Cabinet Wood Finishes To Dazzle

Cabinet Wood Finishes to Dazzle and Delight.

Trying to find what you want on the internet is often very frustrating. For instance Wikipedia has the most boring and useless entry on cabinet wood finishes EVER. I know what my clients want to see when they look up cabinet wood finishes. They are not looking for just things like wax, shellac, lacquer, varnish oil or polyurethane on wood.

They want to see them, yes. But they also want to see new ideas.  Clients want to know if there is anything else they might be missing.

Guess What? I’m about to do that. Why? ‘Cause at I&E we care and we want to make your buying experience as informed as possible. The more you know before you choose your cabinets the happier you will be a month, a year, 10 years later. That is our goal.

Before I begin I want to explain some differences in what Cabinet Wood Finish and Cabinet Wood Material means. It is confusing. Obvious to me is the fact that the finish is really going to change how the wood looks. Also things like vintage chic treatments are the final look for all intents and purposes and are going to be pretty much sealed with the same looking thing. So why isn’t the vintage chic called the wood finish you ask!? If professionals would speak “client” then it would be. That is the answer. But it is not. Cabinet Wood Finishes are the absolute last thing put on the cabinet material no matter what it is. Whatever the cabinet is made of – no matter how cool or how much it defines the look of the cabinet – is the material. Next you put paint, fine. The absolute last coat of something – THAT is the finish.

Now, Wikipedia has you covered on the wood finishes wax, shellac, lacquer, varnish oil and polyurethane definitions. Just remember that there are a LOT of different shellacs and lacquers, etc. Wikipedia has a great chart and they really lay it out on the waterproof properties of the different main groups.

Before you get to Wood Finishes, it is the Cabinet LOOK that you really are after.

Before you get caught up in the finish. You really should pick the LOOK. Only certain materials are going to give you the look you want. Remember – every look has its drawbacks and its advantages.

The type of wood and how you arrange it is the real beginning.  Oak? Bamboo?  You have to decide that before you even get to the stain. That is the LOOK really. You love the really swirly grain or those tiny holes?

There are an endless variety of stains and glazes to choose from after that. Dark to light, super shiny to not so super shiny. Yellows and browns in all the different families of colors are available in stains.

Of course there is the standard matte paint, and high gloss paint – I have to throw that in there. You can go with Foil, glass inlays, and more. There is also vintage chic and other really cool styles, too. Then just finish it with a good seal.

You do it in this Order: Look, Material, Finish

1. Pick the LOOK.

2. Pick the Cabinet Material that will give the LOOK.

3. Review the properties of the Material and make sure you are actually okay with them. How waterproof are they? How scratch proof? Lifespan? etc.

4. NOW worry about the wood finishes available for that material with the look you have chosen (and the lighting!) you will be using. Make sure the finish you choose is good for that material and its properties are good for the area you are using it in (kitchen counter, etc).

Voila! Man, I love lists.

Contact us. Our Representatives have endless ideas for woods, stains, looks, and finishes to fit your ideas and bring your dreams to life!

Why Wait? You deserve it!