Yes I would be annoyed and that is only going to get worse with the expansion and contraction of the cabinets. Is it on more than one door?

Yes...of the 3 we have opened, they are all that way. I am so disappointed.

Right now my husband is about to trade me in on a silent model. I'm trying to keep a sense of humor/perspective, but I'm bummed. Yesterday we found out that our sink will not be Blanco, it will be Eclipse. Today we see this. Grrrr.

Yes, I would be annoyed too. Sorry that this is happening to you. It looks like a door style we have choosen called Sedona from Kraftmaid. Oh no! I need to rethink kraftmaid. Thanks for sharing.

Add me to the list of those saying it just should not be. It doesnt matter that they are " not custom" -- that is really not right. I am actually surprised that they shipped them like that (and you said you checked more than one)....On the bright side, it's good that you did the inspection (before installation).
Good luck, it will all work out. (they just have to irritate you beyond all to keep you on your toes)

If sure would be nice if the suppliers, builders and such would be a little more picky on products. I would be annoyed too, that's a pretty good split.

My husband says we should go ahead with the install since it is a matter of door and drawer replacement. I'm not so sure. And yes, they are Sonora, in Canvas.

Should we call immediately and have someone do something? I bet that gets a smile. I guess we start with HD. I have no experience with this. Our last major renovation had Wellborn cabinets in hickory but that was about 10 years ago...we had no issues like this. I don't have any experience with this.

We have KM cabinets, and I'm sorry to report that this is pretty common. Most of our beadboard cabs (Brookfield?) have that little split - our KD said that's pretty standard, "nothing you can do about it" type stuff. Many also came with big ol' cracks in them - not where the wood comes together, but random. KD said they are having a real quality control issue between where the cabinets are manufactured and the distribution points, but he was able to "warranty" those doors and replace them.

I have Kraftmaid cabinets in my kitchen (shaker style with vanilla bean glaze) and a lot of my doors came delivered with problems...chipped, bowed, warped, cracked in the same spots as yours). the good thing is that you can get any of the doors replaced at anytime. The place that I ordered through just said to say that the doors are warped and they will replace them with no questions asked.
I have had my cabinets for two years and a lot of the doors are peeling with a "snake-skin" like look. I am going to be calling me cabinet company tomorrow and tell them that they are warping again.
Good luck with your cabinets...I would install the and then order up new doors for whatever ones are damaged.

Gatorjaw, I was afraid I'd be hearing that. But it does sound like Kraftmaid made good and replace your doors...how long did it take?

It looks to me like those little splits are at the seams where different pieces of wood come together. This is pretty standard for ALL painted cabinets, though normally, it happens over time as they expand and contract.

If the splits you refer to are all at the seams, there may not be a lot that can be done - though it doesn't hurt to ask. Kraftmaid is supposed to be very good about replacing doors. Also read your order contract carefully. An experienced cabinet sales rep. will inform you of the propensity of painted cabinets to show these cracks (they're there in stained cabinets too -- just less visible) and may even get you to sign a waiver.

We only replaced the doors that had the random cracks (and one or two that were warped). The ones with the splits at the seams we just lived with - b/c easily more than half the cab doors came that way. I can honestly say that it doesn't bother me (much) now that we've lived with it for a few months - I don't notice unless I'm looking. Having said that, I noticed a "random" crack in one of the doors tonight, so I will be ordering a replacement for that.

p.s. Like Alliern, we also have the vanilla bean glaze...

We had a few "imperfections" on our kraftmaid cabinets and called HD. They told us to call kraftmaid and the customer service dept was actually VERY helpful.

We wound up replacing a few drawer fronts and a glass door. They were just minor flaws like a blob of glaze concentrated in one spot, but they were more than happy to replace them for us.

From the time we placed the order to delivery was less than a week, shipped right to our home. They also called to follow up and make sure we got the replacements and that they were acceptable.

I would contact KM and ask for replacement doors for the ones that have problems. That said, I agree with sweeby - this is typical of painted cabinets, though normally, it happens over time as they expand and contract.

Certainly wouldn't hurt to ask - but they are going to end up like that eventually

Were you referring to the split or to the finish not being smooth? It looks like little tiny globs of paint, like the cabs were sanded and not wiped well before painting, or is that just the photo or dust or something? I have a little bit of that in mine in the glazing just along seams of wood in some spots and thought I was being picky because just that little bit bothered me.

Also, FWIW now, my KD said to try and stick with mitered doors for painted cabinets. They seams will show less.

Mitered doors would show it a whole lot more! Don't know where your KD got that one.

This is a normal occurance and is not considered a defect. Wood doors naturally expand and contract at the joints depending on the season, the humidity in your house, movement of the doors, etc. Kraftmaid might replace them, but the same thing will happen anyway.

100% normal and to be expected with painted cabinets. Wood expands and contracts with humidity levels, and this will happen with any replacement doors.

And, KM is good about replacing defective doors. This isn't considered a defect. To quote the KM spec book:

"Since wood is in a constant state of expansion and contraction, visible lines are normal at the joints on the cabint face frames and doors. THis does not weaken the finish, or the strength of the joint.

Wood producs, including cabinet doors and face frames, are typically affectd by environmental conditions. Color variation over time, as well as normal movement due to wood's expansion and contraction is part of the natural beauty of wood. This normal movement may cause hairline cracks in the finish surface at the joints and is considered a normal characteristic of semi-opaque or painted finishes. This will not be considered a reson for product replacement."

I agree with kitchenwitch...mitred doors will be WORSE for joint expansion! Now the one thing that mitred doors DO help with is end grain color variation.

Also, just for your own product knowledge, for those still in the shopping/buying phase. Ask to see the spec books on your cabinet finish. All manufacturer's will have a description of the finish and it's characteristics.
For instance, here is what KraftMaid says about some of their finishes:

END GRAIN:
End grain surfaces and softer areas of the wood may accept more stain and often appear darker than other surfaces.

JOINT LINES:
Since wood is in a constant state of expansion and contraction, visible lines are normal at the joints on the cabinet face frames and doors.

SEMI-OPAQUE FINISHES: (ie. Bisque Glaze, Vanilla Bean)
KraftMaid's semi-opaque finishes feature a heavily pegmented staine utilizing a hand applied process. They are semi-opaque, which may telegraph some of the natural beauty of the wood. Joint lines and telegraphing may occur with any semi-opaque finish.

I don't believe that KM will do anything about your doors. Your dealer, might, though...at their own expense. What you are seeing in normal. And if you do get them replaced, getting the whole cabinet replaced is ridiculous, wasteful and could delay your install. The doors and boxes are built separately and applied later anyway. It doesn't make a difference. Sorry, but the previous poster doesn't know what they are talking about.

Kompy

LOL, livewire....great minds think alike, I guess.

Point well taken, but we certainly did not get a copy or were even shown a KM spec book....so I really didn't know What to expect.

I was certainly surprised because the "sample" we chose from did not exibit those characteristics. I hope someone just starting the process can learn from my experience.

If what you say is "normal" I believe that. However, warped doors are another issue and not something I'm willing to live with. Nothing bothers me more than having the doors not close.

I actually have that door by KM in my masterbath. I have it in cherry with autumn blush. My corners do not look like that. We did not have any problems (but it was only 4 cabinets).

Sometimes seeing a door sample isn't enough to catch all the characteristics of a particular finish. There are just so many combinations of doors, woods and stains...it's impossible to show it all.

Your post is a great reminder, to me as a KD, to make sure people are informed and read the descriptions in the spec book.

As to the warped doors. Your cabinets could just need adjusting. The only way to see if a door is warped, is to take the door off the hinge and lay it on a table or countertop.

Good luck with your kitchen,
Kompy

Thanks, Kompy, for you replies. I've been lurking around here for awhile before we started the project and have always enjoyed reading your posts.

That was great advice about removing the door to see if it is warped. The delivery man took a brief look at it and said, "It's warped," so I assumed he knew. LOL, never assume, right?

Anyhow, I'm not quite as hysterical as yesterday and that's a good thing. All said, I absolutely love the cabinets, the color....I imagine we will be fine. We'll take a good look at all of them and if anything is really horrible, I am confident KM will take care of us, from what I've read. I have a clearer understanding of painted cabinetry now, thanks to everything I've learned here.

The sink saga (different thread...) is another story and we're still contemplating our options on that one.

Thanks for your help....

I know that if your cabinets were bought through Lowes they would replace any door or drawer front in question. Kraftmaid has an excellent warranty and I'm sure your supplier should offer you replacement as well.

I recieved our KM cabinets in canvas last week or so. Our door style is Thornton and we have the exact same hairline marks here and there. DH was not concerned. I posted on here and decided that I know our painted door style may be prone to this but b/c it was not every door/drawer that showed me that it could be done right. I had 5 items with a chip/scratch on them and another 6 drawers and 9 doors that had those hairline marks. I called HD with the list and b/c it was so many KM is sending a technician out on Thursday to inpect and determine what can be repaired/replaced. I will let you know what happens. Fingers crossed! By the way I do love the door style and looooooove the color.

clc, You're welcome. How did your install go??? Update please?

Kompy, I talked with the Kraftmaid rep today and he will be in our area next week and will come to our home to take a look. We have the bases installed and the upper microwave cabinet. There were other issues...so we just stopped.

I'll report back after I know more....

Several things that were covered to a degree.

First, the rails (horizontal parts) and the stiles (verticle parts that the hinges and knobs attach to) have the grain running in different directions, as is normal and necessary. So the rails expand across their width while glued to stiles where the grain runs the other way, so unequal expansion = joint cracks.

Mitred doors are worse, as the wood shrinks across the width, the gap between the two peices gets bigger at the inside corner. The constant expansion and contraction eventually will affect the joint. They are pretty doors, but they will not hold up like a good old stick and cope door that is properly made.

Usually the large companys have well run finishing schedules with step boards to follow. They ought to be able to replace your existing doors and still match the color. It is worth a shot.

As to warpage on doors, yes, lay it flat on a known flat surface, pull the knob and lay it on it's back. Now, almost every door company I have ever heard of has a set of standards on warpage, depending on size. A 1/8" warp is usually not considered defective in a 36" long door. Longer doors are more likely to warp, many companies do not guarantee warpage over a certain length.

And if these are screwed to the wall out of level or twisted because one side is level and the other isn't, then the door isn't the problem. Get a level and check the front face on both sides. they ought to be level, or at least the same on both sides.