Issue with new cabinet doors/drawer fronts
cwb
6 years ago
Hi all,
We’re having a renovation done at our house and our contractor has installed and painted the cabinets and drawer faces. They’re all wood, and I think I’m seeing some quality issues. Not all are like this, but on about 50% I’m clearly seeing the lines between pieces of wood on the finished doors and fronts. I know that with wood you have to deal with cracks in the paint over time due to the shifting of the wood, but should I be seeing this on brand new cabinets?? Appreciate the input!
We’re having a renovation done at our house and our contractor has installed and painted the cabinets and drawer faces. They’re all wood, and I think I’m seeing some quality issues. Not all are like this, but on about 50% I’m clearly seeing the lines between pieces of wood on the finished doors and fronts. I know that with wood you have to deal with cracks in the paint over time due to the shifting of the wood, but should I be seeing this on brand new cabinets?? Appreciate the input!
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Comments (11)
PROZeta Interiors
6 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Installing new cabinet doors and drawer fronts
Comments (1)As a general rule, if someone is charging an arm and leg to do something, it's because it's not easy and takes some experience to do it right. Anyone with a screwdriver can attach doors and drawer fronts. The trick is getting them to look right -- aligned and even. Cabinet doors are fairly simple, but the adjustments available by tweaking the hinges is about 3/16" maximum, so you have to get them pretty close before you start adjusting. Take you time with you first door and get it exactly even with the same margin on all sides. Then measure from the top of the opening to the middle of the top hinge screw slot. This is your starting hole for all subsequent doors -- assuming that your door manufacturer made them all with the same top offset. Attach the top hinge, then place and drill the bottom hinge. Attach any middle hinge(s) last. Drawer fronts are more difficult. They have to be perfectly aligned and evenly spaced to look right, which is much more difficult than the pros make it look ( especially as some of the fronts are inevitable going to be just a little too large or a little too small). For your first drawer box, cut out cardboard templates matching the fronts, then lay them out on the drawer box and tape them in place with making tape until they line up perfectly. Mark the location of the fronts and remove the templates. Start at the bottom and work up. After a little experience you can skip the templates, using the drawers you have already installed as an alignment guide. Your best asset is going to be unlimited patience. Don't be afraid to do it over until you get it right. Good luck....See MoreInstalling cabinet doors and drawer fronts, DIY job?
Comments (5)seconding the recommendation for the jig; ask the folks who are selling you the doors to help you find one. Most doors will be the same height (some will be anomalies), but they may be standard distances from top and bottom of cabinet. And once you figure it out, if the commercial jig isn't quite specific enough for your cabinet, you can use it to make your own jig that fits exactly (out of masonite, or ply, or something)....See MorePainted Wood Cabinet Doors/Drawer Fronts - Poplar or Soft Maple
Comments (6)Thanks Suzanne. I was just coming back here to answer my own question for anyone who might be considering using Scherr's in the future. We decided to go with the Maple. They say that the painted Maple door should look just like our Poplar sample. If anyone is considering using Scherr's, I would recommend getting a sample door as soon as possible. The sample door takes a while to be delivered if you want to see it finished, because they are made to order. Ours took almost 4 weeks to be delivered after I ordered it, which is why I am in a bit of a rush now making the decision. It would have been faster if we didn't want it painted, but we wanted to make sure they would do a better job of finishing the door than we would do on our own. (The answer is definitely YES!) Also, when I requested the quote, I didn't mention what type of wood I wanted, just gave them the door and drawer style #s. I did not find out until this week that soft maple was an option. I didn't really spend much time thinking about the materials and was just waiting to make sure I liked the door. I should have researched it more earlier in the process....See MoreQuality paint job on cabinet drawers and door fronts
Comments (9)Juneknow, the fronts are previously painted, same color, dimensionally stable MDF. They are custom cabinets we got 4 yrs ago from a local company that after 42 yrs the owner retired & shut down the business. Which is why I couldn’t return to them for a repaint job. For some reason at the bottom of these 5 pieces on the island, the MDF was rolling up. The remainder of the painted portion of the cabinets in my kitchen still look brand new. There are no imperfections on the front of those & there were no imperfections on the front of the 5 that needed repainting either. I understand what you’re saying & obviously that makes sense however the faces of the repainted drawers & door front had no rises, no air bubbles, no fuzzies and were perfectly smooth with the exception of 1/16-1/8” of peeling paint/MDF at the bottom edge. So yes I do expect a smooth finish. If there were previous imperfections I could hardly expect them to magically make them better than before. Having spent $32,000 on my custom kitchen cabinets & matching built-ins in area open to living room (golden mahogany & painted combo to match Blue Louise granite on the island) and having gone through the ordeal of measuring & figuring out the correct size to order new drawer fronts & doors for the cabinets in my master bath (ebony stained white oak) I know where the cost lies. I presented these cabinet faces as needing repair & repainting. I brought them to the paint shop & picked them up each time. It is a fairly small business, owned by 2 women that has good reviews. I was pleased to find they would take my business. However my expectation is the new paint would have a smooth finish just like the old paint had with exception like I said above, of the area needing repair....See More
ci_lantro
6 years ago- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
6 years ago cwb
6 years ago- PRO
The Kitchen Abode Ltd.
6 years ago User
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoTotal clueless hacks who painted it with their feet it looks like.
This is normal. ^ THAT ick is not.
Cabinet doors · More Info
Cabinet doors · More Info
Cabinet doors · More Info
Cabinet doors · More InfoPost pictures of the rear of the cabinet doors. And the top edges. And a distance shot of the whole thing.
Where did you find these guys. And what did they charge you to ruin your house?
K R
6 years agoci_lantro
6 years ago
smitrovich
6 years agoMiranda33
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
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