The joinery warranty layers (2y / 1y / 1y)
Joinery comes with three overlapping warranties — 2 years on the structural carcassing, 1 year on installation, 1 year on hardware and fittings. Each runs from the joinery sign-off.
Bespoke joinery comes with three overlapping warranties — 2 years on structural carcassing, 1 year on installation, 1 year on hardware and fittings. Each runs from sign-off on the joinery.
What's covered for how long
- Structural carcassing — 2 years. The cabinet bodies, structural elements, and frame of bespoke pieces. Defects in fabrication or materials, manufacturing flaws, structural failure.
- Installation — 1 year. The way the items were installed on site — alignment, fixing, hanging, levelling. This overlaps with your builder's workmanship warranty for items the builder installed; for items the Joinery Partner installed directly, the joinery installation warranty is the primary route.
- Hardware and fittings — 1 year. Hinges, runners, handles, soft-close mechanisms, lighting integrated into the joinery.
How the clock starts
All three start when you sign off on the joinery — which is when the snagging is cleared and the 10% final milestone is released. Sign-off on the joinery is separate from sign-off on the build, though they often happen close together.
Wear and tear isn't covered
Like any warranty, this isn't insurance against normal use. Doors that wear over decades, drawer runners that need adjustment after years of daily use, finishes that weather — these are normal life of the items, not warranty claims.
How to claim
Tell your build advisor. They'll route the claim to the Joinery Partner. The article Joinery snagging in practice covers the operational shape of post-handover joinery issues; the warranty path runs through the same channel.
Watch the boundary between manufacture and installation
The two-year warranty on structural carcassing applies to the joinery as fabricated. The one-year installation warranty applies to the way the items were fitted on site. Note that a Joinery Partner is unlikely to honour warranty claims for defects resulting from installation carried out by a third party such as your builder. Keep that boundary in mind when you're working out which warranty applies and who you're raising the claim with.
When the Joinery Partner can't honour the warranty
If a Joinery Partner leaves the network or goes out of business during a warranty period, similar protections apply to those that cover builder warranties under the network backstop. The article When Beams covers costs covers the principle; the specifics for joinery work the same way.
What this means for you
Think of joinery as having a longer warranty profile than the build itself in places — particularly the structural carcassing. Keep records of the items you have, the supplier (your Joinery Partner), and the sign-off date. If something goes wrong inside the warranty windows, those records make the claim straightforward.
Related articles
- How a joinery project runs alongside your build
- The 12-month workmanship warranty
- Joinery snagging in practice