If you’ve read a few of these posts, you probably know that most of the cabinets that I’m called to rescue are the honey-colored oak cabinets that builders installed in virtually every kitchen in the 90’s. The second most popular type of cabinets that I see are the ones that started life as builder’s oak but were painted over at some point. These cabinets inevitably chip and look worn after 3-5 years.
Painted cabinets showing wear around the handles
So should you be concerned about going with a painted finish on your cabinets?
Well, there is a huge difference between a factory-applied cabinet paint and one that is applied in the home or at a painting contractor’s shop.
The state-of-the-art in terms of finish durability is called a “catalyzed conversion varnish”. The best cabinet manufacturers use this process on their finishing lines and it’s nearly impossible to duplicate outside the controlled environment of a high-end production facility.
“Catalyzed” means that two components of either a clear or tinted finish are mixed together before the product is applied. If you’ve ever worked with a 2-part epoxy, you’re familiar with this process. Once the components have been added together, they begin to cure. The product is applied in several coats using all stainless steel equipment and it cures to an extremely hard, durable finish. From a chemistry perspective, what’s happening is the molecules are forming cross-linked bonds, this results in a very tough, durable finish.
Paints and enamels that are available for non-industrial use cure by evaporation. This is the type of paint that we have all used before. Pigments and solids are suspended in either a water or alkyd (oil) base. When the solvent evaporates, the pigment is left on the surface. Even the highest quality cabinet-specific enamel that can be purchased at a paint store uses this process to cure. The end result is a finish similar to the painted trim on your home. It looks pretty good for awhile, but if people are touching it and opening and closing doors every day, year after year, it will wear and chip.
So if you like the look of painted cabinets, go for it. But resist the temptation to have your existing cabinets painted. Go with factory finish to make sure it will look great for many years to come.
A factory-applied conversion varnish finish ensures these refaced cabinets will look great for years to come