All wood is a product of nature. While each wood type grows best in specific conditions, nature provides differences which are critical to the growing soil and weather conditions will have their effect on grain patterns and color.
The beauty of real wood is created by the infinite variation of grain, texture, and color. This is especially true of hardwood and hardwood veneers; hardwoods are particularly noted for their variety in graining. It is the nature of hardwoods to have mineral streaks (dark brown to black areas in the wood) and great variation in graining. Since the number of mineral streaks varies from board to board, you may notice differences between cabinets, doors, drawers, or even on the same panel. Mineral streaks or unusual graining are considered to be characteristic of natural wood and will not be considered to be a defect or reason for replacement. No special emphasis is made to select materials to match each other.
All color characteristics of wood will change as it ages. This will gradually change the color of the wood and stain. The amount and rate of the change will depend on many factors, including wood type, stain color, and the amount of direct sunlight. In addition, exposure to smoke, chemicals, and man-made light may, over time, cause some materials to vary from their original color.
While this softening of the color is not noticeable day to day, it will make a difference over an extended period of time. This is why cabinets or accessories added at a later date may not exactly match previously installed cabinetry. For the same reason, door samples or displays may not represent the exact color of cabinets you receive.
Due to these natural and environmental factors, you will understand why Lily Ann Cabinets cannot be responsible for naturally occurring changes experienced by the wood in your cabinets.
Please be aware that wood expands and contracts. This natural process will create open joints in the finish. An open joint line is not considered a defect and it is widely accepted in the kitchen cabinetry industry. The finish will still protect the surface, and the structural integrity of the joint will not be affected. These issues are shared by every manufacturer of painted all wood cabinets, and are not unique to the Lily Ann Cabinets company.
Wood may expand and contract differently from cabinet to cabinet. Even joints within the same cabinet may behave differently. Some joined wood may not show any joint lines, others may be slightly visible, while others may display easily visible joint lines.