WORKMANSHIP & DEFECT ASSESSMENT STANDARD

Version 1.0
Effective date: 18 June 2026
Supported by ARKCode

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Summary

This standard explains how ARK Project Limited assesses reported workmanship issues, visible imperfections, alignment, operation, material variation and damage relating to cabinetry and benchtop work.

It is intended to provide a clear and consistent assessment process.

This standard does not automatically determine every issue and does not override:

• The signed project contract

• The accepted quotation

• Approved drawings and specifications

• Approved material samples

• Manufacturer or supplier instructions

• Applicable New Zealand Standards

• Applicable New Zealand law

Nothing in this standard excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded.

1. Purpose of This Standard

This standard may be used when assessing:

• Cabinet manufacturing workmanship

• Cabinet installation workmanship

• Door and drawer alignment

• Cabinet fixing and stability

• Benchtop installation

• Surface appearance at handover

• Joints and sealants

• Material and pattern variation

• Reported post-installation defects

• Warranty and service requests

Each issue will be assessed according to its cause, project documents, product requirements, site conditions and available evidence.

2. Assessment Order

Where a concern is raised, ARK Project will generally consider the following documents and requirements in this order:

1. Signed project-specific contract

2. Accepted written variations

3. Accepted quotation

4. Approved drawings and specifications

5. Approved material samples and schedules

6. Building consent documents, where applicable

7. Manufacturer and supplier specifications

8. Manufacturer installation instructions

9. This Workmanship & Defect Assessment Standard, where incorporated into the project

10. Relevant New Zealand Standards

11. Relevant MBIE workmanship and tolerance guidance

12. Independent technical advice where reasonably required

A general tolerance does not override a higher or specifically agreed contractual standard.

3. Normal Viewing Conditions

Visual appearance should normally be assessed from an ordinary use position under typical interior lighting.

Unless a different project-specific requirement applies, the normal viewing position is:

• An unobstructed viewing angle of approximately 45 degrees or more

• Uniform and typical indoor lighting

• At least 600 mm from fittings, fixtures and benchtops

• Approximately 600 mm to 1 metre from kitchen and bathroom cabinetry

• From an ordinary standing or normal-use position

The following are not normally suitable as the sole basis for a subjective visual assessment:

• A smartphone flash

• A handheld torch

• Temporary high-output work lights

• Extreme side lighting

• Intense light directed across a surface at a very low angle

• Magnified photographs

• Inspection from an unusually close distance

• Inspection from a position not normally used to view the installed product

An issue visible only under critical lighting is not automatically defective unless the project documents specifically require assessment under those lighting conditions.

This does not prevent the use of close inspection, photographs, measuring tools or additional lighting to investigate a functional, structural, safety or manufacturing concern.

4. General Cabinet Installation Standard

Cabinetry should be installed so that it is:

• Securely fixed

• Stable under normal use

• Reasonably aligned

• Suitable for its intended function

• Installed in accordance with approved drawings

• Installed in accordance with relevant manufacturer requirements

• Free from unreasonable movement or rattling

• Capable of supporting expected normal loads

The following may indicate unacceptable workmanship:

• Loose cabinets

• Cabinets moving under normal use

• Inadequate fixings

• Cabinetry materially inconsistent with approved drawings

• Cabinets that do not reasonably align

• Unsafe wall-hung cabinetry

• Installation that prevents doors or drawers from operating correctly

• Visible installation damage attributable to ARK Project

Existing walls, floors and ceilings may not be perfectly straight, level, square or plumb.

Normal fitting methods may include:

• Levelling

• Packing

• Scribing

• Fillers

• Adjustable cabinet feet

• Flexible sealant

• Reasonable adjustment of cabinet position

5. Door and Drawer Alignment

Unless a different design or manufacturer requirement applies, ARK Project may refer to the following general guidance:

• Paired doors should meet and remain parallel within approximately ±1 mm

• Paired doors should have a visually consistent gap, commonly between approximately 2 mm and 4 mm depending on door thickness, design and hardware

• Paired handles should be within approximately ±1 mm of horizontal

• When closed, adjacent door faces should generally be within approximately ±2 mm of the same plane

• Drawer runners should be parallel and level

• Drawers should not twist, lift or open by themselves under normal conditions

• Doors and drawers should open and close smoothly

• Hinges and runners should not have excessive friction or unreasonable play

• Drawers should stop smoothly at their intended limit

A numerical tolerance is not the only consideration.

Operation, approved design, manufacturer requirements and overall visual consistency will also be considered.

6. Integrated Appliances and Tall Units

Gaps around integrated appliances, tall cabinets and appliance towers may be affected by:

• Manufacturer ventilation requirements

• Appliance door movement

• Hinge mechanisms

• Required installation clearances

• Appliance tolerances

• Adjacent panel thickness

• Approved design details

A universal 3 mm or 4 mm gap does not apply to every appliance or tall unit.

The approved appliance specifications and project drawings take priority.

A gap is not defective merely because it differs from another cabinet gap where the difference is required for appliance operation, ventilation or design.

7. Benchtop Level, Flatness and Installation

Where applicable, ARK Project may refer to the following general guidance:

• A benchtop should be within approximately 2 mm of its specified height in at least one location along its length

• A benchtop should generally be flat within approximately 1.5 mm per metre

• Joints should not have unreasonable lipping

• Benchtop sections should be securely supported

• Joints should be fitted in accordance with manufacturer or fabricator requirements

• Sealed junctions should not leak

• Sealant should be tooled to a reasonably smooth finish

• Benchtops should be suitable for normal intended use

The measurement method, benchtop material, span, substrate, cabinet level and manufacturer specifications will be considered.

A reported issue may require assessment by the benchtop fabricator, supplier or an independent specialist.

8. Surface Condition at Handover

At handover, finished cabinetry and benchtops should not have unreasonable:

• Tool marks

• Scratches

• Dents

• Chips

• Stains

• Adhesive residue

• Manufacturing damage

• Installation damage

The issue must be assessed from the normal viewing position unless it also affects:

• Safety

• Function

• Durability

• Hygiene

• Structural integrity

• Product performance

Damage occurring after handover is not automatically an ARK Project defect.

However, later-visible damage or failure may still be a defect where it resulted from:

• Faulty manufacture

• Faulty installation

• An underlying material defect

• Premature product failure

• Another matter for which ARK Project is responsible

9. Natural and Manufactured Material Variation

Materials may contain normal variation in:

• Colour

• Tone

• Grain

• Pattern

• Texture

• Particle distribution

• Gloss

• Reflectivity

• Veining

• Surface appearance

This may apply to:

• Timber

• Timber veneer

• Woodgrain panels

• Decorative boards

• Laminate

• Engineered stone

• Quartz surfaces

• Composite surfaces

• Other manufactured or natural materials

Variations must be assessed against:

• The approved sample

• Supplier information

• Product range characteristics

• Batch information

• Manufacturer tolerances

• The reasonable expectations created by the quotation and material description

A variation is not automatically acceptable merely because the material is described as natural or manufactured.

Material that is materially different from the approved product, colour, specification or reasonable product range may require further assessment.

10. Engineered Stone and Quartz Variation

Engineered stone and quartz surfaces are manufactured products and may contain variations between slabs, batches and samples.

Depending on the product, normal characteristics may include:

• Non-uniform vein patterns

• Variation in particle distribution

• Minor shade differences

• Changes in pattern direction

• Differences between showroom samples and full slabs

• Pattern interruption at joints

• Variation between separate slabs

The supplier’s product description, approved sample, slab information and technical documentation will be considered.

Variation caused by the normal composition or manufacture of the selected product is not automatically defective.

11. Pattern and Grain Matching

Perfect continuation of grain, vein or pattern cannot always be achieved across:

• Benchtop joints

• Waterfall ends

• Internal corners

• External corners

• L-shaped layouts

• U-shaped layouts

• Islands

• Splashbacks

• Multiple slabs

• Separate doors and panels

Pattern continuity depends on:

• Available slab or sheet size

• Cutting position

• Material yield

• Vein direction

• Structural requirements

• Joint position

• Fabrication limits

• Approved design

Continuous pattern or book matching is included only where expressly stated in the approved quotation, drawing or specification.

Where pattern matching is not expressly included, a reasonable interruption or directional change is not automatically defective.

12. Benchtop Joints and Joint Colour

Benchtop joints should be:

• Properly supported

• Tightly fitted as reasonably achievable

• Installed according to fabricator or manufacturer requirements

• Free from unreasonable lipping

• Adequately filled

• Reasonably smooth

• Suitable for normal use

Joint adhesive, epoxy, resin or sealant may not perfectly match the surrounding benchtop.

A slight difference in:

• Colour

• Tone

• Gloss

• Reflectivity

• Appearance under different lighting

is not automatically defective.

The following may require corrective work:

• Clearly unsuitable joint colour

• Incomplete filling

• Open holes or voids

• Loose joint material

• Unreasonable lipping

• Rough or unfinished joint surfaces

• Cracking caused by defective installation

• Leaking joints

• Joints not completed in accordance with applicable fabrication requirements

No universal ΔE colour value applies unless it is stated in the relevant supplier, manufacturer or project specification.

13. Sealant, Caulking and Finishing Beads

Flexible sealant or caulking may be used at:

• Benchtop-to-wall junctions

• Splashback junctions

• Toe-kick edges

• Cabinet-to-wall gaps

• Ceiling scribes

• Wall scribes

• Movement joints

• Other finishing junctions

Acceptable workmanship generally requires sealant to be:

• Adequately bonded

• Neatly tooled

• Reasonably smooth

• Suitable for the intended location

• Applied without excessive smearing

• Capable of performing its intended sealing function

Minor variation in bead width or colour may be unavoidable because of existing wall, floor or ceiling conditions.

Minor shrinkage or movement may occur over time and may require maintenance.

The following may require corrective work:

• Open or unsealed junctions where sealing is required

• Significant gaps that should reasonably have been filled or scribed

• Loose or failed sealant shortly after installation

• Excessive smearing

• Visibly incomplete areas

• Sealant that leaks

• A clearly unsuitable colour where a closer reasonable match was available

• Application inconsistent with the approved specification

14. Normal Wear, Maintenance and Damage

The following are not automatically manufacturing or installation defects where they occur through normal use or external causes:

• Minor scratches occurring after handover

• Scuff marks

• Impact damage

• Gradual gloss reduction

• Routine hinge movement

• Routine drawer adjustment

• Ordinary ageing of sealant

• Damage caused by other contractors

• Damage caused by incorrect cleaning

• Damage caused by misuse

• Damage caused by building movement outside ARK Project’s work

• Damage caused by accidental impact

The age of the product, intensity of use, maintenance, material type and cause of the issue will be considered.

Premature deterioration despite correct use and maintenance may still be a defect.

15. Moisture, Heat, Steam and Chemical Damage

Damage is not excluded merely because it involves water, heat, steam or chemicals.

The cause must be assessed.

Damage may not be covered where it was caused by:

• An external plumbing leak

• Prolonged standing water

• Failure to wipe spills

• Inadequate ventilation

• Direct steam discharge

• Direct contact with hot cookware

• Bleach

• Strong acids

• Abrasive cleaners

• Solvents

• Unsuitable cleaning products

• Failure to follow reasonable care instructions

However, the issue may still be a covered defect where it resulted from:

• Defective edge banding

• Defective sealing

• Unsuitable materials supplied by ARK Project

• Defective manufacture

• Defective installation

• Incorrect product specification

• Another matter for which ARK Project is responsible

Only the damage caused by the excluded event may be excluded.

16. Door and Drawer Adjustment

Cabinet doors and drawers may require adjustment during initial settling and use.

Routine alignment adjustment arising from normal initial settling is provided free of charge during the first 180 days after practical completion.

After 180 days, routine maintenance or adjustment may incur a service charge.

No service charge will apply where the issue is confirmed to be:

• A covered manufacturing defect

• A covered installation defect

• A covered hardware failure

• Premature failure

• A matter ARK Project is required to remedy under applicable New Zealand law

The 180-day adjustment service does not replace or reduce the ARK Project 10-Year Warranty.

17. Existing Building Conditions

Renovation work is installed into an existing building, which may include:

• Uneven walls

• Out-of-level floors

• Non-square corners

• Bowed walls

• Uneven ceilings

• Existing settlement

• Existing surface damage

• Inconsistent dimensions

An exact new-build finish may not always be reasonably achievable where new cabinetry meets an existing structure.

ARK Project may use reasonable fitting methods such as fillers, scribes, packing, levelling and sealant.

Where a known existing condition will materially affect the finish, it should be recorded in the quotation, drawing, variation or project record where reasonably practicable.

ARK Project remains responsible for its own work, including connections and junctions within its agreed scope.

18. ARKCode and Assessment Evidence

Where available and applicable, assessment may refer to:

• ARKCode project records

• Approved drawings

• Approved materials

• Production information

• Installation photographs

• Installation notes

• Handover records

• Service history

• Customer photographs and videos

• Material technical data sheets

• Supplier certificates

• Manufacturer instructions

• Site measurements

• Inspection records

Not every ARKCode record will contain every category of information.

ARKCode supports the assessment process but does not automatically prove that an item is or is not defective.

19. Assessment Outcomes

After assessment, ARK Project may classify the issue as:

Covered Defect

A defect attributable to ARK-supplied materials, manufacturing, installation or another matter for which ARK Project is responsible.

Outstanding Completion Item

Work included in the project scope that remains incomplete.

Routine Adjustment or Maintenance

An issue that does not result from defective manufacture or installation and is part of normal adjustment or maintenance.

Supplier or Manufacturer Matter

A product issue requiring assessment under a supplier, manufacturer or fabricator warranty.

Third-Party or External Damage

Damage caused by another contractor, occupant, building condition or event outside ARK Project’s responsibility.

No Defect Identified

The product or work complies with the applicable project documents, product requirements and reasonable workmanship criteria.

Further Investigation Required

An issue requiring specialist assessment, testing, supplier review or an independent opinion.

20. Remedy

Where a covered defect or incomplete item is confirmed, ARK Project may provide an appropriate remedy, including:

• Adjustment

• Repair

• Rework

• Replacement of an affected component

• Completion of outstanding work

• Assistance with a supplier or manufacturer claim

• Another remedy required under applicable New Zealand law

The remedy will depend on:

• The nature of the issue

• The seriousness of the issue

• Product availability

• Whether repair is reasonably effective

• Supplier involvement

• Site access

• Applicable legal obligations

21. Review of a Disputed Assessment

If the customer disagrees with an assessment, the customer should provide:

• A clear description of the disputed issue

• Photographs or video

• Relevant measurements

• The outcome requested

• Any relevant manufacturer or technical information

ARK Project may:

• Reinspect the item

• Review additional project records

• Consult the supplier or manufacturer

• Request an independent technical assessment

• Propose another reasonable resolution process

The parties should attempt to resolve the issue in good faith.

Nothing in this section prevents either party from using a dispute process, tribunal, court, adjudication process or other remedy available under New Zealand law.

22. Completion Acknowledgement

A Completion Acknowledgement may record:

• The apparent completion status

• Visible outstanding items

• Initial adjustments

• Documents provided

• Care and maintenance information

• Handover photographs

Signing or approving a Completion Acknowledgement does not mean the customer:

• Accepts hidden defects

• Waives warranty rights

• Waives statutory rights

• Accepts work not completed within the agreed scope

• Releases ARK Project from its obligations

23. Statutory Rights

This standard is an assessment tool and does not replace applicable New Zealand law.

Nothing in this standard excludes, restricts or modifies rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded under:

• Consumer Guarantees Act 1993

• Fair Trading Act 1986

• Building Act 2004

• Construction Contracts Act 2002, where applicable

• Other applicable New Zealand law

24. Contact

For workmanship concerns, defect assessments or ARKCode support:

ARK Project Limited
Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand

Email: hello@arkproject.co.nz
Phone: +64 21 041 0188