Cabinet Finishes

At Camrose Cabinets we do substantially all of our own finishing work for the cabinets, door and drawer fronts in our shop. The base finishes fall into one of three basic types:

• Stains
• Clear lacquer
• Solid colored lacquer

Stains

Finishing of hardwood and wood veneer components is typically done with a wood stain.  At Camrose Cabinets we have 14 standard stain colors formulated specically for us and all are now in an advanced water base rather than a traditional solvent base.  We are truly leaders in our use of these finishes with few cabinet manufacturers in our region having switched to water based stains.  We feel the quality of the finish is as good, and in many cases superior, to the finish provided by solvent based stains.  We find the color to be very uniform lessening the "blotches" that can arise in the finish; the finish is bright and clear; and it subtley raises the wood grain to bring out highlights but is not overpowering.  The environmental benefits are also very significant eliminating the volatile organice compounds and the numerous negative effects that come with VOCs.

The following table highlights our standard stain colors illustrating the range from very light to very dark finishes (under development)

Clear Lacquer

Clear lacquer is the clear, satin finish applied to protect and enhance the stain finish.  It is also used as a finish coat itself on numerous woods where no stain is applied to simply protect the raw wood.  Hickory, alder, maple, birch, beech and walnut are often finished with a clear lacquer when you simply want to see the natural beauty of the grain and color of the hardwood.

Currently we still use solvent based lacquers with the lowest VOC rating on the market but are actively preparing to make the switch to based clear lacquer as soon as we can ready our operation.

Solid Colored Lacquer

Solid color lacquer looks like a paint finish.  It is available in virtually any color with a relatively straight forward matching system.  You can provide us with any paint swatch from any leading manufacturer and our industrial coating supplier can match this paint color to create a lacquer for us.  Similar to paint, the lacquers come in a variety of gloss finishes from flat to extremely glossy.  As well, the finish can be smooth to a slight texturing with the addition of texture "beads". 

As a general rule, we do not recommend that solid color lacquer be applied to real hardwood doors of 5 piece construction.  The problem that quickly arises is that the finish gets hairline or separation cracks at the joints due to the expansion and contraction of the door or drawer front.  With our wiping application of stains where the stain can seep into crevises, this problem tends to be greatly minimized.  With solid color lacquer it is virtually impossible to avoid.  Whenever possible, we suggest that you use a solid MDF door if you wish to use a solid color lacquer finish.

Accent Finishes

In addition to these base finishes, we have recently introduced "accent" finishes like glazing or distressing that give a more old fashion, antiqued look to the woods.  These finishes can be done with both stained or colored lacquer finishes.  A couple of examples of the accent finishes are shown below. (under development)