Kitchen cabinet fading question...

Local Inspection Issues Florida and SUNachi Inspectors
1

These cabinets are in a Florida home that is 18 years old. They used to be white like the laminate. The same fading happened to the old range and microwave. They do not have sunlight hitting them. House is vacant in the summer with air kept at 80 degrees.

I’m interested in finding out why they fade to a yellowish color.

2

Here are some pictures:

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3

Different materials, Formica and thermofoil?

4

That’s the direction I was thinking, John, but the range and microwave faded substantially, too. The appliances are gone now but maybe they only faded at the plastic parts. I don’t know for sure.

5

Grease

6

Thanks, but, no, that’s not the problem.

7

The doors and the cabinets were not painted with the same material.

Packaged pre finished doors perhaps.

8

No paint…laminate and plastic.

I think John may have it:

I don’t see much in the line of PVC cabinetry but a Google search indicated that the non-fade warranty is about 5 years.
I don’t know how the Florida weather affects that exactly but it seems to speed it up. Plastics all around the home seem yellow when they were once white…intercom…wall phones…stool handles and seats, etc.

9

Since you have no idea why are you eliminating this.
If base is Formica and the doors are a polymer the polymer will fade over time while Formica always retains its color.

Polymers require a catalyst to harden and the surface often retains a certain porosity if not cured properly.

Take a look at any polyester resin (clear) and you will notice a Amber tone.
Learned this while building fiberglass mixed media pieces.

Too sum up plastic is not a totally hard surface.

10

Because I can see/feel that it is not grease.

11

Larry you can not feel deep set staining however perhaps it is to hard for me to explain that to you here.

Will just state I have many plastic items whose color faded with time.Scratch a plastic shower pan and see if you ever get that mark looking new again without sanding.

12

Thanks, Bob.
I just took the door pull off and can see the MDF underneath in the bolt hole, so, as I said, I think John has the material pegged in post 3. The fading/yellowing is obvious…I just don’t understand why it appears to occur faster in the hot humid climates.

13

Possible yellowing from adhesives (vinyl floors, laminate countertops, etc), and/or indoor air pollutants reacting with plastics.

14

Thanks, Robert. I am interested in learning more about the indoor air pollutants reacting with plastics. Someone wondered if spraying for WDI in the wall tubes from the exterior could cause the fading/yellowing. Do you have any links or more information?

15

It can be anything.
You will never know for certain.
last comment is “have you ever poured Sulfiric Acid down a tub drain and ruined the tub finish”?

I have and it sucks but also demonstrates how this stuff can happen in many ways.
I would note staining and move on.

Different materials react in different ways.

16

This is a crazy one I ran across that could be applied to other plastics. Possibly normal aging of plastics due to exposure to oxygen, heat and UV.

17

Good info, thanks…I enjoyed reading Dr. Deanin’s answer and will finish reading the link later.

18

Woah, that is a great article, I will have to come back to it later, there was too much to read all right now.

I have to dig out my SNES now… :slight_smile:

19

What a great thread…One of the reasons INTERNachi is the premier home inspection Organization…

Now I can tell my Father-in-law that he can stop trying to remove the yellow from the Handles on his appliances. He has an obsessive cleaning thing…I don’t want to call it an disorder but close to it. My wife has it too.

:nachi:

20

My apologies, I didn’t indicate that this is not from an inspection. It is of interest because it is a family member’s home.