Cabinet Finishes. From Crackle To Wax.

Cabinet finishes are as wide ranging as the cabinet styles themselves. Any ideas you have for the finish can be accomplished.

The most popular finishes are:
• Polyurethane
• Lacquer
• Shellac
• Conversion Finishes
• Paints and Glazes
• Stains

Let's start with the most basic, polyurethane. Polyurethane is either water or oil based. It's applied directly to the wood in a minimum of three coats. The professionals spray on the finish to eliminate brush strokes. If a hand applied finish is what your after, brushing works just as well. This finish is very tough and the preferred top coat.

Painting is another option. Painting is done on the less expensive woods for obvious reasons. Why pay top dollar just to cover it up with paint. Softwoods such as Poplar and Aspen are great for painting because they accept the finish very well. But softwoods dent easily are not as long lived under heavy use.

A variation of painting is a crackle finish. This is a good way to get an old, distressed look in new cabinetry. This cabinet finish is made by staining the wood a darker color and applying a crackle finish medium such as Elmer's glue. Painting is then done on top of the glue and the surface crackles as it dries. The top coat is polyurethane.

Staining is a very popular cabinet finish. Taking a less expensive wood and staining it to match a more expensive wood is a cost effective way of getting the look you want. Without the higher price tag . It doesn't always have to be a less expensive wood, just a personal choice on what color palette fits your tastes. The stain is then top coated with polyurethane to protect the surfaces.

Glazes are yet another option. Glazes can be applied over paint or stain to achieve the desired results. Glazes come in all colors and is really only a thinned down paint. Glaze is wiped on and then off to get the desired color, and can be done several times to get the effect you're looking for. This finish can be opaque to just enough to color the wood. This is one way to artificially age the surface. Once again it's top coated with poly.

Paste waxes are an old world finish and not used very often today. There are may other ways to get a tougher finish, and make it look like paste wax. Wax is light brown in color and when it gets into cracks it darkens them. Waxes also require a great deal of maintenance.

Another type is laminate. Laminate is a "picture" of wood applied over an MDF substrate. This is only found on the lower end cabinets.

A distressed finish is yet another option. This is where chains, picks, and any other tool really, can be used to artificially age the cabinets. This is a good way to get an older look while still having new materials. A glaze is then rubbed into the imperfections to highlight them. Old world meets new, with this technique.

Any combination's of the finishes above can be combined to further enhance the options in the finishing of your cabinets the only thing limiting you, is your imagination.