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Figure 6-13: Clear Floor Space required in kitchens (C) J Wiley, S Bliss Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets & Countertops
Common defects

Kitchen & bathroom cabinet defects & safety hazards.

This guide to inspecting, installing, & repairing kitchen & bath cabinets & countertops describes common defects found in kitchen or bathroom cabinets - problems that can be found by visual inspection.

Among topics we discuss are Un-secured kitchen islands that tip over. Loose cabinet doors & hinge hardware. Serious safety hazards: falling wall cabinets: we describe the hazard of falling wall mounted kitchen or bath cabinets, tipping kitchen islands, and we discuss less serious K&B hazards such as loose, falling off cabinet doors and defective cabinet hinges.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Guide to Inspecting for Defects in Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets

Birch cabinets © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com Very serious kitchen or bath cabinet hazards include wall-mounted cabinets that are not adequately secured to the building wall. A falling cabinet can cause serious injury.

A second class of kitchen cabinet hazards are un-secured islands and island cabinets that tip over onto a child playing by swinging from the counter edge.

As explained in Chapter 6 [web article] of Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction (Steve Bliss, J Wiley & Sons) [book at references]:Assessing a cabinet’s quality is not always easy due to the large number of components involved and the fact that much of the material and joinery is concealed.

One good indication of overall durability is certification by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, which has a rigorous testing and certification program that measures such things as structural integrity, shelf strength, hardware durability, and quality of finishes.

But here, adapted from Carson Dunlop Associates ' Home Reference Book, we focus on defects in cabinet installation or condition, problems that can be found by visual inspection.

Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet Falling Hazards

Watch out: Beware of loose, falling wall-mounted cabinets. Inspect carefully before you touch or pull on a wall-mounted cabinet. At a home inspection D.F. gave a gentle tug to the under-lip of an array of wall mounted cabinets. Don't try this.

Falling kitchen cabinets Carson Dunlop AssociatesAll six of the wall cabinets in a row crashed to the floor. Luckily no one was close by or someone could have been badly hurt.

Joints in cabinets in poor condition may be separating and shelves may be poorly supported, risking falling contents, sometimes including heavy or fragile items.

Clues for building inspectors that can suggest a loose falling-off wall cabinet include:

Quoting from Carson Dunlop Associates' The Home Reference Book [link at citations section]

Cabinets may be installed anywhere but are most common in kitchens and bathrooms.

Cabinets may be built of wood, although most today are veneer-covered fiberboard. Shelves and doors are commonly solid wood, veneered fiberboard or glass.

The quality of cabinets is a function of the materials, assembly techniques and hardware used on doors and drawers.

Kitchen or Bathroom Countertop Defects

Ceramic tile countertop © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Here we illustrate a ceramic tile countertop. The uneven surface and grout joints make this countertop difficult to cle3an.

Quoting again from The Home Reference Book:

Countertops can be made of many materials.

Laminated plastic surfaces applied to fiberboard are common because they are inexpensive, water resistant, available in a huge selection of colors and patterns, and are easy to clean.

They are difficult to repair if cut by knives, chipped or burned. These are referred to as laminate countertops.

Other common countertop materials include granite, marble, stainless steel, ceramic tile, concrete, hardwood (butcher block), soapstone and a number of manufactured products including engineered stone and other solid surface materials.

The ideal countertop won’t burn, crack, chip or break, is easy to clean, non-porous, and is resistant to rot, water damage, stains and knives.

Problems with Kitchen or Bathroom Countertop Damage

Countertops may suffer cosmetic damage, and fiberboard countertops often rot, especially damage around sinks and faucets.

Burns and mechanical damage are common on laminate countertops.

Cracked tiles and missing grout are common on ceramic tile countertops.

Problems with Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet Doors & Drawers

Countertop defects (C) Carson Dunlop AssociatesCabinet door and drawer operating problems

Cabinet problems may include improper operation of doors and drawers.

Sticky drawers and doors that will not stay closed are common. Hardware may be missing, worn or inoperative.

Cabinets may be damaged or deteriorated due to wear and tear.

Cabinets, doors and drawers may be mechanically damaged or worn. Knobs may be loose, missing or broken.

Watch out: Many of these are cosmetic or nuisance issues, but a door that doesn't close properly or latch and lock if it should can also be unsafe when it whacks you in the shins or when a child gets into the chemicals under the sink.

Sketch courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, education & report writing tool company.

The decision to replace cabinets and countertops is subjective.

Our next-to-last cabinet damage photo shown below (we're all getting sick of this issue but there are still hinges to discuss) illustrates the problem of hidden leaks, cabinet base damage, even rot, that we don't discover because of all the clutter stored in the cabinet base.

Our flashlight points to a puddle of water, but also notice that the whole cabinet base bottom shelf is falling apart.

You often won't see this in a home until you start pulling out all that stuff crammed into the cabinet.

Cabinet door loose © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet Hinge Problems & Repairs

This topic has moved to a new article now found at CABINET DOOR HINGES

Easy-Reach cabinet door hinge (C) Daniel Friedman

Cause & Cure for Water Damaged & Moldy Kitchen or Bath Cabinets

Cabinet water damage from dishwasher © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com

A small moldy patch on a particleboard cabinet base (less than 1 sq.ft.) is unlikely to be a significant health hazard in a building, though it could bother someone with sensitive mold allergies or who is asthmatic.

Watch out: when water has leaked behind or below a wall or base cabinet there is a real risk of more extensive, hidden mold in those hidden areas.

See CABINET MOLD & WATER DAMAGE for details.

Also see MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD

Also see BROWN HAIRY BATHROOM MOLD for a Q&A on the harmfulness of "hairy brown mold" found in a bathroom.

Kitchen & Bath Industry Associations & Cabinet Installation & Repair Guides

Kitchen Cabinet Base Installation & Repair Manuals

Associations

Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers(AHAM) www.aham.org

National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) www.nkba.org

Ceramic Tile Institute of America www.ctioa.org

Home Ventilation Institute (HVI) www.hvi.org

Marble Institute of America www.marble-institute.com

Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) www.porcelainenamel.com

Tile Council of America (TCA) www.tileusa.com

Kitchen & Bath Cabinets & Countertops of the 1950s

Also see these catalog pages:

-- Portions of this article were adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction (Steve Bliss, J Wiley & Sons) and from Carson Dunlop Associates Home Reference Book


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Continue reading at CABINET DOOR HINGES or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Cabinets, Shelving, Casework, Trim Articles

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CABINETS & COUNTERTOPS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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