Cutting Edge’s cabinet door warranty policy
Are you looking for information about Cutting Edge’s warranty policy? Read this article to learn more about what our warranty policy covers.
Have you ever ordered a product online? If so, you have also likely experienced receiving a damaged or defective product.
When that occurs, it’s frustrating and time-consuming, even when the product is warrantied.
But what if you learn that the product isn’t warrantied?
In that case, not only is it frustrating and time-consuming, but it is also expensive.
We all know how much of a difference a company’s warranty policy makes to your experience when you order from them. A company can earn your respect if they have a good warranty policy and stand behind it. If they have a limited or unclear warranty policy, ordering from them seems risky.
In the cabinet industry, issues can be very expensive. For example, if you choose a door style with a limited warranty, you may have to pay for replacement pieces. In addition, you may have to delay installation while you wait for the replacement pieces to arrive.
So how can you ensure that the cabinet doors you order are warrantied? Or how can you make sure your customer is aware of limited warranty coverage?
At Cutting Edge Doors & Woodworking, we understand that ordering cabinet doors is a complex and highly detailed task. We have made cabinet doors for over 20 years and have seen almost every mistake or defect you can imagine.
We understand it is hard to know when a defect or mistake is not warrantied. That is why we developed a warranty policy that is specific, clear, and hassle-free.
In this article, you will learn:
- What Cutting Edge’s warranty policy covers
- About warranty replacements and your alternate options
- What can void parts of the warranty policy and why
- Common occurrences that are not warrantied
One-year warranty policy on Cutting Edge cabinet doors
All cabinet doors from Cutting Edge have a one-year warranty. The one-year time frame starts the day the cabinet doors leave our shop.
The warranty coverage ends after one year. Defects that become noticeable after the first year are more likely to be normal wear and tear than manufacturing defects.
Throughout the rest of this article, you will notice a lot of limitations to our warranty policy. We want to take this chance to reassure you that if the defect you bring to our attention is a defect that we think should not have occurred, we stand behind our product and you as the customer.
Cutting Edge’s warranty policy covers manufacturing defects
The warranty policy covers manufacturing defects, also known as issues that occur or aren’t corrected while we produce the cabinet door.
Manufacturing defects include incorrect cabinet doors, warping, or cracks in the wood that affect the stability of your cabinet door.
The one-year time frame is not set in stone when it applies to manufacturing defects. If your cabinet door is over one year old when you notice a defect that occurred in manufacturing, our team may still discount the replacement piece or cover the cost.
Cutting Edge’s warranty replacements match the original cabinet doors
If you require a warranty replacement, we will make it the same as your original order.
For example, if you originally ordered raw cabinet doors, we will replace the defective piece with a new raw cabinet door. If you ordered a finished cabinet door, we will replace the defective piece with a new finished cabinet door.
Our warranty coverage does not cover finishing costs, install costs, transit time, or other costs over and above the product we originally produced. For example, if you ordered a raw cabinet door, finished it, and then noticed it was defective, we would ship out a new raw cabinet door even though you had already finished it.
Because of this, it is vital that you check your cabinet doors for defects before you put any work into them.
Alternative option
You can choose to repair damaged or defective doors in exchange for a credit on your account. To receive a credit, you must take photos of the issues or defects before you repair the doors. You will also need to keep track of the time you or your team spend repairing the defects.
If you choose this option, we calculate the credit at $50 per hour, up to a maximum of 60% of the order subtotal.
Cutting Edge’s warranty policy can be limited or voided
Sections of the warranty policy can become void or limited when you make specific requests or door-style decisions.
Door style and other options can affect the warranty coverage
Cabinet doors are produced with solid wood, which is a living product. And yes, even MDF (compressed recycled wood components, like sawdust) is technically a biotic product.
Any living product can move over time. Some examples of wood moving are warping, expanding, twisting, swelling, shrinking, and contracting.
This inherent instability is why our warranty policy only warrants stable designs and sizes.
Two common decisions that limit the stability of your cabinet doors are:
- You order any door 30” or wider with no center stiles or any door 43” or taller with no center rails. This option voids the warranty against warp and twist.
- You choose an unstable door style, like solid wood slabs. This option voids the warranty against warpage and shrinkage.
To make your job easier – and to keep you from being stuck with a product that isn’t warrantied – our team will notify you of any voided or limited warranty when you place your order.
How you handle the cabinet doors can affect the warranty coverage
You can make decisions that affect the warranty of your cabinet doors after you place your order.
Your cabinet door warranty can be limited if you:
- Choose to paint doors that aren’t recommended for painting – specifically if you paint cabinet doors with a solid wood center panel. Because solid wood can move over time, the painted finish on the center panel can crack.
- Open the cabinet door packaging more than 24 hours before you or your team finish the doors. Because solid wood moves when the humidity and temperature around it change, it is vital that you seal the doors with a finish as soon as possible. This helps reduce the amount of humidity that can get into the wood, which in turn reduces how much the cabinet doors will move.
- Stress test the cabinet doors in any way. Any stress testing can weaken the door and cause it to break before you even get it installed. Some examples of stress testing include:
- Forcibly bending the doors to test the joints
- Placing doors in a high- or low-humidity environment (the ideal humidity range is 30-40%)
- Exposing doors to high or low temperatures (the ideal temperature range is 60-80 degrees F)
- Install the cabinet doors in a non-humidity-controlled environment.
Cutting Edge’s warranty policy does not cover natural changes to wood cabinet doors
Because wood cabinet doors are made with a natural product, they will change and move over time.
Four common developments or changes that can occur over time are not warrantied. These developments are normal, and you can prevent or reduce the chances of them occurring by keeping the temperature and humidity consistent.
Hairline cracks
Cracks in the finish at the joints or seams of the cabinet doors (also known as hairline cracks) are another frequent development. These cracks are not structural defects – they occur as the cabinet doors shift over time. Hairline cracks are not a reason for warranty replacements, and they are only visible on painted doors.
Warp and twist
Warp and twist (fancy terms for wood bending) are two ways to describe the movement of wood cabinet doors. When two adjacent corners of the door move, we call it warped. Twist occurs when two diagonal corners of the door move.
Cabinet doors can warp or twist after the one-year warranty coverage expires. If this occurs, the cabinet doors are not eligible for warranty replacement. The wood movement has likely happened due to an unusual change in humidity or temperature. Once you correct the humidity and temperature, your cabinet doors should move back to their original position.
Center panel movement
If your cabinet doors have a solid wood center panel (as opposed to a plywood center panel), you may notice that the center panel shifts, shrinks, or expands over time. When this type of movement occurs, you may notice:
- A hairline crack running vertically along the panel of your cabinet door (or horizontally across the panel if you ordered horizontal grain drawer fronts)
- A ‘shadow’ around the outside edges of the panel (where the panel meets the frame); this is because the finish doesn’t reach very far underneath the frame. So, if the panel shrinks, you might see an unfinished area of the panel.
Shrinkage and expansion
You may notice your doors shrinking and expanding over time if your house is not humidity-controlled. As they shrink, you will notice wider gaps between doors. As they expand, some of the doors might rub together as you open and close them.
Like the other items on this list, keeping the humidity and temperature consistent will help keep your cabinet doors from shrinking and expanding.
Warranty policy: now you know
When you opened this article, you needed information about the warranty policy for your cabinet doors. You didn’t know which defects our team warranties or what voids the warranty on specific items.
Now, you know what is and is not covered under warranty and why. You also have the reassurance that our team will communicate any potential warranty limitations when you place your order.
With this knowledge, you can communicate with your customer if warranty concerns may affect their order. This communication will help prevent you from having to pay for replacement doors.
What next? Learn how to tell if Cutting Edge will warranty your defective cabinet door.
