painted cabinets on site or pre-finished?

[Actor123]

Hi all:

Can anyone provide some guidance on a problem I'm having. I'm redoing basically every cabinet in the house (kitchen, bathrooms, etc.). I am going with a high quality maple cabinet, and want it finished in an antique white paint with perhaps a glaze. Right now, I am attempting to decide between completely custom, built and painted on site cabinets, and pre-finished, custom cabinets. The prefinished cabinets are dura supreme, which are measured on site, then built in a factory in Minnesota. I'm in california.

Because we are going to be using a painted finished, which chips and scratches easily, I am extremely concerned about durability. I am hearing completely different things from different people. Some say that pre-finished is the only way to go because they can apply various chemicals in minnesota that they can't in California, and these chemicals protect the finish a lot more. These people also say that pre-finished cabinets can have a "baked on finish" that you just cannot get with on-site application no matter what state you are in.

On the other side of the coin, the custom guys say that the whole "you can't apply such and such a chemical in California"-thing is an urban legend, and they are promising that they can make as durable a paint finish as I can possibly find with a pre-finished model.

Putting aside the entire custom vs. non-custom debates, as far as finished go, does anyone know the truth? Are there in fact things that are being done in out-of-state cabinets that can't or aren't done on in-state cabinets?

[RayV]

post this question in rec.woodworking to get opinions from the pros.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Is it 1970 again?

I don't think it is quite an urban myth, but the local guys may be able to give you a good finish. California has some of the toughest laws on volatile organic compounds and has a lot of restrictions on spraying finishes, chemicals that may be carcinogens, and a bunch of other issue. Surely theguys telling you this must have samples for you to look at and decide if it meets your needs.

OTOH, if a finish is that fragile, do you really want it on your cabinets? Looks aside when new, what will they look like in 5 years?

[<aemeijers]

In my experience, a factory finish will always be smoother, harder, and more durable, than anything you can apply in the field. If special-order custom cabinets can be made to fit your needs, I&#39;d go that way. If I Really Wanted local artisan-built custom built-ins, I&#39;d go with some other finish that can be field applied, like a stain and sealer. It won&#39;t have the gloss or dirt resistance of a shiny factory finish, but can still look great. There are very few shiny or satin field-applied finishes that look good, IMHO. YMMV, of course.

aem sends...

[Cabinets Galore]

use solid stain NOT paint

stain does not crack like paint does

"baked on finish" what a crock

the best finishes are hand rubbed it can be done in a factory or on site.

[scott21230]

I also recommend staining and varnishing. Do not paint new wood!