Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/5/2009

Question
We purchased a new home in the year 2000.  Our kitchen cabinets are
suppose to be cherry cabinets that we had upgraded before purchasing the
home.  The first year of living there, the doors on some of the kitchen
bathroom cabinets began splitting at the top.  They replaced them the first
year; but it continues to happen every year.  The pattern that I see is the
doors that are used frequently, such as the towel cabinet , begin to crack at
the top of the frame and then split all the way down.  We have spent a lot on
replacing doors since the cabinet maker will not stand behind his product.  
Please give me your view on cabinets splitting every year.  We have owned two
other homes and have never experienced this problem.

Thank you,

Shirl

Answer
Hi Shirl,

I strongly suspect that the issue with the wood splitting is due to the expansion and contraction of the wood itself. See, wood moves with the seasons, with atmospheric changes in moisture in the air. Ever have a drawer or door that sticks in one season, and is easy to open in another season? That's because the wood shrinks or swells with ambient moisture in your home.

When wood wants to shrink, but can't.... it cracks. So most furniture and cabinets will be constructed in such a manner to allow that movement.

Now - there might be an exception - is your wood cracking just anywhere in the wood panel, or is it cracking on a seam, where two boards have been glued together? If the wood is cracking on a seam, then there might be issues with the glue bond failing. This can occur for a few different reasons - bad glue, or faulty application of the glue. So if it's a glue failure, then your cabinetmaker could possibly be responsible.

But if it's a failure of the wood itself, then it's more a wood movement issue, and probably not a problem to whom anyone could assign blame. Or - I guess you could sue Mother Nature.  

OK, not a funny joke when you're experiencing the problems you're having.

A big question is what sort of door you have. Is it a 5 piece door, with 4 pieces comprising the frame, and then a solid panel in the center? Or is it a slab door, with a bunch a strips of wood glued together, forming one wide board? If it's a cope and stick (5 piece) door and the panel is cracking, there is a somewhat easy solution. Cabinet grade plywood could be used for that interior panel, instead of solid wood. Plywood in much more stable, and probably wouldn't crack.

If it's a solid slab door, the door can probably move with the seasons without problem. So I suspect it's a 5 piece door that you have, am I correct?

Also, you said kitchen bathroom cabinets - I also think the humidity levels in those two rooms is higher than the rest of the home. If you live in a very humid climate, that's also an issue, especially if you don't have air conditioning.

My best suggestion is that this is a humidity/moisture issue. If the doors didn't have solid wood panels, I don't think this would be a problem.

I'm not sure what your options are, short of replacing the doors with ones that are better suited for the ambient moisture in your home. If you write back and tell me what part of the country you live in, I can possibly give you the name of a door company that might be able to make you some new doors. That's probably going to be the best way to solve this problem. Sorry, that's probably not the answer you wanted to hear.

Good luck, I hope this information helps.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com