Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/kitchen cabinets

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Expert: - 6/29/2011


Question
Greg:  2 years ago we had our kitchen remodeled, the cabinet builder put a thin white paint on the cabinets and baked them in a paint booth, I am assuming it is a lacquer paint.  They are chipping and cracking now how do I fix it without starting all over??

Answer
Hi Patie, there's likely no way to fix them. Lacquer is not paint...usually the pigment coat would be applied, and then the cabinets would be clear coated with multiple coats to add depth, and durability to the finish. There's NO way for me to know what he did...but you should contact him and find out. Todays cabinet finishes usually come with a 20+ year guarantee, and there are a lot of people out there who think they know how to finish cabinets.....this is the end result, a finish that starts to deteriorate in 1-2 years......not acceptable in my mind.He could have used a conventional furniture lacquer, that is not recommended for cabinets...it's a common mistake, and will NOT stand up to the challenging environment of a kitchen.Todays kitchen cabinet finishes (of the last 20+ years), are catalyzed lacquers or conversion varnishes, or catalyzed Acrylic urethanes...all very tough and durable finishes, but tricky to apply for the novice finisher...my guess is that he does not know about the industries finishing practices, and just applied something inferior to get the job done...and he owes you a solution in my opinion.Feel free to post back, and even show him this response if you think it will help get the truth out of him.Very few cabinet makers would have, or have access to, a paint booth that bakes on a finish...did he do the finishing or farm them out to someone??...you need to get at the bottom of the issue to know where to point the finger, and from whom to seek the remedy...as I think you deserve one, and if he handled the finishing, he needs to work for you to arrive at a solution. Please feel free to post back- regards- Greg

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks

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Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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