Painted Wood Statement of Understanding

When purchasing painted cabinetry, we recommend all MDF doors and drawer fronts be used due to MDF’s inherently superior characteristics of stability and resistance to ambient humidity (which causes solid wood to expand or contract). However, many customers strongly prefer solid wood doors or, at minimum, a solid wood frame on the cabinet doors. Conestoga has always offered all-wood doors for painting, but due to the naturally occurring (and offensive to some) characteristics of painted solid wood, we need to ensure our customers understand what they are getting and agree to the terms of warranty and replacement. Please review the following points and sign the bottom of this page. We will place this with your job file and will commence with the production of your painted wood cabinetry only after we have received this signed form. Thanks for your understanding!

Painted Wood Sign Off

Name*
Please use the name that is on the Quote you are releasing for production as an order
First Last
Email*
Who is your Cabinet Joint Cabinet Coach?
Please choose the sales rep you have been working with for your quote and order.
Paint and Solid Wood Door Framing:*
Solid wood door frames may exhibit hairline cracking at the joints. See the image below for an example.

This is not a defect and replacements will not be issued for this characteristic. It not the result of finish failure, but the result of expansion and contraction of the door’s framing. Conestoga uses a Catalyzed Conversion Varnish in their finishes and, while it is the gold-standard for cabinet finish, it is just like any other cabinet finish in that it does not expand and contract well in multiple directions. So, when the top and bottom rails of cabinet door expand/contract in one direction and the left/right door stiles expand/contract in another, the painted finish cannot ‘keep up’ with the drastic wood movement taking place below it, especially at the joint where these forces are greatest and in direct opposition to each other. Something has to ‘give’ and the paint fractures at the place the stiles and rails meet…the door joint. It is imperative that you understand the following:
- There is nothing we or Conestoga can do to predict or prevent how a given door or component of a door will respond to moisture. Therefore, you may see these corner cracks develop on all doors, some doors or no doors at all. Furthermore, you may see these cracks develop never, over a long period of time or they may even come out of the package exhibiting them.
- The instance of these hairline cracks have nothing to do with a door’s build quality or finish quality. In fact, Conestoga’s adhesion test results far surpass the KCMA standards.
- Only when the finish has actually failed or the door joint is actually broken (as may occur if door is cracked in shipping, is pushed beyond the normal limits of its hinge, or experiences glue failure-a rare occurrence) will replacement be issued.
- These corner cracks can range in severity from barely-visible hairlines to cracks you can actually catch your fingernail on. They all stem from the same issue we can’t control: moisture in the wood.
- The FACE FRAMES of your cabinets are still solid wood, even if you request all MDF doors. Therefore, corner cracking can/will still appear in your face frames. Wood is used for frames because the frames need to be glued to the plywood cabinet box and the glue bond is better wood to wood.
Paint and Solid Wood Panels*
Please review and check off in this section only if you are ordering an ALL WOOD door, not an all MDF or Hybrid door (A 'Hybrid' door is a door with a Paint Grade Maple frame with an MDF center panel)

Solid wood panels may exhibit raised seams where the different staves of the glued-up panel meet. When Conestoga makes the door, it is sanded perfectly flat. Then the paint is applied. However, after manufacturing takes place and the doors are shipped, they immediately begin seeking equilibrium with their surroundings, taking on and giving off moisture. Since each glued-up stave in the panel is its own unique piece of wood, each responds to moisture differently. Therefore, please indicate that you understand the following:
- Some panel staves will swell more than others and this telegraphs through the paint as ‘lines’ in the finish. This is unavoidable in a solid wood panel and therefore not covered under warranty. In fact, it is happening on stained doors too you just can’t see it due to the texture and variance in the wood grain.
- This is not a grounds for replacement unless the door panel is physically cracked
Customer Responsibilties*
- It is the customer’s responsibility to control the moisture in their home. Conestoga recommends between 30 and 35% relative humidity (see moisture chart literature available on the web site or have your sales rep send you information on moisture in wood). Throwing the windows open in springtime near the beach may feel great, but it is pumping the house full of humidity, causing your cabinetry to be affected and possibly voiding your warranty. If you are concerned that your house may have more ambient humidity than most or if you often do not use climate control in your home, you are a perfect candidate for MDF and should strongly consider an all MDF door or, at the least, an MDF panel.
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