JFII Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 Suggestions for steps to finish kitchen cabinet doors using oak as the frame and Maple as the panel. The stiles and rails are all cut (mitered) and with dado for panel and biscuit slots have been cut. They have been dry fitted I will be using neutral stain with some pecan mixed in. The maple panels are all cut and have been finished with 8 coats of satin clear lacquer (from a spray can) and look great. I did a test and stained a couple of the frames and glued and assembled with the panels I did get some swell around joints which was correctable but may not have been if they were also poly'd My main concern is the build up of poly around or possible mistakes (sanding, bleed or seepage) to the panels if I glue up first. I think this is my only choice or to find somewhere that can spray them for me but this an buying a couple of cases of spray don't seem financially viable or practical. Hints, tips, tricks, sound advise or good jokes welcome 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 Are you avoiding the spray job yourself because of space limitations, or lack of equipment? You can certainly purchase an inexpensive HVLP rig for less than a couple cases of spray cans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 A lot of people have started out with this HVLP unit. Earlex-HV5500-Spray-Station Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted July 25, 2021 Report Share Posted July 25, 2021 Put a seal coat on the panels before assembly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFII Posted August 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 I used many coat of lacquer on the panels is that considered a seal coat or is there more i should do? I am trying to keep the panels as light (white) as possible. The maple had some nice "features" I don't know the reflective nature of some woods like maple is called but i was able to get a sheet with some of it and another with a bit less . Lacquer I learned (the hard way) was the only way to keep the maple from darkening. I brushed on the first coats of lacquer to build it up sanded it out then sprayed the rest. Besides the idea of waxing the oak stiles and rails was also considering using Tung oil or a mixture / thinned version of it (maybe with linseed IDK). I am experimenting on couple of shelves before I commit. I think I am just tired of smelling poly and want to try and learn some other ways to finish till someone writes no no don't do that. All comments are welcome and help me learn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 Hhhhmmm...if you don't care for the smell of poly, I wouldn't recommend boiled linseed oil. Smells even worse, IMO, and seems to off-gas for months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 Have you considered using a hard wax oil product like Osmo Polyx-Oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFII Posted August 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2021 I was considering wax. I will look into Osmo you suggested. I have presses forward with Tung Oil. It has no effect on the lacquered panels as long as wipe it off quickly and buffing blends it right away. This save me the time of taping all the panels. I will probable wax when i am done to seal of the Tung which i don't seem to mind. I look into the wax Mark J suggested or use a good carnauba - i like the way it smells. I like this thanks Mike J Polyx-Oils are made of natural oils (sunflower, soybean and thistle) and waxes (carnauba and candelilla) plus a bit of low-odor, benzene-free solvent. Once dry, the clear satin finish is food safe and appropriate for children's toys. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip sabwa Posted August 27, 2021 Report Share Posted August 27, 2021 (edited) I think this might be be helpful when it comes to using poly : Why you Should Polyurethane your Painted Cabinets Edited August 27, 2021 by wtnhighlander Removed unauthorized link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFII Posted August 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2021 I get the Poly importance especially in a kitchen. The are a bunch of factors I didn't want to use poly on the doors. I put 7 or 8 coats on the drawer fronts. Sanding most of it back trying to get the bubbles out of the finish and they look very nice. Except they look a bit plastic to me, manufactured. But very nice. I learned a few things making such simple drawer fronts. I learned maybe I should have used a sanding sealer and maybe I would not have to put so many coats on - maybe. Maybe I should have just thinned out the coats and would not have gotten bubbles or they would have dissipated - probably. The twist is I set out to put a lot of coats on. I had painted a couple of car as a kid and it was always about the finish having depth. But what i am learning is the wood has its own depth. But there is a need for poly. But I also learned that poly will change the color of curly white maple or turn any white maple amber (well it will give an amber hue to anything). Learning this was a sad thing. I lost 2 sheets of maple that i had chosen by continually checking stock at 4 different locations over the course of several months. Yes yes shame on me. But i learned. So now my project has become an experiment of different finishes. With focus on making them look the same to anyone who is not a woodworker. In a few months or years I will know if the advertisement is true or not - by keeping it as real as possible sans poly. (well maybe just a little on one door above the stove) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JFII Posted September 5, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted September 5, 2021 I do not have any equipment to spray except a window fan and a respirator. Before I sprayed the maple sheets i put on 4 coats of brush / wipe on lacquer to get a base built up and sanded coat 3 and 4. leaving nearly zero marks sanded starting with 320 to 400 to 600. I let these coats dry for several hours. When I sprayed I spayed from a can with a handle attachment that has a trigger. It worked great until I noticed 1 drip in the center of the panel. this was unnoticeable until I lightly sanded between every 3 light coats. I sprayed the 3 coats not waiting any time between the first and second and waiting 5 minutes for the third. the coats seemed to have flashed as i was spraying - the spay width on a can is very narrow. I waited an hour or two lightly sanded and shot the next 3 putting the last coat on a bit heavier (by slowing down the sweep) sanded and this time I put the last 2 on heavier I had 2' x 4' sheets of maple veneer spraying 1 sheet at a time. The first 2 sheets (I thought i would only need 2 ) I used Daft lacquer products. I could not have been happier considering with how it turned out. I did not sand the final coat although i should have. the 3rd sheet because I cut 2 panels wrong (they were cut right just the grain would have been going left to right. I used the same method above except I have bought the last of the Daft satin spray so I bought Minwax wipe / brush on and clear satin spray . Although the Daft product was not clear in the can it looked thick milky off white but it produced a very clear satin finish - the Minwax did not the Minwax looks cloudy and obscures the grain. When I first saw this when I was done I thought it was overspray or that I did not give the lacquer long enough between each light coat so I wait as the instructions specified and the result was the same. This was for doors i had cut wrong but were in your face upper doors. So I recut 2 larger bottom doors to fit the upper cabinet doors and used this panel for the less noticed bottom side doors. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehmet Posted September 6, 2021 Report Share Posted September 6, 2021 It's an honor to follow. Apparently, things aren't too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drbwwing Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Future reference, Polyacrylic and the Target Coatings water based lacquers will not yellow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFII Posted September 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2021 I read that and there is a lot to be said about water based finishes. Discussion - why are we still using oil based finishes. Has anyone here been using water based exclusively? I have read they are not as durable. Is that true? Does adding a coat or two make them as durable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 22, 2021 Report Share Posted September 22, 2021 On 9/21/2021 at 8:35 PM, JFII said: I read that and there is a lot to be said about water based finishes. Discussion - why are we still using oil based finishes. Has anyone here been using water based exclusively? I have read they are not as durable. Is that true? Does adding a coat or two make them as durable? Great question(s)! I use water based exclusively except on outdoor projects. My indoor go to is a coat or two of General Finishes ARS , followed by 3-4 coats of GF High Performance satin Topcoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 22, 2021 Report Share Posted September 22, 2021 @JFII, my experience is limited to a couple of brands, but each type has its place. For most applications without added color, I prefer the warm amber tone that an oil based finish provides. I also appreciate the linger working time,since I can't spray. For top coating over a colored finish, stain or paint, I like General Finishes High Performance satin. It goes on easily, levels nicely, and dries quickly. Water borne finishes like High Performance are generally more 'clear', and don't affect thebase color much. As for durability, I think they are pretty close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFII Posted October 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2021 OK what about durability of water based poly vs oil based. Or other oil / solvent based products like lacquer which does have a water based option. What about Tung I don't think it has a water based option. BTW 1) on comparing products The DAFT Lacquer products went on smoother (sprayed or brushed) especially when brushing even though the DEFT brush able lacquer (satin) dam near look like thick milk but dried with a good satin sheen and showed off the underlying wood grain better that the Minwax products which were more opaque. 2) Purdy colored brush in my case a blue one started to leach out the blue color at first rinse and continue leaching color even after several rinses. Don't bother wasting your thinner Purdy will only refund the brush not the thinner you wasted Topic? contact adhesives 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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