Finishing cherry kitchen cabinets

[Jesse Thornton]

Oy vey!
With so many options and so many conflicting opinions on wood finishing, I often walk away from my research feeling more befuddled than I was when I started!
I'm nearly finished building a set of cherry kitchen cabinets, and the finishing stage is rapidly approaching. Prior to this I've only used cherry in much smaller projects, and of the finishes I used on those I actually liked the results I got with Tried and True original oil the best. However, given that T&T is probably less than ideal for a kitchen environment, what kind of finish could give me a similar look and feel, but be more appropriate for the setting? Aside from the nice natural aesthetic of the T&T, it being so easy to apply and free from nasty fumes is very appealing to me.
I'm very green as far as finishing is concerned. From what I've been reading, I was thinking of experimenting with a coat of BLO (T&T or otherwise), followed by a coat of dewaxed shellac, and then perhaps some kind of lacquer or poly over that??? But really, I'm lost in the woods.
I don't have the equipment or the proper space (or the experience) for a sprayed on finish. I'm also not interested in staining the cherry at all, preferring to leave that to time and sunshine.
Please throw as many ideas/opinions/experiences my way as you like!
Thanks heaps,

[Dick Latshaw]

I just finished (heh) a cherry kitchen table with one coat of BLO followed by multiple coats of Waterlox Original. Looks good to me. Try some on a board and see what you think.

[Steve Schoene]

Dick's schedule is a good one. Most kitchens these days are finished a little less glossy than the Original/Sealer but Waterlox has a Satin that you could use for the last coat or two if you don't like the gloss.

[Jesse Thornton]

Thanks, guys. I read some good things about waterlox somewhere and was thinking of trying that out too. I think I'm just going to have to buy a variety of finishes and try out some different combination, as the quality of results are inevitably a subjective affair.
Does anyone else want to weigh in on pros/cons of waterlox, or suggest alternatives? Would the coating of shellac be pointless if I was to use waterlox over blo? What other clear topcoats offer good protection and longevity without appearing plastic-like?
Also, does anyone have an opinion on this product (the clear version of 'A'), and how it might compare to straight blo?
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,190,42942

Your insights are appreciated,

[Steve Schoene]

You don't need the shellac between BLO and Waterlox. I'd give the BLO plenty of time to cure before the Waterlox. For that matter, you won't see much difference, if any at all, if you leave out the BLO step when you are using an oil based varnish such as Waterlox. It's important under a waterborne varnish however.

[Larry Fox]

Jesse, I am no experty but I recently found myself at a similar decision point. Link to results below.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=50336

If you like the result I might be able to help.

Waterlox is definitely good stuff but I would look into whether or not it will be durable enough in a kitchen environment. There whatever you put in will be exposed to spills, cleaners, heat, steam etc.

Do you have the necessary setup to spray?

[Jesse Thornton]

Larry,
I don't have the set up for spraying, but I would be interested in hearing your methods nonetheless.
Thanks,

[Ed Falis]

Thanks, guys. I read some good things about waterlox somewhere and was thinking of trying that out too. I think I'm just going to have to buy a variety of finishes and try out some different combination, as the quality of results are inevitably a subjective affair.
Does anyone else want to weigh in on pros/cons of waterlox, or suggest alternatives? Would the coating of shellac be pointless if I was to use waterlox over blo? What other clear topcoats offer good protection and longevity without appearing plastic-like?
Also, does anyone have an opinion on this product (the clear version of 'A'), and how it might compare to straight blo?
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,190,42942

Your insights are appreciated,

I'm not too experienced either. I'm building cabinets with birch ply boxes and plyboo (bamboo) exposed parts. We experimented with a mix of this http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,190,42942 and its sealer to make a satin finish, and it looks good, so I think we're going with it for the show parts. Simple water based poly for the box insides and outsides (to lower the stink potential).

I know it's not the most durable finish and will require maintenance.

[Larry Fox]

Larry,
I don't have the set up for spraying, but I would be interested in hearing your methods nonetheless.
Thanks,

Jesse, the schedule I used was;

1) Sand to 220
2) 2x coats of pale dewaxed shellac from Homestead finishing sanding with 320 between coats. This dod a couple of things for me. First, it avoided my having to pre-raise the grain for my top-coats and. Second, it gave the cherry a nice warm undertone and 3) it sealed the end-grain that was exposed on the stiles and the profile of the panels.
3) 2x coats of Garnet Red WB shellac from TargetCoatings for color. I likely could have achieved the same result by tinting the alcohol shellac and saved myself two coats but the golden red gave the result I was looking for so I used it.
4) 3x coats of WB pre-cat conversion varnish from Target.

[Thom Higgins]

I'm building my kitchen cabinets out of White Oak and the finishing process I've come up with is this;

3-4 coats of waterlox because you don't have to sand between coats. After allowing it to dry well I sand off any nubbies and wipe on two good coats of McCloskeys spar varnish thinned down with turpentine. After allowing that to dry well I lighty go over it with Rottenstone first on a block and then buff the residue off with a buffer. Gives you a very nice hand rubbled look.

My reasons for doing it this way is the Waterlox is really forgiving to work with, builds nicely, and bonds well with other top coats. The McCloskey is harder to work with, but is an excellent top coat from a water and abuse standpoint. The Waterlox alone will just disapear at the floor level over time.

The magic for me is it looks like the varnish of old, and as there is minimal sanding is quite quick. My cabinets have a lot of mouldings, and sanding them well is a royal pain.

I will also warn you that Cherry will initially darken nicley but if it is in constant sun it will reverse and bleach out. I built two exterior doors that face east under a porch and discovered this to my unhappiness.

Good luck

[Bill Reed]

I just completed a set of cherry cabinets on which I used a wiping varnish made with 1/2 glossy polyurethane varnish and 1/2 mineral spirits. Just pour it on, wipe it over the surface with a small cloth, wait a few (very few) minutes and wipe off with a clean, lint-free cloth. Don't let it get too dry and sticky. If you do let it dry too much to wipe off, just apply a little fresh varnish and wipe immediately. Let dry an hour or two depending on the temperature, rub lightly with fine steel wool, clean surface, and reapply. I would recommend a minimum of 4 or 5 coats. You can put several coats on in a day. You will not believe how quick and easy this is to do until you try it. What I like best about this technique is that dust is absolutely not a factor, since the surface is dry and non-sticky after wiping, so dust won't stick. It produces a beautiful satin finish with a hand-rubbed look that is extremely durable and water resistant because it is polyurethane. I personally wouldn't fool with shellac or lacquer for a kitchen because of durability issues. Having tried wiping varnish, I will never again try to brush or spray on a finish again.

[Joe Chritz]

Testing a variety of finishes is a good idea.

May I suggest starting with two or three coats of waterlox original and one of satin. After that you may find you don't need or want to test anything else.

I love it on maple and cherry.

Although depending on how many doors you need to do this could be a good time to get some spray gear. Cabinets are time consuming to finish even spraying everything. If you have a compressor you can get into it for less than $200.

Good luck


Joe

[Jesse Thornton]

Thanks for all your suggestions! In addition to reading your responses, I been spending hours scouring old forum posts here and on other sites, and it seems that no matter how many times Waterlox comes up, nobody has anything bad to say about it - which can't be said for just about any other type of product I've looked into. Unfortunately no one sells it here in Saskatchewan so it costs about $50 to have it shipped, but I bit the bullet and a couple of gallons are on the way.
If the multitude of endorsements I've been reading hold true, I think it might be just the type finish I'm aiming for. Now my anxiety about finishing has given way to eagerness to try this stuff out.
In the meantime, I'd better get back to sanding!

[Ed Falis]

Best wishes with it. I don't think you're going to go wrong.