Ex #2 had a "lower upper end" cabinet shop do her custom kithcen cabinets - A&C/Mission style in oak, ply with oak face frame - naturally. The price was in the $300-350 per lineal foot - upper and lower cabinets.
She was a picture framer and the daughter of a furniture restorer / refinisher/ finisher - from the old German school. Now science says we can only distinguish 16 shades of gray, she can see 4 or 5 times that number.
The cabinet finisher had to make three tries at the color she wanted, the fourth was "acceptable".
Well the cabinets were delivered and the right color - but the workmanship was, let's just say, "not the best quality" and the construction was wrong on the cabinets where you'd see their ends. But the kicker was the finish.
The oak ply hadn't been sanded at all on the insides of the cabinets that have 6 light doors and on the visible faces of some of the cabinets and doors. Then there's the finish
- which looked like it was sprayed in the outfeed of a dust collector. "Nibs" would not be a suitable term for what was sticking out of the finish - small chunks would be closer.
The guy from the cabinet shop agreed to repair the finish "in place" and made the mistake of telling her he'd just steel wool the rough spots and lemon oil and wax them.
She went ballistic. Steel wool on a very opened grained wood like oak wouldn't be a good idea. And wax and lemon oil isn't much of a finish and gabs dust and crap like a magnet.
"Oh no - these cabinets are finished with a very tough "coumpound vinyl", new and normally only used on very high end furniture."
So I went looking for info on the net about "compound vinyl finishes". Turns out there is a "catalyzed vinyl" finish - sort of a vinyl version catalyzed lacquer.
Anyone know anything about "catalyzed vinyl" finish or anyone have actual experience with it ?
charlie b