Expert: Greg Scholl - 1/28/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi Greg;
I've made the faces of my kitchen cabinets from red oak trees which were once in my front yard. These were cut more than 10 years ago. I'm ready to finish them and don't like the stains I'm finding at my local hardware store. I tried just rubbing a piece with teak oil and kinda like the way it looks but don't know about the rest of the finishing process, urethane, varnish, or what. Any suggestions?

ANSWER: Hey Lance, that's a really loaded question, as there are many ways to finish a cabinet...and all will yield slightly different looks and levels of protection, and all will entail different levels of skill, application methods, and knowledge. Oil finish on Oak will leave the grain pores "open", and yield a softer natural look, and offer medium protection, with the ability to add more coats down the road.They are the easiest to apply, and I like the WaterLox Tung oil products. Film finishes, (lacquers, poly's, varnishes, urethanes), are available in many variations, waterborne, catalyzed, oil based, solvent based, etc., and most are applied best with spray equipment, but some are brushable, or "wipe on", these will offer a little more protection but for the ultimate protection we're talking catalyzed lacquers, varnishes, and Urethanes.These are component finishes that "crosslink" in a chemical reaction when curing, to produce the ultimate in durability, but can't easily be repaired or recoated.Virtually all modern cabinet/office furniture finishes are catalyzed, but the waterborne products are coming into much more use nowadays, because of newer Federal VOC regulations, and advances in the chemistry and coatings technology....some of these finishes are even quick cured with ultraviolet light.So it will depend a lot on your finishing "chops", and I would suggest experimenting on some scraps to arrive at a finishing schedule that you can pull off, and a trip to the local Home center to take a close look at the available finishes from the major companies, to see what you like, or don't....hope that helps a little- -post back if need be- regards- Greg

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Wow!
  Sounds like I should try to narrow this down. I've been playing with a polyurethane semi on a raw surface to keep it light. I sand with 220 grit wipe with alcohol and apply with a sponge brush. a couple coats seems to look OK. I want to keep it simple without needing special equipment but don't want to limit myself to only this finish. How are lacquers and varnishes different than what I,m playing with. Also I've noticed that the oak has these open grain sections, should I fill these? Lance  

Answer
Oak does have a very open pore structure, and filling the grain is a difficult job on a whole kitchen. A filler and/or a sanding sealer can help fill the grain in various amounts depending on the look desired, and the amount of work one's willing to put into the project, as this adds several more steps to the finish.. It's one of the characteristics of the wood, and a reason that one would choose or not choose Oak. Lacquers are quick drying, light straw in color, and have a range of sealers, toners, and other specialty products that make them ideal for many jobs, but conventional lacquers will not stand up to the harsh environment of a kitchen. Catalyzed lacquers and varnishes were developed for use in these environments, and are two part crosslinking, extremely durable, and water resistant finishes. They need knowledge, skill, and professional spray equipment to apply, however, which keeps them out of the range of the novice finisher.Waterborne Acrylic Urethanes are the lightest in color of all the surface film finishes..and the newer technologies have made these finishes an excellent choice..they dry quickly like lacquers, are quite durable depending on the individual product, and can produce a beautiful finish.Oil based varnishes and polyurethanes dry slowly, and the consumer versions of these products are not typically tough enough to stand up to the kitchen environment...they also bond to the previous coats mechanically, meaning each applied coat is a separate film layer...unlike the others we've mentioned, which chemically "burn into" the previous layer and form essentially a single, thicker film. There are more professional polyurethanes that would do well for you, like the General products, because they dry slower they tend to level out well, and are easier to produce a Pro looking finish with...one of my favorites is the General Satin Gel Urethane, which is super easy to apply and levels out beautifully with no sanding between coats..it also fills the grain better than most urethanes because it's consistency is like pudding, and when applied with a pad, gets pushed into the grain...however, doing a whole kitchen full of cabinets will take developing a technique with the product because of it's unique Gel form and the need to apply thin coats.The other option is Waterlox, an oil/varnish hybrid, that is the easiest of all the finishes to apply...I love this stuff..but only for certain applications. The more coats you apply, the more it will "build"...and there are a few variations on the product- gloss level- build level- etc. Poke around on the website for lots of info...read about it here:

http://www.waterlox.com/desktopmodules/fathomecom/catalog/category.aspx?tabid=42


http://www.generalfinishes.com/finishes/oil-base-finishes/oilbase.htm

Both can be found at WoodCraft stores and online- regards- Greg