Expert: Greg Scholl - 12/23/2010

Question
I am having custom kitchen cabinets done and have chosen an eggshell finish and a brown glaze over it. I have a designer friend who is doing the glazing as it is an artistic finish and is working with the cabinet maker. He is going green and uses a water based lacquer for the base coat but she uses an oil based glaze due to working times. She says the finish coat must be oil based for curing and in fact thinks the base coat would be a richer look and more durable  if all layers were oil based as well even though they are not green products.- he says it can be a water based catalyzed varnish. I just want the most durable long lasting finish I can ask for  Please help!

Answer
Hi Terri, This is a loaded topic as the multitude of finishes on the market is dizzying. Compound that with the fact that the entire wood finishing Industry has been going through a huge transformation due to low VOC Federal regulations, which have forced the Industry to re-engineer wood finishing as we know it.The Europeans have led the way for the most part as their regulations have always been tighter than ours when it comes to the environment. It sounds like your cabinet guy is on top of this, as the state of the art is the new generation of waterborne (NOT water based, there is a difference) finishes, catalyzed urethanes, Whey based, oxygen coalescing, and Aluminum Oxide finishes are some examples.I could write a few pages on this change, and the way it transforming our industry.Cabinets like these have always been finished with sprayed on coatings, and almost all of them were not "oil based" as you're describing. They were solvent based coatings, some version of a catalyzed lacquer/varnish or similar, up until about 3 years ago when the chemistry started to change....Many glazes, likely an oil based one as well, are most likely compatible, but a simple contact to the manufacturer would answer that if you were unsure. The kitchen cabinet Industry also has the lead in glazing, staining, shading and toning products,with complete performance and compatibility assured with the newer sealers and clear coats. If she is unsure about how to do her work in such a way as to guarantee compatibility, the finisher and her need to be in close contact regarding products and compatibility.Also these finishes are sprayed on almost universally, even the glazes, toners and other color solutions, and for good reasons. First and foremost, is the smoothest possible resulting finish. It sounds like he has a grasp on it, and as long as they work together and know what each is using...things should go fine, as it will want to be clear coated over the glaze. Hope that helps a little without confusing you further- regards for a warm, happy Holiday season- Greg