Customer Care

EFFECTS OF STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN YOUR NEW HOME

When your new house is being built the structural members and various materials are fitted in place to suit the requirements which exist at the time of construction. Once the house is completed it will start to settle.

The settling may cause structural changes in the house. Structural changes in the building may result in changes in your cabinets and/or counter tops — cabinet doors may go out of adjustment, or caulked joints may separate.

Cabinet doors can be adjusted as per instructions which follow.

GENERAL

Use mild soap and a damp cloth to clean your cabinets. Avoid using harsh chemical cleaners such as bleach, ammonia, paint and gum removal solvents, or abrasive materials.

Excess water may damage your cabinets (causing discolouration, peeling or warping). Wipe up excess water immediately.

APPLIANCES

Steam and heat can damage your cabinets. They can warp wood, discolour, delaminate components, peel the finish, leave spots and split joints. In cases of exposure to extreme heat, burn marks or fires could result.

Avoid exposing the upper cabinets to steam from kettles, coffee makers, bottle warmers, rice steamers etc.

Also ensure that your stove top is flush with or above the adjacent counter top ends in order to prevent lifting or separation of the counter top edge. In the case of self-cleaning ovens, it is possible that the heat generated through the sides of the oven can cause damage. It is also possible that if pots boil over and liquid runs down the sides of the stove, the adjacent cabinet sides can sustain damage.

AMBIENT ENVIRONMENT

Smoke, sunlight and humidity can be present and cause damage. High humidity can warp wood, low humidity can cause shrinkage or cracking; also smoke and direct sunlight can discolour finish.

The recommended average residential relative humidity level is between 35% and 45%. This range will provide the best comfort for your family, while helping to protect your kitchen cabinets, musical instruments, drywall, wooden furniture and other belongings or materials from the damaging effects of dryness or excessive moisture.

ALIGNMENT OF CABINET DOORS AND DRAWERS

Frendel standard warranty covers initial touch-ups and adjustment of hinges. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to readjust hinges to correct misalignment of doors and drawers caused by normal use. The diagrams below illustrate how to easily adjust your hinges using only a phillips head screwdriver.

Door Adjustment

Drawer Front Adjustment

GENERAL CARE

Avoid dropping heavy objects on them. Laminate countertops are pretty tough, but the laminate itself can be damaged by a particularly nasty drop. Take care when lifting heavy items onto the counters or over them.

Never place hot pots or dishes directly from the oven or burner on an unprotected laminate surface; such extreme heat can cause cracking or blistering. As a rule, a maintained temperature of 285°F can discolor a laminate. Contact adhesives typically can be reactivated or soften at around 200°F, which will allow the laminate to pull loose.

Avoid cuts. Make sure not to cut directly on the surface of laminate counters. Use cutting boards, stones or plates instead to protect the finish and surface of the counters. This practice is required for just about every counter top out there. Using the right cutting techniques not only protects the counters, it also protects the knives.

Never let water or any other liquid sit on the surface of the countertop. Although the laminate is water resistant, it is not waterproof. After cleaning or wiping down the counter, it is equally important to wipe it down with a cloth to dry the surface. Any joints or finished ends are highly susceptible to water damage as they are a point of entry. Avoid locating coffee makers, steamers or other appliances that use water on or near a seam. Water damage on the joints of countertops will result in an uneven joint, as the water will have caused the substrate material to expand creating an undulating surface.

Don’t use harsh chemicals. Harsh chemicals that have acid in the mix do not go well with laminates. Avoid using drain unclogging agents, metal cleaners, ceramic cleaners rust and lime removers and even vinegar and water on or near these counters. Wipe up any spills immediately with water, and dry thoroughly afterwards.

LAMINATE COUNTER CLEANING RECOMMENDATIONS

Simple cleaning. Wipe up these counters with a clean, soft cloth for basic, everyday cleaning. This will help remove surface dust and dirt without damaging finish.

Tough stains. Mild household cleaners generally work very well on getting stains out. Avoid using harsh abrasive cleansers. Do not use abrasive sponges or steel wool on laminates. For really bad stains, create a paste out of baking soda and water. Blot this up rather than scrubbing and scraping. Take care to wipe up spills as quickly as possible as laminates can stain permanently.

WOOD GRAIN

It is quite normal to observe slight colour differences in some areas of your kitchen. Different grains and cuts of wood will accept the same finish in varying ways. The angle of viewing and lighting will also effect colour. What you are actually observing is how the wood itself looks under a uniform coat of finish.

EFFECTS OF SUNLIGHT

Natural sunlight contains Ultra Violet (UV) light rays that may affect the appearance of cabinets. According to the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) standards, the actual results in a home will vary depending on these three factors:

Exposure to light (for example, direct from the south, east or west, or indirect from the north)

? The portion of the cabinet that receives the light (top, base, etc.)

? The wood itself. The finish does not change color, the wood itself will.

? Generally, Maple is more susceptible to changes than Oak because it is lighter.

? Maple’s natural colour variation is from nearly white to slightly reddish brown, whereas Oak varies from brown to very dark brown.

EXAMPLE OF UV EXPOSURE

The picture below is a facsimile to illustrate the tested effect of 24, 175 and 400 hours of UV exposure equal to that experienced at noon, on a finished maple door