Why Do Paint Grade Cabinet Doors Crack Along the Joints?

Paint grade cabinet doors often crack at the joints. Learn why, how to reduce the risk, and which door types are less likely to crack.

A kitchen with white painted cabinet doors. Painted doors can crack along the joints as the wood moves under the rigid painted surface.
Image provided by Gateway Kitchen + Bath, customer

Cabinet makers and contractors like you want to be known as the trusted installer in your market – someone who delivers quality products on time and within budget. But when painted cabinet doors start cracking at the joints, it can cause stress, upset your customers, and force costly remakes. You might be asking, why do these cracks even happen? Can I stop it from happening? Or is there a better alternative to traditional paint grade doors?

At Cutting Edge, we make thousands of cabinet doors monthly. Last month, over 1,300 of them were paint grade cabinet doors. We’ve seen it all when it comes to cracking paint. We understand what causes cracking and how to reduce the risk.

In this article, you’ll learn:

Ready? Let’s start by looking at why paint grade doors crack.

Why Paint Grade Cabinet Doors Crack (It’s Not What You Think)

If you’ve ever seen a crack on a painted cabinet door, it probably looked like the wood split. But here’s the truth: it’s not the door that’s cracked – it’s the paint.

These cracks usually appear along the joints where the door’s stiles and rails meet. Why there? Because that’s where the wood movement causes tension and shifting.

Wood is a hygroscopic material. That means it naturally takes in and gives off moisture depending on the room’s humidity. This causes it to expand and contract, even if only slightly. But paint? Paint doesn’t move the same way. Once it’s dry, it’s rigid – then, when the wood shifts underneath, the paint at the joint cracks.

A close-up image of a stile and rail joint with a red arrow pointing to a small hairline crack. Painted cabinet doors are susceptible to hairline cracks as the wood shifts.

It’s not a flaw in the wood or a mistake in craftsmanship. It’s just what happens over time. But can your cabinet door supplier prevent the cracking? Or is there anything you can do to reduce the risk?

Can Cabinet Door Makers Keep Paint Grade Cabinet Doors from Cracking?

The short answer is no; cabinet door suppliers can’t prevent paint grade doors from cracking. That’s because wood moves. No matter how careful your supplier is, they can’t stop wood from reacting to its environment.

And although it shouldn’t happen immediately, the wood will eventually shift slightly under the paint. When that happens, the paint cracks.

You can think of this like the walls in your house. There are seams in the drywall under the paint. As the house or walls shift slightly, those seams are where the tension escapes, causing the paint to crack. Just like house builders can’t keep paint from cracking along drywall seams eventually, cabinet door suppliers can’t keep paint from cracking along the door joints over time.

However, you can reduce the risk of cracking slightly.

How Cabinet Door Suppliers Reduce the Risk of Cracking

Cabinet door suppliers can’t prevent cracking completely, but they can take steps to reduce the risk. If you’re sourcing paint grade cabinet doors, it’s worth asking your supplier how they address this issue.

Look for suppliers who:

  • Use wood within the correct moisture range (6–12%). Wood that’s too wet or dry is more likely to shift as it adjusts to room conditions.
  • Apply a layer of white glue over the joints. This creates a better seal where the stiles and rails meet.
  • Ensure the joints are tightly fitted and glued well. Tighter joints reduce the movement that causes cracking in the first place.

While none of these steps can stop cracks from forming, they make them less likely, especially in the early stages after installation.

But there are steps you can take as well that will help.

A Cutting Edge employee assembling a cabinet door. Certain assembly methods can reduce the risk of painted cabinet doors cracking.

How You Can Reduce the Risk as a Cabinet Maker or Contractor

Reducing cracks in painted cabinet doors doesn’t stop at the supplier. As the cabinet maker or installer, you also play a key role in protecting the doors from environmental changes that lead to paint cracking, especially at the joints. From storage to finishing to installation, every step matters.

Here are three things you can do to lower the risk:

  • Control humidity in your shop. Keep your space between 30–40% humidity while prepping, painting, or storing doors. This helps prevent the wood from shifting while you’re finalizing the project.
  • Prep the installation site. New builds and renovations can have extreme moisture levels. You can use a humidifier or dehumidifier to stabilize the space before installing the cabinet doors.
  • Educate your customers. Let your clients know to expect minor paint cracks at the joints of paint grade cabinet doors. These are cosmetic, not structural, and don’t affect performance. Recommend they have a method of maintaining a consistent indoor humidity level that is within the recommended 30-40% humidity range.

What Can You Do if Your Paint Grade Cabinet Doors Have Cracked?

Even with the best prep and care, cracks in painted cabinet doors can still happen, especially at the joints. If you notice these cracks after installation, it’s important to understand what you can do and when to take action.

Here’s how to handle it:

  • Use touch-up paint for minor cracks. This is a quick fix for small cosmetic cracks. Just know that the crack may reappear over time, even if your customer keeps the humidity levels stable.
  • Stabilize the humidity. Adding a humidifier or dehumidifier to bring the space into the 30–40% range can help reduce further wood movement. This won’t reverse the crack but may prevent it from spreading or new ones from forming.
  • Inspect the joint for structural damage. If the crack reveals raw wood or the joint feels loose, it may be more than just the paint cracking. In this case, contact your cabinet door supplier to discuss whether it qualifies for a warranty replacement.
A black and white image of a person hand-painting a cabinet door. You can temporarily cover cracks in painted cabinet doors by applying a touch-up coat of paint.

Lower-Risk Alternatives to Paint Grade Cabinet Doors

If cracking at the joints is a concern for your projects, or your customers are asking for something more durable, there are lower-risk alternatives worth considering. Not all painted doors perform the same way, and knowing your options can help you offer better solutions and protect your reputation.

Here are the main alternatives:

  1. 5-piece MDF cabinet doors. These are made from Medium Density Fiberboard and are slightly more stable than solid wood doors like Maple, Birch, or Poplar. Because MDF isn’t a natural wood, it doesn’t expand or contract as much, reducing the risk of cracking. However, these doors still have joints, so some risk remains.
  2. 1-piece MDF cabinet doors. These doors have no joints because they are machined from a single piece of MDF. Because there are no seams, there’s no place for paint to crack. That’s why they’re the best option for contractors and cabinet makers who want to avoid callbacks or touch-ups due to joint cracks.

More and more contractors are shifting to 1-piece MDF for painted jobs. In fact, last month alone:

  • Over 1,300 paint grade cabinet doors were produced by Cutting Edge (including 5-piece MDF and Paint Grade Maple doors)
  • Over 2,000 1-piece MDF doors were made in the same time frame

That shift speaks volumes. When the goal is to offer a seamless finish with fewer issues over time, 1-piece MDF stands out as the clear winner.

Bottom line: If you want a painted cabinet door that won’t crack, 1-piece MDF is your best bet.

Learn How Much 1-Piece MDF Cabinet Doors Cost

Cracking in painted cabinet doors happens because wood moves, but the paint doesn’t. It’s most common at the joints and is cosmetic. As someone aiming to be the go-to contractor who delivers high-quality work, you can’t risk your reputation with low-quality products. Achieving your goal gets harder when products crack or fail too soon, especially if your supplier isn’t backing you up. 

Want to avoid those joint cracks entirely to better protect your reputation? Now that Cutting Edge has suggested some alternative options, learn how much 1-piece MDF cabinet doors cost so you can offer your clients a better, longer-lasting option.

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