I'm building some kitchen cabinets for our home and I'm looking for suggestions on finishes. The fronts will be maple. Most of the cabinets will be clear finished but the island will be a dark blue color.
i have a HVLP gun that runs off my compressor but I don't spray very often so I'm looking for something that is "easy" to spray. I'm looking for suggestions on both a clear finish and a pigmented top coat.
For the clear finish:
id like a non-yellowing finish for the maple. Ive used general finishes high performance poly before and it seems to spray nice for me but I'm concerned about the durability on kitchen cabinets. I don't think that product passes the KCMA standards and when I used it on a vanity in a bathroom it isn't holding up as well as I'd have liked for whatever reason. Does GF have another product that is easy to spray and passes KCMA standards? Or maybe one of the Target products? Or some other product?
For or the pigmented finish:
it seems GF makes a pigmented top coat but when I emailed them they said they won't tint it for me. I asked at the paint store I use and the person I talked to said they could tint an outside product but she didn't inspire confidence about tinting something they don't carry. She was also trying to talk me into just using latex so I'm not real confident in that option...
Target makes a product (EM 6500) but again tinting it is an issue. The website says it is compatible with Benjamin Moore tints. We have been looking at Benjamin Moore colors to make a color choice but will a local BM dealer be able to tint to the same color we pick?
how does everyone else tint pigmented top coats?
i one time used a ML Campbell water based pigmented top coat to paint a piece black. I found a local ml Campbell dealer to purchase from. But it looks like ml Campbell has changed their product line so I don't know if the new product (aqualente?) the same as the old product. By the way, painting black was a real pain.... I'm not that good of a painter. I swore never again will I ever do anything in black. But now a dark blue might be just as bad.
Any advise would be appreciated.