Kirk (KC) Constable
06-01-2005, 7:28 AM
Background....last summer/fall I did my first (and last!) 'for pay' cabinet job. Stiles and rails were either poplar or soft maple (a mixture)...panels were all poplar, 3/4" thick. All material was store-bought, kiln dried. I cut the panels 1/16 'short' all around allow for movment. The material went from the warehouse to my shop, where it sat for quite some time (weeks) before milling. Panels were glued several at a time, cut/profiled as soon as they were out of the clamps, and immediately assembled into door. As I finished 8 or 10 doors, I carried them to the house (still under construction) and hung them. Some hung on the cabinets for maybe 6 weeks before the painter took them down and away to prime, CAULK, and paint them. When he brought them back, I hung them back up. End of background...on to the problem.
The panels have shrunk considerably...some it looks like as much as 1/4" across a 14" panel. :eek: Obviously, this causes big uglies in a CAULKED and painted door. Painter can't see an alternative to just taking them down, removing the CAULK, sanding, RECAULKING and repainting.
From the beginning, I STRONGLY recommended using MDF for the panels, and I LOUDLY expressed my concerns about caulking the raised panel doors. I'm absolved of 'blame' in this deal...but the owner and painter are both good friends of mine. When originally finished, I have to admit the doors looked awfully good...but the first problems occurred after the first cold snap last fall, when the house was still not climate controlled. I'm worried to death about him taking these doors out of the air conditioning (house now occupied) into his uncooloed humid shop to do this work, then have the same thing happen again. This is a quality painter, using quality products (Sherwin Williams) the same way he does quite frequently with no problems. Any other thoughts on what went south here?
KC
The panels have shrunk considerably...some it looks like as much as 1/4" across a 14" panel. :eek: Obviously, this causes big uglies in a CAULKED and painted door. Painter can't see an alternative to just taking them down, removing the CAULK, sanding, RECAULKING and repainting.
From the beginning, I STRONGLY recommended using MDF for the panels, and I LOUDLY expressed my concerns about caulking the raised panel doors. I'm absolved of 'blame' in this deal...but the owner and painter are both good friends of mine. When originally finished, I have to admit the doors looked awfully good...but the first problems occurred after the first cold snap last fall, when the house was still not climate controlled. I'm worried to death about him taking these doors out of the air conditioning (house now occupied) into his uncooloed humid shop to do this work, then have the same thing happen again. This is a quality painter, using quality products (Sherwin Williams) the same way he does quite frequently with no problems. Any other thoughts on what went south here?
KC