Most doors are more than one board because narrow boards are cheaper than wide boards. Depending on the care used in orienting the boards (generally none in commercial cabinets) it might make them more stable-- if you flip the orientation of every other board so that the crown varies direction you can (in theory) make a panel that will stay flatter. Some even advocate ripping a wide board and flipping every other one. I would instead choose boards with vertical grain and make sure they're well-equilibrated to your general humidity level prior to jointing and planing to thickness. It's also important to use construction methods that allow for the wood movement--floating panels, slotted screw holes, avoiding cross-grain joints, etc. I've used cherry and maple boards up to 28 in wide in tabletops and they work just fine. 8" should be easy with just a little care in picking the boards.

****From earlier E-mail communication**** Sure, tell him it doesn't work right. Either the jamb is out of whack or the door is tweaked. Was the door unfinished? or finished? Did it ever work right? Is there evidence of shoddy workmanship? What is his position? How does he explain it? Do you owe him any money? How far is the job along? Who actually did the work? Do you have any photos? Do you have a level? Richard ****** The door should have been made right before going to the next step. I suspect the door had not acclimated to your location or the installation was not correct. This is the reason I asked if you had a level. With a level we could have checked to see if it was the door or the jamb that was at fault. You can still do that if you can find a 3-4 ft. level. If the door was made elsewhere, in a different climate or if the weather has been damp or extra dry in your area, then that may have contributed to the problem. Painting or sealing the door prior to having the moisture equilibrate to your location can cause a problem. If the material of the door had not moisture equilibrated before the door was manufactured, the door might change shape as it dried. All of these things need to be checked to see what might be at fault. But in my estimation the fault lies with either the installer or the manufacturer and they need to make it right. The GC is just, or should be, your proxy is seeing that the quality is up to your standards. Richard

It's a good thing that you chose KM because they do stand behind their product. I've used them frequently and never had as high of a percentage of problems as you are having. Maybe they had a bad batch go through their line. But, they will strive to make you happy, if the issues are defects in the product. However, occasionally when we have other problems, we view everything under a microscope and find things that wouldn't be apparent to normal scrutiny. I don't mean to imply that you are being hyper critical, but perhaps some of your issues are normal ones that you are viewing as defects? I hope your KD explained the normal issues associated with choosing painted cabinets. If she didn't, I'll take a minute and give you some insight as to what to expect. Wood is hygroscopic. It is normal for it to absorb moisture in summer and swell. It's also normal for it to lose moisture in the winter and shrink. That's why maintaining a constant humidity through a HVAC system is important for your cabinetry, trim, and flooring. If you didn't have the air running while you were moving in, the extra humidity is the most likely culprit for many of your issues. If your humidity has been controlled at all times, then there is certainly something else going on. When you refer to "cracking" are you referring to longitudanal cracks in the solid wood that follow the grain or are you referring to the cracks forming in the paint where the stiles, rails, and panels meet? The former is a cause for action and the latter is 100% normal and should be expected to occur with any painted finish, especially in the presence of uncontrolled humidity. Mitered corner cabinets are worse about this than are mortise and tenon joined ones. As I said, I'm sure KM will take care of you, but I wanted to make sure you were informed about how your cabinets will behave now and in the future.

I would use regular hinges for the new, solid doors as they can handle more weight and will hold up for years without needing adjustment compared to things like Euro hinges in this application. You don't need more than three hinges. Your new doors may already come with the hinge mortises completed. In any case, it's unlikely that that the holes in the new hinges will line up with the existing holes in the jambs. As for catches, quality ball catches that are adjustable will work fine. Cheap, nonadjustable ball catches are a poor choice, and that is probably where your bad experience comes from. I have ball catches on a pair of doors into my laundry and my two pantries. They're 20+ years old and still function effortlessly. This is the type of design you want where the ball can be screwed up or down for a good fit: Adjustable ball catch