Cabinet & Wardrobe Handover Defects
The Carpentry Snag List Before You Pay (2026)

When to check: before the final payment

Carpentry is usually the last trade in a renovation and the last big payment. That is the moment your leverage is highest: once the balance is paid, the installer has little reason to come back for a door that drifts or a drawer that drops. Check when everything is fitted, cleaned and the protective film is off, and before you sign the handover. The renovation payment schedule guide explains why the last payment should follow the snag list, not come before it.

This guide is the carpentry part of a renovation handover. The whole-house list, from paint to plumbing, is in the renovation handover snag list. If you would rather have someone else do the checking, our defect inspection service covers renovation handovers as well as new homes.

What to have in hand

Bring three things: the signed drawing or 3D view, the itemised quotation, and a torch. The drawing tells you where each door, drawer and shelf should be. The quotation tells you the board, the door finish and the hardware you paid for. The torch lets you see inside carcasses and along edges. Note each item by its position, for example "wardrobe, master bedroom, second door from the left". The checklist tool lets you record each snag room by room.

The carpentry check at a glance

Doors: line, gaps and hinges

Close every door and look along the run from the side. Fronts should sit in one plane with even gaps between them and along the top and bottom. A door that sits proud, drops at one corner or touches its neighbour usually needs its hinge adjusting, which takes the installer minutes on the day. A door that will not adjust may have a loose hinge plate, a hinge cup drilled in the wrong place or a warped panel; those need a new door.

Open each door fully. It should not hit a wall, a light, the hood or another door, and handles should not clash. Soft-close hinges should close gently from every angle. Tall wardrobe doors deserve extra attention: a slight bow in a tall panel shows as a gap at the top or bottom that adjustment will not close.

Drawers and runners

Pull every drawer right out and push it back, first empty and then with a few items in it. It should run smoothly, stay level and close fully without bouncing open. A drawer that runs open by itself usually means the carcass is not level; a drawer that drops at the front can mean the runners are not fixed square. The drawer runner guide explains the difference between runner types, which matters if the quotation named a full-extension or soft-close runner and you can feel a basic one.

Edges, banding and exposed board

Edge banding is the strip that covers the raw edge of each board. Run a finger along every visible edge, especially around the sink, the hob, the bottom of tall doors and the shelf fronts. It should be flush, firmly stuck and continuous. Lifting corners, gaps where two strips meet, and raw board showing at cut-outs let moisture in, and the board swells from there. The edge banding guide explains why edges fail first in a Malaysian kitchen.

Look at every face in raking light for scratches, chips, glue lines and colour that does not match between panels. Inside the carcass, look for unfinished cut edges and screw heads that have split the board.

Fixing to the wall, level and scribing

Pull gently on the bottom edge of each wall cabinet and the top of each tall unit. Nothing should move. Look along the base run and the worktop for a level line, and along the junction with the wall and ceiling for gaps. Filler panels should be scribed to the wall rather than leaving a visible gap. A base cabinet that rocks or a worktop that dips at one end points to levelling that was rushed; the cabinet installation guide sets out what the installer should have done.

Sink base, hob and sealing

Run the tap, fill the sink and let it drain, then wipe the trap, the waste pipe and the hoses with a dry tissue. Look at the sink cabinet floor: cut-outs for pipes should be sealed, and the panel should be dry. Check the silicone along the back of the worktop, around the sink and at the hob cut-out. It should be continuous, sit in the joint and not be smeared across the surface. Where the developer supplied the kitchen rather than your contractor, the kitchen defects at VP guide applies instead.

Wardrobe checks: sliding doors, rails and back panels

Slide each wardrobe door along its full travel. It should run quietly, stay on the track and close against the side panel without a gap. Doors that jump the track, drag or leave a tapered gap usually need the track levelled or the rollers adjusted. Load the hanging rail with a few hangers and check it does not bend or pull from its brackets. Mirror doors should be firmly bonded at the edges.

On an outer wall or a wall shared with a bathroom, look at the back panel with a torch. A damp smell or marks on a brand-new back panel are a warning; the mouldy wardrobe guide explains why ventilation gaps matter.

Does it match the quotation?

Carpentry disputes often come down to what was quoted. Check the board on a cut edge or inside a carcass, the door finish, the hinge and runner brand, and every accessory listed: pull-out baskets, internal drawers, lights, handles. Ask for the board grade in writing if the quotation named one; the board grades guide explains the labels. Items quoted but missing go on the snag list just like defects.

What it costs to fix later

If the installer will not come back, these are ClickBina's published indicative 2026 Klang Valley figures for the usual carpentry fixes:

Write the snag list with locations and send it to the contractor before the final payment. If they will not rectify, the contractor won't fix guide covers your next steps.

How ClickBina helps with carpentry handovers

We check renovation handovers across KL & Selangor, open every door and drawer, test the sink and seals, compare what is fitted with the quotation, and write up a snag list you can hand to your contractor. ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for defect rectification, whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination, so hinge, runner, track and sealing repairs can be carried out by our team if the installer does not return. WhatsApp us your unit type, size and handover date for an inspection quote. We reply within the hour, we are registered with SSM, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges. For repair work, a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina cabinet door replacement guide — hinge, runner and carcass rebuild prices.
• ClickBina wardrobe repair guide — the sliding track price.
• ClickBina silicone resealing and under-sink leak guides — sealing and trap prices.
• ClickBina cabinet installation, edge banding and drawer runner guides — what a sound installation looks like.

Methodology: checks are simple owner checks at handover. Snag-or-normal guidance is qualitative; no gap, level or alignment tolerance is given because none is published on the pages above. Prices are ClickBina indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges. This is not legal advice.