Thread: Timber veneer cabinet finish deteriorating

Originally Posted by tonzeyd

its hard to tell from the image, but i'm going to go against the notion that its water damage, as you say, kicks are not damaged and there isnt any signs of moisture ie mould/wood greying over time. Also if it was water damage, that kind of damage ie only towards the bottom would be pretty obvious what's causing it, ie water leaks etc, but going back to the first point this would also deteriorate the kicks as well.

its hard to tell by the photos, but looking at the first photo looks like some kind of filler was used, which depending on what was used could hinder the finish's ability to absorb evenly. The second photo looks like some tearout had occured which causes the finish to absorb at different rates.

Is the finish cracking? or is it mostly cosmetic?

There were a few splits when it was initially installed. I think if the veneer was split that part shouldn't be used. Anyway the cabinetmaker argued otherwise saying it's natural timber and that its normal. Some panels were flipped so the split was on the inside. Some had some filler applied. But all the whiteness has later appeared along the bottom of the freezer drawer panel. I don't think it's tearout. There were no visible issues when it was first installed. I'd have to revisit the photos. But i reckon would have noticed.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

What sort of air-flow goes through that area of the house?

In my experience that sort of damage in that location is generally caused by moisture condensing on the fronts of cabinets, when cooking or boiling a kettle without an effective range-hood.

It only takes a light misting on the cabinet face for rivulets to start running down to that area, which can be very easily missed while one is busy doing other things, like using the area for it's intended purpose.

Large, open-plan areas are just as susceptible to this as tiny cramped kitchenettes, depending on how well the air naturally flows around the area.

We are in a certified Passivhaus which has constant mechanical ventilation (as well as opening windows). Very even temperatures. Surfaces shouldn't get cold enough for condensation to form. Since this has been noticeable I've been looking for moisture to try and identify what the cause might be, but have never seen it. On another part of this joinery unit we have a tea/coffee nook and when the kettle boils the steam does rise past an overhead veneer door. The same happens with a steam oven when its opened after steaming. Neither of these cupboards show any signs of damage.

Originally Posted by MichaelTolhurst

The joinery was installed maybe 9 months after the slab was poured. Apart from a couple of splits and a few marks scrapes (the veneer is very soft) thought the quality was pretty good. Initially I dont remember these edges looking like they were going to deteriorate like this. Not sure what the edge banding product is. But have attached a photo showing what a corner looks like on another cupboard. The edging in previous images might look thick because of the zoom.
240501_edge banding.jpg

That edging is to give the appearance of a quality multi ply board, under that edging is the substrate MDF or chipboard, because if you have plywood under that edging then apart from it not possibly having multi layers like the edging, it was a waste of time putting it on, it's just something else that can fail.

Is it only the door of the freezer? A wider shot to give a bit more context where the damage is would help. A bit of topical steam is neither here nor there but the bottom of a freezer door will be constantly cooler than the ambient air and while it may not feel wet, it will have a higher moisture content than other areas. This may have caused the damage.

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

Contact Home - Timber Veneer Association of Australia for advice.

Thanks. I just sent an enquiry.

Originally Posted by Camelot

That edging is to give the appearance of a quality multi ply board, under that edging is the substrate MDF or chipboard, because if you have plywood under that edging then apart from it not possibly having multi layers like the edging, it was a waste of time putting it on, it's just something else that can fail.

Pretty sure its MDF. Joiner was concerned about plywood bowing/twisting etc on doors and suggested a hoop pine veneer instead.

Originally Posted by mic-d

Is it only the door of the freezer? A wider shot to give a bit more context where the damage is would help. A bit of topical steam is neither here nor there but the bottom of a freezer door will be constantly cooler than the ambient air and while it may not feel wet, it will have a higher moisture content than other areas. This may have caused the damage.

Have attached photos with a bit more context. The main damage is on the rear of this joinery unit. But I can see a similar condition developing on the freezer drawer. Its not happening on the fridge doors. Or on the panels adjacent the freezer. But i can see the whiteish discolouration on other drawers where veneer meets edge band.

I'm not too fussed about the discolouration. Its when the veneer starts to become raised thats my concern.
pod 1.jpgfreezer 1.jpgdrawers 1.jpg

Originally Posted by MichaelTolhurst

Have attached photos with a bit more context. The main damage is on the rear of this joinery unit. But I can see a similar condition developing on the freezer drawer. Its not happening on the fridge doors. Or on the panels adjacent the freezer. But i can see the whiteish discolouration on other drawers where veneer meets edge band.

I'm not too fussed about the discolouration. Its when the veneer starts to become raised thats my concern.
pod 1.jpgfreezer 1.jpgdrawers 1.jpg

Hi Michael thanks for the photos though they do not in my mind clarify what the heck is happening there. I will just note that the drawer photo shows damage only on the bottom of both the lower and upper drawer, the latter could not be caused by mopping. It also is not consistent with a failure in the application of glue in the veneering process because those two drawers are contiguous, meaning cut from the same board, so a glue failure bordering the bottom of the top drawer should be present in the top of the bottom drawer, which it is not. Damage like that may occur if the panels had been wiped down consistently with a very wet rag and the moisture allowed to accumulate on the bottom edge or were the panels subject to standing water before installation, such as water inundation in the factory or in storage and transit to the site or storage at the site. eg was there a lot of rain that may have allowed this occurance at the time of manufacture or installation? The damage may not have been immediately obvious.

To me it looks like the veneer got damaged when cutting the doors/panels to size from the large board, it may have delaminated slightly and even chipped, then the edging got glued on, but overtime it's taken in moisture where it's became delaminated.