Gloss cupboards peeling - less than 4 years old

suemacd22

I moved into a new build property in 02/22 and the kitchen gloss cupboard doors and drawer fronts are beginning to peel away.  I contacted the kitchen company regarding this problem, and they referred me to the builder, as the warranty is with them. However, they informed that the warranty period is only two years and that nothing could be done.  an expensive kitchen should not start deteriorating after only a few years.

I believe the current state of the kitchen could be attributed to shoddy workmanship and the use of products that are not fit for purpose.  Am I able to take this further? 

Grumpy_chap

suemacd22 said:

I moved into a new build property in 02/22 and the kitchen gloss cupboard doors and drawer fronts are beginning to peel away.  I contacted the kitchen company regarding this problem, and they referred me to the builder, as the warranty is with them. However, they informed that the warranty period is only two years and that nothing could be done.  an expensive kitchen should not start deteriorating after only a few years.

I believe the current state of the kitchen could be attributed to shoddy workmanship and the use of products that are not fit for purpose.  Am I able to take this further? 

Is it all the door trims that are peeling or just in certain locations within the kitchen?
These trims can be affected by heat and or moisture, so are the affected doors near the over / sink?

The kitchen company are correct that your claim would be with the builder.  
The warranty is only half the story.
Is there also a NHBC guarantee?  What does that cover?
There may also be a claim of "unsatisfactory quality" or "not fit for purpose" which is why I asked about the location of the affected doors in the kitchen.

Notwithstanding that I would tend to agree with you that the kitchen doors should last longer than 3 or 4 years, you might be worth making an enquiry and obtaining quotes for replacement door fronts from one of the "Dream Doors" type companies.  You would then at least know what the cost of remedial work would be so you can assess any offer from the builder and / or claim that you might be seeking to recover.  I am generally sceptical of the replace-the-doors only solutions as typically once the doors need replacing the other parts of the kitchen might be worn and show once the doors are swapped out, however when the kitchen is new and it truly is just the doors, this could be a practical solution.  The challenge might be if there are decor panels or such like in the same finish as the doors that would also need exchanging but require more work to do - it may be possible that replacement doors in contrast would still work.

libra10

I hope you receive some recompense regarding this issue.

We had glossy white kitchen cupboards and drawers fitted around 3 or 4 years ago, by a kitchen fitter.  They looked very smart, but soon started peeling around some of the edges.  The retailer called round and suggested that we had used harsh cleaners which might have caused the problem.  We hadn't used anything but dishwashing liquid.

He did replace all the bottom units, but seemed reluctant to do so.

I don't think these glossy cupboards are suitable for kitchens where there is lots of steam, boiling kettles, ovens and hobs.  We would have chosen some other type of cupboards if we had realised.

Best wishes.

born_again

Any claim now is going to be against who you paid for the kitchen. Which you will need a independent report to back up your case.

Alderbank

suemacd22 said:

I moved into a new build property in 02/22 and the kitchen gloss cupboard doors and drawer fronts are beginning to peel away.  I contacted the kitchen company regarding this problem, and they referred me to the builder, as the warranty is with them. However, they informed that the warranty period is only two years and that nothing could be done.  an expensive kitchen should not start deteriorating after only a few years.

I believe the current state of the kitchen could be attributed to shoddy workmanship and the use of products that are not fit for purpose.  Am I able to take this further? 

If the OP's contract for house purchase includes the kitchen fixtures and fittings in question, the OP has no consumer rights because 'property' is excluded in the definition of 'goods' in the Consumer Rights Act.

Very often, the builder has a deal with the suppliers of built-in white goods such as central heating boiler, oven, dishwasher, etc. to pass on the manufacturer's warranties to the house buyer (that was the case with my house built by Taylor Wimpey) but as the OP has discovered these are usually limited to one or two years.

The NHBC new home 10 year warranty consists of two parts:
The first 2 years warranty covers more or less everything and is underwritten by the house builder.
The remaining eight years consists of an eight year insurance policy funded by the National House Building Council which only covers what they describe as 'physical damage to the home caused by a failure to build to the NHBC requirements'.
In practice that means major structural building failure. It specifically excludes cosmetic items; I am sure that NHBC would consider the plastic coating on cupboard doors to be cosmetic items.

If the OP has paid in a separate contract from the house purchase for a third party kitchen upgrade then that should give the buyer consumer rights for this 'expensive kitchen'.

Was that the case, @suemacd22?

Similar issues regularly come up on this forum.
The OP might be interested in this thread:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5813176/faulty-kitchen-where-do-i-stand/p1

That buyer of a new build house had problems with a couple of kitchen cupboard doors beginning to peel away after a few years. They appear to have negotiated a very generous goodwill offer from the manufacturer (Paula Rosa) firstly for a full door and drawer front replacement, and then for free upgrade on the doors, drawer fronts, plinths infills and some of the sides of the carcases that can be seen.