Cabinet problems

Doors that will not sit straight. Nearly always hinge adjustment. Modern European-style hinges adjust in three directions with a screwdriver. This is a fifteen-minute fix, not a symptom of failure.

Drawers that stick or drop. Usually a glide problem — debris in the track, a bent glide, or an overloaded drawer. Glides are replaceable. Match the type and length before buying.

Peeling or bubbling on a smooth white door. That is thermofoil delaminating from its MDF core, typically near a heat source. It cannot be repainted or reliably repaired. Replace the affected doors, and add heat shielding beside the oven.

Hairline cracks at painted door joints. Common on painted solid-wood doors as the wood moves seasonally. It is cosmetic, not structural. Swelling at the base of a sink cabinet is different and serious: particleboard that has absorbed water does not recover. Fix the leak, then replace that box. Do not let anyone use it as the argument for replacing your entire kitchen — check the condition of every other box first.

How to choose

Try the hinge screws first

A huge share of "my cabinets are shot" complaints are a three-screw adjustment.

Water damage is box damage

Swollen particleboard cannot be dried out and restored. That cabinet is done.

Fix the leak before the cabinet

Replacing a sink base under an active leak just buys you the same problem again.

Do not accept a whole-kitchen diagnosis from one bad cabinet

Ask the contractor to inspect and report on every box individually.

Know what thermofoil cannot do

It cannot be repainted or patched. Peeling means door replacement.

Match glides exactly

Side-mount, undermount, length and weight rating all have to match or the drawer will not run right.