When Selecting painted cabinets please read carefully and understand the following before choosing painted cabinets over stained and finished cabinets.
1. Wood goes through periods of expansion and contraction as it adjusts to the atmospheric conditions it is being installed in. It will expand and contract while it adjusts to the temperature and humidity levels. During this process it is common for the center panels, styles and rails to shrink and contract.
Typically it will return back to its normal position within a year.
2. Because of the conditions mentioned above, it is common to have stress lines occur throughout the door which in turn may become visible especially at the joints. Any such occurrence is not considered a defect.
3. Please note that painted cabinets do create more maintenance and may require touch up in the future. The chips and cracks tend to be more visible due to the process and may be something to consider when selecting cabinets in high abuse areas.
How to help avoid these issues:
1. Choose stained cabinets over painted. By doing this the stain penetrates the wood and colors it so even though cracks in the joints from movement still occur they are not visible to the eye.
2. try to keep your humidity levels and consistent as possible once the cabinets have been installed. 35% to 45% is what we recommend the home to be kept at. Please note that the warranty is void it cabinets are stored or installed in environments that do not have properly controlled humidity levels.
3. Choose a MDF door. This is a solid piece of pressed wood and will have no joints to show movement from expansion and contraction.