# kitchen cabinet finishing



## klr650 (Apr 4, 2010)

While I might not have done them this way, my kitchen cabinets are done circa-1960 style. I actually like the way it looks in a nostalgic kind of way, however one of the problems I have with them in general is that they sit right over things that tend to spew steam and grease - like the oven or the rice cooker. Now for the oven the exhaust flue is a natural, but that won't work for the rice cooker. So in general i find that my cabinet doors look like heck after a year or so, cracking, stained, heat damaged.

Barring, refinishing them every year or so, are there clear finish options available that will stand up to conditions likely seen in the kitchen? Would that finish be damaged by scrubbing or cleaners?

Here's an example of a damaged finish from the rice cooker:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

There isn't a specific finish that is better than another when dealing with the conditions you describe. It's a common problem. What would help is to use a film finish and have a sufficient build that can be cleaned with just water and mild detergents. Finishes, like oil base varnishes or polyurethane, lacquer, or waterbase polyurethane. 












 







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## klr650 (Apr 4, 2010)

Alright, fair enough.


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## TGRANT (Jan 25, 2011)

I finished a bathroom vanity cabinet with three coats of marine spar varnish 7 years ago and it still looks fine. The varnish stands up to all the bathroom junk including ammonia based cleaners. Varnish can also be scuff sanded and a light re-coating applied. I’ve heard that is not possible with polyurethane (never use it). I have a kitchen table that I built 20 years ago, finished with varnish as above and it has had two re-coatings. It looks great (except for the Exacto knife cuts from the sixth grade science project that is). I am rebuilding my kitchen cabinets even as we speak, and plan on using the varnish.


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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

TGRANT said:


> I finished a bathroom vanity cabinet with three coats of marine spar varnish 7 years ago and it still looks fine. The varnish stands up to all the bathroom junk including ammonia based cleaners. Varnish can also be scuff sanded and a light re-coating applied. I’ve heard that is not possible with polyurethane (never use it). I have a kitchen table that I built 20 years ago, finished with varnish as above and it has had two re-coatings. It looks great (except for the Exacto knife cuts from the sixth grade science project that is). I am rebuilding my kitchen cabinets even as we speak, and plan on using the varnish.



+1 on the spar, i use it alot, good protection long lasting, inside and out.
i like the man-o-war satin. nice stuff not the easiest to spray, but ive perfected it.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Spar varnish isn't recommended for indoor use (don't yell at me...it says so on the label). I wouldn't use it on indoor furniture or fixtures. It doesn't dry that hard, and takes a long time to cure completely, could be weeks. 

For this type of application, I would go with a topcoat that dries hard and fast. I've never used a spar, that has the durability of an indoor oil base varnish. I would put my money on a catalyzed water base polyurethane over an oil based varnish, or lacquer for that matter, for this application.












 







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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

cabinetman said:


> Spar varnish isn't recommended for indoor use (don't yell at me...it says so on the label). I wouldn't use it on indoor furniture or fixtures. It doesn't dry that hard, and takes a long time to cure completely, could be weeks.
> 
> For this type of application, I would go with a topcoat that dries hard and fast. I've never used a spar, that has the durability of an indoor oil base varnish. I would put my money on a catalyzed water base polyurethane over an oil based varnish, or lacquer for that matter, for this application.
> 
> ...


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

jack warner said:


> ill take a spar over any water product. a harder finish will chip when dented, and turn white when it starts cracking. a spar will not. the recomendation on the can is for liability issues, and has nothing to do with the durability of the product. though for an amiture spar's are more difficult to work with. just my 30+ yrs of proffesional finishing.


Have you ever used a waterbase polyurethane?












 







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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

yes water poly, water lacquer, water urithane, water epoxy. sometimes i have to due to job specs. there are advantages of water based stuff. quicker dry, recoat, most of them are easier to work with. but......imo durability still goes to oil base products.


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## TGRANT (Jan 25, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> Spar varnish isn't recommended for indoor use (don't yell at me...it says so on the label).


 

That’s interesting about the spar varnish. I’ve never noticed the disclaimer on the label, and I’ve been using it for tabletops that need to be water and alcohol resistant for about 30 years, and the furniture I still have looks fine. I never used polyurethane - perhaps I’m missing out on a good product - but I’ve always read it ages a bit like plexiglas, that is over the years the finish gets cloudy from multiple scratches. Also the timing for additional coats during the finishing process is fussy. Thus I’ve avoided it. Varnish doesn’t seem to do that. But I guess we are getting off topic.

KLR 650: As you can see there are a number of opinions about finishing, and they are all correct. It gets to be a matter of likes and dislikes.

By the way, the house I grew up in, built in 1957, had kitchen cabinets finished with shellac. My mom waxed them twice a year with Johnson and Johnson paste wax, and they looked as good when my parents sold the house in 1987 as they did when they were built. Shellac is not supposed to be that durable…








 






 


.[/QUOTE]


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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

TGRANT said:


> That’s interesting about the spar varnish. I’ve never noticed the disclaimer on the label, and I’ve been using it for tabletops that need to be water and alcohol resistant for about 30 years, and the furniture I still have looks fine. I never used polyurethane - perhaps I’m missing out on a good product - but I’ve always read it ages a bit like plexiglas, that is over the years the finish gets cloudy from multiple scratches. Also the timing for additional coats during the finishing process is fussy. Thus I’ve avoided it. Varnish doesn’t seem to do that. But I guess we are getting off topic.
> 
> KLR 650: As you can see there are a number of opinions about finishing, and they are all correct. It gets to be a matter of likes and dislikes.
> 
> ...


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## klr650 (Apr 4, 2010)

I'll play around a bit and see what I like. They're kitchen cabinets, and simple ones at that - so I can experiment without doing any damage.

I have a poly on them now, but the original was varnish. I usually use poly because it doesn't turn your finishing room (garage in my case) into a toxic waste dump nor does it require near perfect atmospheric conditions to dry. I'm in Seattle, so high humidity, low temps, and chance of rain are a factor in the finishes I choose.


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## TGRANT (Jan 25, 2011)

jack warner said:


> TGRANT said:
> 
> 
> > what spar varnish do you use. i like man-o-war satin. ive also been using it on furniture for over 30 yrs, thats only when a film finish is necessary.
> ...


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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

if i dont get a good dose of varnish at least once a week my body goes into withdrawal's. lol


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