Hmmm, I haven't thought about using vanilla flavoring/extract? Wow. But what I do in general to remove noxious odors in the house is to simmer a pan of cider vinegar cut with a little water, and laced liberally with ground cinnamon and cloves. It is great at neutralizing fish smell, or making the house smell like apple pie. Just do not really BOIL it or let it go dry. If you are not having a chemical reaction to the paint compounds, and it is merely a nose problem, then I think the vinegar will be of some help for you. I used to use it on my boat when I worked as a captain in the oilfield. The work boats all smelled like diesel fuel, which is obnoxious enough if you work in it every day. But when you get landlubber passengers on board, diesel will make many people ill. NO one wants a sea sick person on a boat! Try it.

I used Glidden basic ceiling paint, flat finish. I have used Behr and American Tradition in the past. The only thing different is that the first time I did this was when the weather was much cooler outside. The last two times I did this was when the weather was pretty warm outside. Humidity much higher the last two times. I did change my direction on the second coat hoping this would help but it didn't. I always use 1 coat primer 2 coats paint. I have painted every wall with no problem.

Wood absorbs and releases moisture. The ONLY thing that you can do to keep it from doing that is to keep humidity levels consistent, around 30-40%. If you can't do that, then your wood WILL expand when it absorbs moistue, and shrink when it gets drier. Like the seasonal changes between a more humid summer environment and a drier winter one. That is NORMAL behavior for wood. When wood has a film forming coating applied, that seasonal movement will cause separation of that coating wherever pieces are joined. ''Cracking'' if you will. The movement between the cross grains, like on a mitered joint, is more than movement of cross and long grain, like a stick and cope door. Paint will show this much more than a clear coated wood, because there are those solids in the coating. If you cannot deal with the minimal NORMAL joint lines in painted cabinetry, then don't get wood doors. Despite the extreme wood prejudice that the uninformed have, there is nothing wrong with choosing MDF or HDF for painted case goods. It has much better cross dimensional stability ecause of the different orientations of the cross linked wood fibers. I wouldn't choose a single piece routed door, but a true 5 pc door is more than acceptable. You won't get those join lines telegraphing through the paint. Those are your three choices: install a high quality humidity control system in your home, or get over seeing the normal join lines, or choose MDF.

I can understand why the manufacturer is suspicious. Cabinets should be inspected before installation by the homeowners, if possible...and 100% by the installers. Installers should refuse to install any cabinet that has major issues such as your cabinets. I can't figure out why your installer didn't stop the presses right there when he saw that!!! But anyway, I think it's great that Haas is working with you guys. I'm sure they want to figure out what happened and fix this just as much as you. Especially since they are so new to the INSET world. If it's a manufacturer issue, they'll want to fix this ASAP. The one crack doesn't look like a normal crack in wood ....a crack like that is some kind of stress factor...like a screw or something. It could have been done at the factory....or by your installer. I don't know. The only other time we have seen something happen like this was with a new construction log cabin that settled over time. The homeowner installed his own cabinets and didn't know how to do it so they could settle properly without damage to the cabinets. Good luck with everything!