panel glued in place

Another door that I built. This is a thicker panel which I glued into the back of the rabbeted frame & caulked the gap. Door is on a recessed between the studs cabinet in the laundry room so it didn't need to be show room pretty. That and I'm a beginner so do what works for me without taxing my skill-set too, too much.

A rabbet is for a glass insert. It simply is not a professional method of frame and panel construction for a “custom” cabinet shop. Sadly, there is nothing about the build that appears professional.

Hzz seems to want to remove factual information and leave the fluff.

@User: I did notice that some of your comments seem to have disappeared in the last few hours...

Thank you everyone for all the helpful comments and support. I really appreciate it. The humidity level in our home is regulated well and within an acceptable range. I don’t know much about construction, but I do know when something doesn’t look right:/. I will check with the cabinet maker but my gut was right. These were not done well.

Why are my cabinets cracking? “only the shadow knows"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFRGbdHCFA0

Fun.

You are not in a tough spot; your builder is in a tough spot.

Whether the cabinets were made properly or painted properly is not your responsibility.. It is the builder’s problem; he recommended the company; and it is up to him to rectify this situation with the cabinet maker. Humidity? What a joke. The cabinets are built locally. The painters are local. If you live in an area with a lot of humidity, those pros have to make cabinets work in the environment.

If builder is the trustworthy man you say he is, he should step up to the plate.

The buck stops with him.

Grrrr….no one wants to take responsibility for anything any more.

Otherwise, you can take advantage of what every one has available: Small Claims Court. It costs you nothing but the filing fee. There is a dollar limit on your claim. MN, the limit is $15,000.00 . Go to court prepared. Bring your contract, all your info on the kitchen cabinets, including what your builder charged you for them, and the photos you show here.

Contractor a no show in court? Possibly triple damages…

Then, there is YELP! It works miracles.

No cracks on mine. Here are pictures of the ones I built. Have been in service for 3-4 years.

JudyG...humidity...what a joke....well, Judy, there is such a thing as LOW humidity also, which happens to shrink wood.

I would be so mad to spend that much and end up with that! Even I know thats not what you do for cabinets. What has your builder said?

My crown molding in the kitchen pulls away from the ceiling every single winter. I did not know it did this, until I painted the trim. Now, I just wait until spring and it returns to its normal position. My house gets dry in the winter - at 30% humidity right this minute, and it has gotten lower. It's the nature of the beast.

https://www.thepurplepaintedlady.com/2015/03/painted-kitchen-cabinets-effects-of-dry-winter-air-and-then-humidity-over-summer/

https://generalfinishes.com/faq/why-are-my-painted-kitchen-cabinets-cracking-corners-after-turning-heat-how-can-i-fix-cracking

Caulking up to the ceiling w/ crown is one thing. Caulking the cabinet doors is another! Chessie, you'll probably have to caulk up to the ceiling a few more times and eventually, you won't need to anymore. But the cabinet center panel should never be caulked.

The Kitchen Place - I never suggested caulking the cabinets.

I did caulk above the crown, even used "Big Stretch", and it still pulls away and has a small gap, but I don't have any desire to do it every year, and quite honestly, it looks just fine come spring.

I was just relaying the info to the peeps with the door issues.