A painting contractor just completed the finish work on all the trim and interior doors in a high-end spec home I am building. All the material is knotty alder with a natural finish - a natural Minwax stain followed by sprayed lacquer. For the most part, the trim looks fine. I and the general contractor are not happy with the doors, however, as they came out looking very spotchy in most cases. The general contractor said he has installed thousands of knotty alder doors over the last 20 years and has never seen finish work turn out as bad as these. The trim is from one millwork shop; the doors from another. Trim is solid material. Doors are two-panel with engineered stiles and rails. The door panels are solid tongue and groove.
Problem is what to do now. We used the same doors with the same finish applied in the same way by the same painting contractor a couple years ago, and the result was beautiful. The job foreman with the painting contractor claims there is nothing he could have done or can do now to make the doors look better. He claims that using a conditioner on a soft wood like alder wouldn't have made a difference. He thinks the door manufacturer may have used a different grade of sandpaper this time vs those installed in the last or that that the glue used to apply the 1/8" veneer to the stiles and rails may have leached into the veneer from the rear and caused the natural stain to penetrate unevenly. The door manufacturer hasn't been brought into the conversation as yet.
Help. Do we strip the doors, sand the doors, buy new doors and start over, or what?
Thanks very much for any assistance. I love your site.