Valspar Waterborne Finish for kitchen cabinets?

[Shawn Christ]

I have 2.5 gallons of this in my shop, picked it up at a local retailer on closeout about 3 years ago. I am planning a kitchen cabinet build and am thinking about using this as my topcoat over dewaxed garnet shellac and (possibly) BLO. I sprayed this on a shoe rack a few years ago and it has held up well so far. It also brushed well today on samples. The package says it can be used for cabinets and all interior wood finishing. Does anybody have any concerns? I don't see an expiration date on the can.

[Scott Holmes]

Well a shoe rack will not see the abuse that kitchen cabinets will undoubtly encounter.

Many waterborne finishes are moderate at best for kitchen cabinets. They don't have the water resistance nor the chemical resistance of the oil based varnishes. Kitchen cabinets get a multitude of "stuff" on them... It would be great for the INSIDE of the cabinets.

What wood do you plan to use for the cabinets?

As for the age, if it works well when applied, it should be OK. Assuming the cans have not been opened and the product appears to flow and dry as it is supposed to work. If you are the least bit suspect of it's performance as to drying, etc. don't take the chance for $50 savings. Buy a new can or two...

Again on the INSIDE of the cabinets, it would be fine. An oil based varnish will off gas and have odor lingering for a long time when enclosed.

On the outside, the "money" side of the cabinets I would suggest a quality oil based varnish. Which varnish will depend on a few things I don't know; wood type and final color you want when finished.

[Shawn Christ]

What wood do you plan to use for the cabinets?

On the outside, the "money" side of the cabinets I would suggest a quality oil based varnish. Which varnish will depend on a few things I don't know; wood type and final color you want when finished.

Wood is cherry. Finish will likely be linseed oil, then dewaxed garnet shellac for color, followed by a topcoat. My "shoe" rack is actually more of a boot rack and has seen its share of salt, sand, and water. But no chemicals. And it is only a few years old so I suppose I shouldn't use that as an example. How about the Target EM coatings? I am not set up for lacquer, I have a small basement shop and a moderate compressor. So far I have only sprayed waterborne and shellac. I am willing to try oil-based.

[John TenEyck]

There are several (probably many) WB clearcoats that meet KCMA requirements. To me, that means they will work well for kitchen cabinets. General Finishes, to name one company, makes at least 4 products with KCMA rating. Unless you are set up for spraying solvent based products, I would stick with a WB product. I finished my kitchen cabinets 16 years ago with one of the first consumer WB topcoats, a polyurethane which puts it right down there with pond scum as far as many are concerned. You know what? Those cabinets still look great despite the daily onslaught my wife gives them. That's all the proof I need to know that WB products work for kitchen cabinets.

John

[Scott Holmes]

I'm not sure if Target EM 6000 meets KCMA testing. Didn't see anything on their website. Many on this forum use it and rave about it. I have used it and never had an issue with it. It works well. As a test I used it in the kitchen of my garage apartment about a year ago; still looks new.

[Janne Reeves]

I have used EM 6000 to finish cherry kitchen cabinets, i was having an Earlex HV5000 spray system and for EM 6000 the reviews were not that good. Still i did it and the result was outstanding. My kitchen looks beautiful.

[Jim Becker]

My kitchen was finished with Target Coatings PSL, which is two generations back from the EM6000 sold today. It's only recently showing a need for refinishing...the kitchen was done in 2003. They also have several other water borne finishes that offer different characteristics than the EM6000.

That said, my biggest concern with the Valspar product you have is its age. I do agree with Scott that if you get acceptable results with testing, then it's likely still good. I certainly wouldn't try to use a container that was opened three years ago and only partially used, however. That would be risky, IMHO. Remember, your finish is going to be "very visible" and the better you make it now, the better it will look and the better it will perform. It's not a place to economize for the sake of using up something that's been around for a long time.

[John TenEyck]

I'm not sure if Target EM 6000 meets KCMA testing. Didn't see anything on their website. Many on this forum use it and rave about it. I have used it and never had an issue with it. It works well. As a test I used it in the kitchen of my garage apartment about a year ago; still looks new.

Here's a link to Target's tech data on EM-6000. http://www.targetcoatings.com/images/PDF/EM6000Tech.pdf The discuss KCMA test results but don't actually see the product meets its requirements.

John

[Quinn McCarthy]

SHwan listen to what they are saying about KCMA approved. That finish will never hold up. I have ad great results with both Target and Fuhr line of finish. I used the amber tint finish in both lines for the amber look of oil finish. In the target line it is the EM 2000. That way you don't need to tint the finish for the amber look.

Hope that helps.

Quinn