Warning: I picked a mitered corner over a butt joint for a painted cabinet and it's been a nightmare.

The client wanted a super clean look on a built-in for their place in Tacoma, so I went with the miter, thinking the paint would hide any tiny gaps. It's been a constant fight with seasonal movement and hairline cracks keep showing up after a few months. Anyone have a better method for painted casework that actually stays put?

2 comments

2 Comments

angelacooper6d ago

Honestly, I see hairline cracks in a lot of trim work, painted or not. My own baseboards do it every winter. It's just wood doing wood things with the weather. For a painted cabinet, I'd just keep a little matching paint for touch-ups. It's not like it's a structural failure, it's a cosmetic line you can fix in two minutes. Sometimes we chase perfection too hard on stuff people barely notice after it's filled with their stuff.

max9635d ago

Come ON, it's not just a winter thing. My last apartment had cheap cabinets that cracked at EVERY seam within a year, paint or no paint. It looked awful, like a spiderweb on every door. Once you see it, you can't unsee it, especially on a smooth painted finish. Settling for that just tells builders it's okay to use junk materials.