I'm assuming the cabinets were to be "paint-ready" and were not to require sanding. If this is so, STOP any further installation until they can all be inspected very closely.

Are these being site built? Shop built? Factory built?

@dan1888, that's sort of the measure I'm using: would I expect plywood furniture from, say, Ikea to have similar edges? Not sure if it's fair to hold mass factory and custom stuff side-by-side, but...

@Anglophilia, they were to be wood-finish interior with paint-ready exterior. The team is also taking care of the painting. Not sure if it makes a difference, but I didn't realize (or clarify) that the interior frames and shelving would be plywood.

@The Cook's Kitchen, they're shop-built by a local team that's managing design, build, and install.

IMO custom stuff should be of better fit and finish than mass factory made. That is part of what you are (supposedly) paying for with custom build -- unless these are dirt cheap, in which case you are getting what you paid for.

What you see is a plain crosscut, always chips if you dont take any measures to avoid it.

> Unfortunately, there is a good amount of tearout splintering on about 40% of the cut edges.

A track saw can reduce or eliminate chipping.

> I hadn't planned on painting the inside of these boxes

Have you shared this info with your contractor before the agreement was made. His expectations could have been that you will paint it thereafter....

The cabinets should be completely finished before installed. Inside and out. Always. You never get a good finish on site. And you don't spray hardware on cabinets, on site. :face palm: There are already a number of big red flags here.

Where did you find this company? What have you paid them? What is owed?

"...would I expect plywood furniture from, say, Ikea to have similar edges?" No, you would expect Ikea to have none of the flaws you are showing.

When cabinet plywood is cut, there are special blades used that cause essentially no tear-out along the cut line. Unless that blade is really dull, you don't see these problems. In addition, the cut lines don't even look completely straight, and the fit at the corners looks off. This does not look like the work of a competent cabinetmaker.

Are they doing any on-site cutting or recutting/refitting, or are those fully constructed boxes that were delivered that way?

Chippy unfinished cabinets are not acceptable. I would have a number of questions about this cabinet assembler. I don’t think the title of custom cabinet maker is an appropriate title given what you describe and show.

Looks. Like. Butt.

If this person knows how to build a decent cabinet, s/he will also know how to prevent this from happening and that it's not quality work.

Also agreed that your cabinets should have their final finish applied BEFORE installation - as doing paint / finishing on site is not the best chance for a quality finish.

The Cook's Kitchen, I agree, looks like he cut that with a circular saw, scratch that I made better cuts with my circular saw. His blade is dull or he cut the panel and put the wrong side up(choppy ends happen like that on the botton of the cut with a dull blade) I dont know what heppened but my inexpensive home depot/lowes cabinets dont even have that and this is a custom shop that did that. They have some explaining to do.

Cursory Googling confirms what you've all pointed out: this messy edge in plywood is common, but entirely avoidable if you know how to do it.

What if they offer to fix with a thin line of color-match caulk along all edges? Because that was the response. Usually, they bring in someone who touches up this sort of thing at the very end of a job. It would explain why the corners aren't exact and these chips were considered ok: these things are normal, and they're used to covering them up.

Also, it's worth noting this splintering is in the cabinet interiors. No exterior shelves or doors installed yet, though I've been assured they won't tolerate tear-outs on those perpetually visible parts. To me, it doesn't matter whether it's visible or not. Though materials may vary, I expect the same quality and detail throughout.

So: caulk still seems like a workaround, and it might not discretely cover some of the larger chips. I can't help feeling like maybe I'm critiquing an artist's piece before it's complete, but I'm wary because this bid matched mid-range estimates from the contractors I interviewed. They're not the lowest bid by any means. I'm surprised by their open reliance on cosmetic fixes (vs fully careful work at every stage) to meet expectations. But I'm no woodworker. Maybe this is just the way it works?

I'm new to this sort of thing. Should I let them try fixing it with caulk? Ask for a replacement set right now with cleaner craftsmanship? Something else?

Thanks, everyone!

j.ellie . I'll share a story with you. I did some work for a customer of mine and she ordered kitchen cabinets from a custom shop. The man running it is a one man show. I was there when he delivered and installed the cabinets by him self, whole kitchen. The cabinets where made of pine and they were $5,400. They were all finished in a beautiful light blue color, semi transparent paint. Came out absolutelly awesome my clients choice of color and she loved it.

He finished all the work in his shop, there was no painting or staining/finishing at my clients home, only install. As the other members said ( live_wire_oak ) the site finish work quality usually lacks shop quality.

At this point I would see how the fix looks and take it from there, or if you want to be more agressive ask for new cabinets with better quality after all you are paying for it.

Take care.

Boy this brings back bad memories. You are not in NC by chance? That looks like the job the lazy cabinet maker did on our cabinets. Tear out was only part of it. The cabinets looked like they were just thrown in the back of a truck with no care. Dents, scratches, and knicks. The cabinets had more damage then the 15 year old cabinets in my prevoous house. The builder had to bring in another cabinet guy to fix everything. Door and drawer fronts were all taken out and fixed and finished off site. Cabinet frames had to be sanded down and finished onsite. In the end everything worked out. My DH and I are amature woodworkers and even we know how to avoid tear out. We assume he used a dull blade and was just plain lazy.

Just the fact that he plans to finish on site would have taken him completely out of the running from the beginning for me. He wouldn’t get used. Even if I subtracted that, the poor quality construction is evident, and again, no. I want samples of he work on the front end. That would fail. It’s not acceptable.

But the nail in the coffin to me is the offer of caulk. It’s not offer to take it out and fix it. This person does not know how to achieve the quality level that you want in your home.

Perhaps he is used to working with builders doing entry level or apartment homes. But he is not used to doing what an average consumer would mean to say when the term “custom” is used. Its people like that that use that word as a weapon, to set up false expectations that are higher than they are.

Technically, “custom” means made for you. And even many Chinese flatpacks will “customize” a size or two, and use that word. It’s a lie. Many makers buy drawer boxes from one place, doors from another, and boxes from a third. They don’t make anything. Not a custom cabinet maker. But he will self label as one.

https://www.gardenweb.com/ideabooks/92417838/list/custom-cabinets-process

Here is an Idea Book that I put together showing what happens to create true custom cabinets. Shop built, and especially shop finished with conversion varnish is the only way.

Finishing is expensive. It’s 40-60% of the cost of true custom cabinets, depending on finish chosen. It’s fussy. It adds days to the schedule, and needs humidity and temperature controlled conditions. But a true custom cabinet maker wants to control the results, instead of letting someone else ruin his hard work. A cabinet maker who doesn’t finish is a woodworker, not a cabinet maker.

You have a hard decision ahead. This guy can’t give you the level you want. What do you want to happen? Live with the level that he can give you? Give him the chance to correct something that can’t be corrected? Get as much of your money back as you can and use someone else? Buy manufactured semi custom?

Where is your General Contractor in the chain on this? Is he the one who sourced the cabinets? Or is paying the maker for them?

That one should have been fired on the front end.

"But I'm no woodworker. Maybe this is just the way it works? I'm new to this sort of thing. Should I let them try fixing it with caulk?"

It's not the way it's supposed to work. Caulk is used to hide small cracks on surfaces that are painted, for example where trim is applied to walls. No responsible cabinetmaker would use caulk to fix sloppy work. And the chipping may be more noticeable after the caulking settles into the chips and highlights all of them.

I can't tell you what you should do, but I can say that what he is proposing would embarrass a true, pro cabinetmaker.

I can only imagine what the field applied finish will look like if he finds that acceptable, even with "caulk"............................

Caulk will not make it right. This is an amateur job.

As a (retired) Cabinetmaker, I can say that the person building your custom cabinets is an amateur. Any skilled Cabinetmaker would know how to cut this without tear out!

Even if one does not have a proper panel saw, using a good quality, sharp blade and cutting with the finished side up would produce a much better result than what I see in your pictures.

IMPO, I wouldn't accept or pay for this. Have it remade & fire this current guy. Who knows what other corners this guy has cut.

“IMO custom stuff should be of better fit and finish than mass factory made. ”

Why? Just because it’s more expensive?

I am pretty sure that Ikea’s suppliers that make Billy cabinets in the millions have MUCH more precise computer controlled equipment than any small custom shop can afford.

What you get with custom is exclusivity and maybe higher quality materials.

Precision is usually not the selling point.

That's bullsh0t. Only an idiot would think like that and use that reasoning to justify poor quality work. If this were my home I would not only reject this but definitely find a real craftsman to do the job correctly. No fixes with caulk or second chances. This time ask for and check his past work references. This time tell him you'll inspect at his shop before delivery. You'll be living with this so make your future life enjoyable.

"...Should I complain to my contractor?..."

Have you considered firing you contractor and getting one with experience...and professional tools?

galore-

You're right that Ikea's factories turn out highly uniform and consistent products, with a precise fit. However, as far as I am concerned, an experienced, professional cabinetmaker will produce custom cabinets that are precise enough that any flaws will be so minor as to not be an issue, and won't be glaringly obvious like the ones the OP has presented.

Yep, that's why Ikea is first choice cabinet-maker for multi-million dollar mansions worldwide!

Caulking and a broad thumb can't cure every defect.

I alway prefer to see cam locks home assembled kitchen cabinets vs these cr@ppy CNC cabinets shop assembled and/or stained. Camlock furniture for every multi-million dollar mansion.