# Knotty Alder Kitchen Cabinets - Finish Help



## Dovetails (Jun 8, 2014)

Help please,

We are having the kitchen cabinets redone. Using Knotty Alder. 

Current plan is to brush on a minwax stain (walnut color). But not sure what to do after. What is the best finish to put on, and how should it be applied?

We are considering using a pre-stain sealer before the stain. Thoughts?

We really don't want to mess up the brand new cabinets. Thanks for any advice.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Alder is one of those woods prone to go blotchy so a pre-stain conditioner would be a good idea. Be sure to practice the finish on scrap wood before using anything on the cabinets. 

As far as the finish unless you are set up with the right spray equipment I would probably finish the cabinets with brush grade polyurethane. When you brush a finish use as soft a brush as you can find, perhaps a china bristle or badger brush. Don't get in a hurry and try to put too much on at once. Apply the finish in thin coats with as few brush strokes as you can. The more you brush it the more the brush marks show. Allow ample drying time between coats and lightly sand the finish between coats with 220 grit paper. When you just get started put a coat on thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits. Don't count that as a coat, just a sealer so the actual finish will bond and don't sand it. The sealer coat is too thin to sand.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

*Finishing Alder cabinets.*

Dovetails
Some of the most beautiful cabinets I've seen were made from knotty Alder. Very distinctive cabinetry. Expensive too. 
I assume your building these yourself? 
I would use an oil based stain or a Watco type wiping stain. Finish with either a clear lacquer or polyurethane. 
They make some very durable lacquers. Poly is durable but will chip-out if abused. The lacquer finish will just dent or scratch. It won't chip out. 
Keep in mind, we used to paint cars with lacquer. 
Lacquers need to be sprayed. Although available, I don't like "brushing lacquers" very well. Poly can be sprayed or brushed. 
The natural tone for alder is fairly reddish, but you can take it brown with the right stain. 
Good luck. I bet it will be the show!


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## charlesbabage (Apr 15, 2015)

Well i think also that don't like "brushing lacquers" very well. Poly can be sprayed or brushed.but some time its working


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## Dovetails (Jun 8, 2014)

OK gents. Next question,

The insides are raw cabinet grade plywood. Reckon we need to put finish on the interiors? Can they be left raw? What is the benefit of taking the time to put 2 coats of Brushed on poly on the inside?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The only benefit of finishing the inside of the cabinets is it's easier to keep clean and in the sink area eventually there will be a water leak. The sink area I normally finish with a water resistant finish and caulk the around the side, divider and back so any leaks come out the front. It really helps. I built a kitchen one time out of MDF and when the plumber installed the plumbing he didn't do so good and a neighbor found water coming out the front door of their house. There was a lot of damage to the house but none to the cabinets. 

The problem finishing inside of a cabinet is unless you have the right equipment can be pretty difficult. You really need an airless sprayer or a conventional sprayer and a pressure pot. I prefer a pressure pot. The airless puts out so much volume it's difficult not to have runs. The pressure pot rig sprays more like a regular sprayer except you can turn the gun upside down to spray the underside of shelves.


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## Dovetails (Jun 8, 2014)

if your only option is a brush, is it worth the trouble?


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

When I built my cabinets, I used prefinished birch so there was no finishing involved on the inside of the cabinets. I like that! :thumbsup: :yes:

For the face frames, doors and drawer fronts, we used General Finishes Colonial Maple, followed by a light coat of clear. After a light sanding, a glaze was applied (General Finishes Van ****), then wiped off. Several coats of clear finish was applied to complete the job. All pieces were sprayed with an airless sprayer outside before final assembly. The stain and glaze was applied with either foam brushes or sponge pads.

I hope you find this info helpful.
Mike


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