Custom Cabinet Finishes

Classic paint color samples can be seen here >>

How we do it
Painting a door, wainscotting, or any part with frame and panel, requires pre-painting. To do the job right, we paint before the component is assembled. Otherwise, paint can "bridge" between the panel and frame, and over time and seasonal changes, creating tear lines due to natural wood movement. We paint the completed panel, and, once dry, the panels are brought back to the appropriate team, assembled, and worked as needed.

On top of the finely sanded bare wood, a catalyzed and tinted vinyl sealer is painstakingly sprayed. Pieces are then rolled into our oven, and baked for twenty minutes at 130˚.

Out of the oven and allowed to cool, the parts are hand sanded with an ultrafine grit sandpaper, and then rubbed with a tack cloth to remove the smallest traces of dust.

A second catalyzed and tinted vinyl sealer coat is carefully applied and provides the solid coverage of your chosen color. The parts are then once again rolled back into our oven, for more critical baking at 130˚. Cooled parts are again hand sanded with an ultrafine grit sandpaper, and rubbed with a tack cloth.

Our talented sprayers then apply the top clearcoat, using our catalyzed conversion varnish. The final step to this beautiful finish is one more trip to the oven, where the parts will bake and the essential cross-linking will occur between coats.

Milk Paint
Milk Paint is a hand-brushed finish that starts as a pigmented powder made from natural materials; milk protein, lime, earth pigments, and clay fillers. The formula dates back to ancient Egypt, and up until the 1800's, was not commercially available. (You made your own!)

The Milk Paint color chart can be seen here > >

Burnishing is an option with Milk Paint. (Note: Pine comes standard in burnished only.) Essentially, burnishing is precision sanding of the top color to reveal some of the undercoat. Burnishing can enhance your Milk Paint kitchen by giving you an option to have a contrasting color show through. If you prefer, even use one of our stains as the base coat. Burnished or not, your cabinetry is still given our tough-as-nails finish as described below.

How we do it
We start by hand mixing the powder with water to get the desired consistency, and, using a brush, begin to paint.

Milk painting a door, wainscotting, or any part with frame and panel, requires more steps. To do the job right, we paint before the component is assembled. Otherwise, paint can "bridge" between the panel and frame, and over time and seasonal changes, creating tear lines due to natural wood movement. We paint the completed panel, and brush the inside edges of the stiles and rails that make up the frame. Once dry, the parts are brought back to the appropriate team, assembled, and worked as needed.

When the entire kitchen has been hand brushed and dried, we spray the sealer coat with our catalyzed varnish. Into the oven it goes, for twenty minutes at 130˚.

Once cooled, the parts are hand sanded with an ultrafine grit sandpaper, and then rubbed with a tack cloth to remove the smallest traces of dust.

Next, it's back to the spray booth, where our skilled sprayers apply the topcoat, using our catalyzed conversion varnish. All freshly topcoated pieces head back to the oven, for another twenty minute baking at 130˚. This final baking is equally critical, as it promotes the cross-linking between the sealer and topcoat. This is not a process that can be duplicated by any local cabinetmaker!

Other finish options:

• Unfinished - Perhaps you've always dreamed of your ultimate kitchen arriving, a blank slate for you to express yourself artistically. Our custom cabinetry is available in an unfinished state, sanded with a fine grit paper, ready for you or your painter to explore your creativity. Furthermore, you may choose a stain grade, or a paint grade selection of lumber for your cabinetry. Or, of course, a mixture of both!
  
  Note: Most interior components, unless ordered otherwise, will arrive finished. (Drawer boxes, cutlery dividers, etc. If your cabinetry has interior roll-out shelves, the boxes will be finished, but the attached fronts to those will be unfinished)

• Primed - As you know, achieving a beautiful finish requires a proper base. To that end, we offer a way for you to still be creative, while saving you time and money with our Primed finish. All necessary parts will be sprayed with a white primer, and your cabinetry will arrive ready for your finish painting at your discretion.

• Glazed - To the most discerning eye, only a Glazed finish will do. It's the visual interaction between the base color and the Glaze itself that creates a depth and patina unlike any other. Glazing is accomplished using a specially formulated stain, and is carefully rubbed on top of the chosen base color, be it stain or paint (note: not all paint can be glazed. Please discuss options with your designer), prior to sealing the part with our catalyzed varnish. Our Glaze is offered in three choices: Van Dyke, Toffee, and White.

• Distressed - A well-worn interpretation is handsomely achieved with our Distressed finish. Available either with Milk Paint or stain, our skilled finishers ensure parts are adequately, yet carefully, advanced in years. Popular in many period style homes.