Kitchen cabinet finish: laquer, or poly, or oil?

If there is an existing thread on this please let me know.

I'm building my own kit cabs - first time project. What are the tradeoffs between laquer/poly/oil? I read on another frum where this guy swore that oil was far superior to the others but was more time consuming to apply. He said Minwax oil dried extremely hard with a high shine. He also said oil was easy to touch up. He claims that poly yellows over time and that laquer doesn't stand up to heavy wear.

Sure appreciate your comments!

Scott Vroom

Take a look at WB products as well. I'm using Target EM6000 (prveviously called USL) on the kitchen I'm building right now. Its gotten excellent reviews from people who've used it. Much more user friendly than oil or solvent-based products.

You would have to use one of the catalyzed lacquers to get the durability you need, normally not recommended for us common folks. The varnishes will yellow over time, but you could use an alkyd/soya varnish (Cabot 800X series, P&L 38, and, I think, Waterlox) and reduce that yellowing factor quite a bit. There is some dispute over the water borne finishes, but I wouldn't be afraid to use a one, coming from the higher quality manufacturers. They dry quickly, spray nicely, and are a who;e ;ot less hazardous than other finishes. The varnish may be more durable, but it dries slowly, is probably going to be brushed or wiped on (spraying can be done...but I won't do it). All this is only my opinion.

Scott - True oils (ie Tung oil or Boiled Linseed Oil) never fully harden or develop a gloss shine. They are an "in the wood" type finish rather than an "on the wood film" type finish. While fine for many applications I would steer clear of them for kitchen cabinets. They offer minimal moisture or abrasion protection. I suspect that the poster on the other site was actually using a wiping varnish marketed as an oil. Ie Antique Oil, Formby's, Tung Oil (not real tung oil) etc. These all have some type of resin in them that will harden to a gloss film with several coats.

For kitchen cabinets my advice is to use a catalyzed lacquer. I'm sure others here will disagree, but I would pick a nice day with a light breeze, open up your garage doors and windows and spray away. Wearing a respirator of course. I do this all the time and get very nice results. Lacquer dries quick enough that minor dust or other airborne contaminents really aren't much of an issue. Just make sure you get max ventillation to prevent fumes from building up and ALWAYS wear your respirator. You'll be fine.


After the lacquer dries rub it out lightly with a piece of brown paper bag wrapped around a foam or felt block for a really smooth finish! Learned this secret from a pro finisher!
Many of the water based finishes are plenty durable, but they don't have the same "warmness" as solvent based and are trickier to spray in my opinion.

Kim, thanks for the helpful comments. I'm in the early stages of setting up a shop and have not purchased any finishing equipment yet. What is the best equipment to apply a catalyzed lacquer? Can you recommend brands/models to get me started on the research? Many thanks!

Scott

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Originally Posted by Matt Meiser

Take a look at WB products as well. I'm using Target EM6000 (prveviously called USL) on the kitchen I'm building right now. Its gotten excellent reviews from people who've used it. Much more user friendly than oil or solvent-based products.

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Matt, thanks. Is EM6000 a white tint base waterbase lacquer? Is it available in clear satin?

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Originally Posted by scott vroom

Matt, thanks. Is EM6000 a white tint base waterbase lacquer? Is it available in clear satin?

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Yes, its clear or can be tinted. I'm using clear satin myself. Love the results and its pretty easy to spray.

I'm using water based poly on the cabinet interiors, applied with a brush (if using a good brush and practice a little on technique, it will lay flat without brush marks). This stuff can be applied every 2 hours and is decent enough to use. I finished the interiors before cabinet assembly - much easier.

I'm using a wipe on poly gel for the exteriors. This stuff takes 24 hours between coats, so it's not a good way to go if you need to do it quickly. But, it's easy to apply, requires little sanding in between coats, if any, and is pretty immune to dust. It's also about the easiest way to get an even stain that I found.

Were I to do it again, I would probably go for a sprayer and use the least toxic water based spray finish I could find.

I would use a mixture of equal parts of mineral spirits, polyurethane, and tung oil.Wipe it on with a rag. It dries quickly and 3-4 coats will give you good durabilty in the kitchen.

Hi Scott,

Not long ago I went through the same thing you are going through. I was interested in using a catalyzed lacquer. However, in my area (So Cal) no one would sell a solvent base cat lacquer without a spray booth lic/cert. So, I went with General Finishes, water base Enduro Pre-Cat Urethane, and their pre-cat sanding sealer. I have sprayed it on a bathroom vanity, and I am going to use it on my Kitchen soon. Thus far, I am really happy with their finishes. Check out their web page. Check out Target Coatings page as well. I liked the General Finishes because I can buy it locally.

In addition, I used their oil base stain. I did not like their water base stain.

Sam

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Originally Posted by scott vroom

Kim, thanks for the helpful comments. I'm in the early stages of setting up a shop and have not purchased any finishing equipment yet. What is the best equipment to apply a catalyzed lacquer? Can you recommend brands/models to get me started on the research? Many thanks!

Scott

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Magna clear or Magna Max from ML campbell. I use a 4 stage hvlp turbine. It does a fine job.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scott vroom

Kim, thanks for the helpful comments. I'm in the early stages of setting up a shop and have not purchased any finishing equipment yet. What is the best equipment to apply a catalyzed lacquer? Can you recommend brands/models to get me started on the research? Many thanks!

Scott

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Hi Scott.

Regarding spray guns....In my opinion the Gravity Feed guns give the best bang for the buck.....assuming you have a decent sized compressor. I use a Kremlin Gravity Feed gun. Not sure of the specific model. I run it with a Dewalt D55168 15 Gallon compressor. This is a decent setup if you're not spraying all day every day. If you'll be doing a lot of kitchens I'd look for a bigger compressor. This one cycles quite a bit when spraying....and its LOUD.

A good place to start if you're looking for a gun is Homestead Finishing. This is Jeff Jewitt's site. Jeff is considered one of the premier finishers around right now, and has authored some of the best finishing books. I haven't purchased from his site, but others here have been very impressed with his helpfulness and advice.

As far as lacquer goes, I'll second Andy's recommendation for Magna clear or Magna Max from ML Campbell. Hood Finishing sells some nice lacquers too.

Hope this helps.