If indeed there was a bubble there, they need to fix it. Whether they need to replace it, or repaint it, or spot repair it, I would not offer to use the paint repair kit.

It's a manufacturing defect.

They will tell you to use the touch up kit.

Could we at least see it after touch-up, please? Is this at eye level?

Yes, it is at eye level, to the right of the sink.

Among many, many, things that were missing from my order, they did not include the touch up kit, and it's on order. They tell me it will be here by May 15. I guess I can try that at first and see how it looks, and update you folks then :-)

Paint color is beautiful, as is the color of the nail polish:)

My question is, Is it reasonable this cabinet has already chipped? This very thing is what makes me nervous about getting painted cabinets. My husband painted the slab doors on our decades old cabs literally in the garage with a spray painter, and none of them chipped for a long, long time. And when they finally started it was only because of natural wear and tear. Should we not expect that out of a several thousand dollar purchase? I'm asking sincerely.

I'm wondering the same thing, Beth.

Still in construction mode means that I would highly suspect that it encountered non normal wear and tear from one of the trades that created the issue. Neither paint nor clearcoat is immune to damage from point impacts. It's just more obvious on paint, and will always be more obvious.

If that's the only door with an issue, the cabinet company would probably replace it with no questions asked. If there is an issue with multiple doors or trims, the company rep would want to be involved to check for evidence of a bad batch of paint or possible abuse etc. Either way, the workers on site should get a reminder to take care with their tools, belt buckles, and other hard surfaces (heads?) that come into contact with the abinets during the finishstages. Electricians can sometimes be some of the worst offenders in this regard with their tool belts full of wire strippers etc.

" I saw what looked like a tiny air bubble in the finish and when I gently ran my finger over it the paint chipped off to bare wood."

And that is exactly what a small impact point in a painted surface resembles. The paint just looks like it "bubbled", when in reality, the impact has compromised it's adhesion to the substrate.

Sophie, admittedly your explanation did not sound plausible to me (I hear impact, I naturally think dent/scrape/scratch/scuff)), so I looked up what could cause paint bubbles/blisters. In the several articles I read, they all listed 3-5 scenarios that could cause them. None of them were from impact. But you are the pro, and have seen much more than I'm sure I have. So maybe you are right. I guess we won't know, unless more appear after painters are gone?

Talked to my GC today - he agrees with Sophie that was most likely from something hitting it, because he said he inspected all the cabs well before they were installed and didn't see anything. It was a brief second that I saw it and just ran my hand over it - so I didn't really inspect it before I did that to confirm what I was looking at. He feels confident that the touch-up kit will leave it looking satisfactory and will reinforce to everyone to be careful around the cabinets.

Andi, is that what he said on his own first off, or did you first say what Sophie thought it was? If in fact this can happen, that paint doesn't adhere any better than to be able to take a bump and it causes this, no way I'm getting painted cabinets. Mine never did this, in 25 years (and it wasn't even a professional job), but maybe the paint finishes of today aren't what they ought to be...

Sophie gave good advice. Your touch up kit will likely include a paint and a touch up stick. When everything is in place, the installer should go over it and touch up and wipe down. Take a little painters tape and put a little piece by all the things you find so nothing gets missed.

beth09 -

He offered that explanation when I asked him about it - I didn't give him Sophie's explanation. He thought it highly unlikely that there was a true bubble in the finish.

I'm not sure if it will make you feel better or worse, but I just found a nice ding to bare wood in the leg of my espresso stained island, and it actually is more visible because of the contrast in colors (though not at eye level). I think the electrical crew that came through were a bit bull-in-a-china-shop. Sigh. Thankfully they are gone.

Andi, thanks for getting back. I'm so sorry about your cabinet, and your island leg. It makes me feel really bad for you, I can imagine how you feel. All that money spent, not even in there yet, and this. I hope the kit can adequately cover the chip, and one of those stain pens can help the island leg. And that you and your kitchen live "happily ever after". ;)

My goal in this thread was never to prove myself right or someone else wrong. The whole goal here was to get to the truth of the matter. I am going to be buying cabinets in the near future, and was considering painted ones. When faced with a several thousand dollar purchase, I feel it is my due diligence to question everything pertaining to that. It was not meant to offend anyone, that is never the intent in my questioning. Only to try and get to the truth of something. And I think the truth of the matter is, painted cabinets I would purchase today would not hold up like mine did.