Paint Experts! Help! Issue with lacquer finish on cabinets

10 years ago

We have new (2 months old) kitchen cabinets, sprayed with ML Campbell Magnamax in white by a custom cabinet shop. Cabinets are beautiful, expect we are seeing some issues with the finish.

In some areas the paint looks like it is lifting off the face frames and peeling. The picture is sideways but you can see the paint pulling up in the middle of the face frame and at the edge of the cabinet. I could take a soft rag, run it over that and the paint would fall off. Happening in multiple places on our island, maybe something got messed up in the finishing of the one box.

Overall, the paint is very brittle and chips super easily. I expected to have to repaint these in 10-15 years, but they look pretty bad now - after 2 months!

These were sprayed in the humid summer weather and now our weather is much drier.

We have a meeting with the mill shop coming up and want to be prepared.

Any advice is appreciated!

Featured Answer

bridgetmalone
Original Author

10 years ago

thanks everyone! So I have posted more pictures to a shutterfly site.

The original picture is at a joint in the wood, but the imperfection is on an angle, it does not run along the joint. On the edge you can see the paint flaking off. This is happening at multiple spots. I also have one drawer front (also on island) that just randomly has paint flaking off.

So by brittle I mean that the paint very easily chips and once the finish is "broken" paint continues to flake off with great ease. The sample of the finish, which I still have, is much "tougher".

The whole job is brittle and very easily damaged, but this peeling issue is ony evident on the island....so far.

My biggest concerns are 1) how this is going to get fixed and 2) That these problem areas are going to start surfacing around the entire kitchen as time goes on.

Also, down the road I was planning on repainting these...I have 3 ltitle kids and I expected these would get beat up . Once they are older i was going to just have everything repainted (I have been told this is possible). If we are having issues with the finish not sure how that would work.

Thanks again!

Here is a link that might be useful: More pictures

Comments (9)

paintguy22
10 years ago
Well, they should know right away why this is happening and make it right. In the picture, it looks like it could possibly be a seam moving there which would cause the paint to peel. If it is really happening in many places, then you need to determine if the primer is not stuck to the raw wood or if it is just the paint that is not sticking to the primer. Most times when paint peels, it is user error or improper prep.
bridgetmalone
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks paintguy! Do you know if it is possible to just sand down affected areas and "touch up" with lacquer or am I looking at a bigger job/issue here. I know hey can pull off the cabinets doors/drawer fronts but I am worried about these face frames. I shudder at the thought of sprayers in my new kitchen!
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paintguy22
10 years ago
I am not sure because I don't deal with lacquer very often, but I am going to assume touching up will be difficult. Lacquer can really only be sprayed and sprayed surfaces are generally hard to touch up unless the surfaces are sprayed again.
calm1
10 years ago
ML Campbell Magnamax has a 5mil. dry film limit. You can't put another coat on if it's already close to that. You could use a nitro lacquer over it but they are not very durable in a kitchen. The cabinet shop will need to strip and redo or replace.
Ed
thespeedofwood.com
sombreuil_mongrel
10 years ago
It is a woodworking issue, not a finish issue. The faceframe has split. You may be owed a new cabinet.
Casey
calm1
10 years ago
sombreuil_mongrel
Look at the picture, the face frame didn't split. It is a finish failure in that spot. Without seeing more pictures of the failures and knowing the exact finish schedule it is impossible to determine the cause. I would bet it was caused by excessive mil. thickness. Very easy to believe at a juncture of horizontal & vertical members. Again the only recourse because of the existing finish is to strip or replace.
To the OP, you should not by any means be able to knock the finish of with a soft rag, it should not be brittle, although you need to define "brittle". My answer is either excessive mil. thickness or over catalyzation by the vendor, because ML Campbell Magnamax is usually catalyzed at the supplier.
Mistakes happen. Where do these problems occur only at horiz. & vert. joints or all over, only on face frames or in the middle of a door panel? I'm asking so many questions because I spray this finish and a variety of pre-cat & post- cat all the time.
Thanks Ed
thespeedofwood.com
G O
3 years ago
@bridgetmalone what was your resolution?
PRO
W.E. Lott Construction Co.
2 years ago
Thats where the face frame has been tourqed and it broke the paint at the joint. probaly from racking it around on install