Have you ever seen kitchen cabinet doors with a dark mealy looking area around the cabinet handles that no matter how hard you try you cannot get clean? That is not dirt. It is a Lacquer or other chemically volatile finish gone bad due to a change in its chemical composition from interaction with common household chemicals. The first thing a homeowner uses to clean dirt and grime from around the cabinet handles is their general household cleaner. Whether it is 409, Fantastic, or a generic brand, the active ingredient in household cleaners is ammonia. Ammonia and Lacquer do not get along. The ammonia chemically interacts with the Lacquer, changing its chemical makeup from a hard protective covering into a soft gummy substance that catches all the dirt and grime thereafter. Lacquer also reacts with many of the mild acids (vinegar) found in a kitchen.

I was not exaggerating when I started in business back in 1977 when I told clients that I would put my kids through college by replacing all the junk (cabinets with lacquer finishes) installed by all the local builders.

All the specs say all finishes yellow with time, even the better Sherwin Williams finishes. If so, then why should you worry about yellowing? It is all in the context: the speed and degree to which different finishes will yellow. The better non-yellowing finishes on the chart provided will never come close to the same degree of yellowing shown in the weaker finishes! And the weaker finishes yellow fast!

Real Life Yellowing Example

Ever since I started business, I’ve only used Conversion Varnish on my own cabinets, or have bought cabinets from manufacturers whose specs clearly showed they only used conversion varnish.

One manufacturer out of Wisconsin, Design Line, was one such company. In the mid 1980’s, I used Design Line cabinets for a client in Del Mar who lived 1 ½ blocks from the beach. It was a white washed maple door and all seemed to go well until one day, less than five months after installation, I got an alarming phone call from the client saying their white cabinets had turned a dull yellow beige. My first reaction was utter disbelief, thinking that cannot be. I had used conversion varnish finish hundreds of times with no yellowing. I told the client I would be there the next day to investigate; she was not exaggerating. The cabinets looked awful, but when you opened the doors and looked at their backs, they were still as white as they were the day they went in.

As soon as I got back to my office I got on the phone to Design Line to ask them how this happened. Here is what I was told: “Our specifications do state we use conversion varnish, but they also state clearly that we have the right to change specifications at any time, without prior written notice” (a common clause in all manufacturer specifications). I was then told they had stopped using conversion varnish 18 months prior and had switched to Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer, which they felt strongly was a superior finish. When I asked about yellowing and replacing the doors, they stated that they were not responsible because all finishes yellow with time.

When I told the client this she asked what we could do to remedy the problem. See an attorney? I replied that it could take years to collect the money, and I doubted the company would even be in business long enough to collect. They were obviously very stupid and ignorant if they thought Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer is better than Conversion Varnish. I was right — they were out of business in just a couple years later.

I told the client I would take care of the problem. I stripped and refinished the cabinets with Conversion Varnish that we both thought she was initially getting. That is how I run my business. I stand behind what I say. She was another happy client again. Fortunately for both of us, I know how to do that and have the resources to do it. Most cabinet showrooms may not.

My experience has been that it will take finishes like Conversion Varnish more than 20 years to reach its maximum yellowing, and that yellowing will be far less than what Lacquer or the other yellowing finishes on the chart yellow within only a few months of UV exposure.

More specifically Nitrocellulose Lacquer, either solvent based or the newer Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) compliant water based acrylic versions. Because of its fast drying time, it was the finish of choice for all local cabinet shops, was specified by most builders, and used by many large manufacturers until it was banned because of high VOC content (90%). Its most immediately noticeable weakness is how much and how fast it yellows. Another even more destructive characteristic is how chemically volatile it is (how easily it reacts with household chemicals to ruin the finish). Compared to other available finish options, it is one of the softest finishes, so it scratches easily.

Sherwin Williams White Paper: Lacquer

Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer

The catalyzed version was created primarily to offer a moderately harder, more durable finish than its softer predecessor, it is still not even close to Conversion Varnish in chemical resistivity. It yellows slightly faster than regular Lacquer and is significantly inferior to Conversion Varnish.

As bad as this finish is, we’ve added it here because it has become somewhat of an industry standard for small cabinet shops, imported cabinets (from both Eastern and Western Hemispheres), and unfortunately some of the larger cabinet and door manufacturers on this continent.

Why? Because it is idiot proof.

Conversion Varnish requires measuring and mixing with a catalyst, one ounce per quart. As simple as that is, all it takes is one idiot to ruin an entire kitchen or more, a whole day’s worth of finishing in a large manufacturer. That is why Design Line and many other manufactures since have switched to Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer or Acrylic products that are far less long lasting and durable than Conversion Varnish. Not because they are better finishes, but because they reduce potential losses during the manufacturing process and, as an added bonus, result in products that will need to be replaced sooner.

There are also UV inhibitors that some manufacturers use in conjunction with the pre catalyzed Lacquers and Acrylics. They advertise that as though it creates a finish you can trust not to yellow. Do not be fooled. UV inhibitors do not stop the yellowing, it only slows it down. The material will still reach its maximum yellowing as seen in the chart, but it will just take longer. Design Line cabinets, in my example above, claimed they used a UV inhibitor on top of their Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer on all their white finishes, but I found out the hard way what little effect they really have. They sound great in a sales pitch, but do not perform so well in real life.

In today’s Disposable Society, just because something is an industry standard does not make it a product or process worth considering. As I used to tell my kids growing up: be yourself. Just because everyone else is jumping off a cliff does not mean you have to…and, well, if you do decide to jump off for the thrill, please make sure you are not likely to break a leg (or worse) when you land.

There is very little option for “soft landing” with Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer in my experience.

Sherwin Williams White Paper: Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer

CAB Acrylic Lacquer

This lacquer does have very good clarity and non-yellowing characteristics, but it is the softest finish in this chart, even softer than plain lacquer. I tested it once, and after it is dry, you can actually put a dent in it with your fingernail and watch it disappear when it retakes its shape hours later, if you have not scratched its surface. It is only appropriate for situations where great flexibility is needed, like covering cracks that are going to continually move. This finish is not particularly good for kitchens or baths.

Sherwin Williams White Paper: CAB Acrylic Lacquer

By 1980, Conversion Varnish had become almost an industry standard for the furniture industry and the highest quality large cabinet manufacturers in the US. Really big manufacturers did not need to manually mix the catalyst, which was done by large automated finishing machinery. Smaller manufactures tried to follow, but many (like Design Line) gave up due to the cost of human error.

Why is this finish so good? It is fast drying like lacquer, many times harder, almost non-yellowing in its water white version, and has incredible chemical resistivity. No other commercially available finish to this day equals its chemical resistivity. See the attached Sherwin Williams Conversion Varnish white paper below and note that no other finish can withstand or is even put through the acetone test that this varnish passes. You can literally put some drops of acetone on this finish, cover it with a petri dish to stop it from evaporating, leave it overnight, and have no visual effect on the finish. Acetone is far more volatile and aggressive than any other chemical you will normally find in a kitchen or bath, and Conversion Varnish is bulletproof to it.

I only use this conversion varnish on all my wood products. It is still the most all-round durable finish available for kitchen or bath wood products.

Sherwin Williams White Paper: Water White Conversion Varnish

A low formaldehyde version of conversion varnish is not available for sale in California because it does not meet the state’s volatile organic compound (VOC) standards. Keep in mind that formaldehyde is a VOC and once the finish of regular Conversion Varnish is fully cured before home delivery, there will be no VOC or formaldehyde breathable by the homeowner.

Sherwin Williams White Paper: LF Water White Conversion Varnish

This is a reformulated version of Acrylic Lacquer, it could be better called Acrylic Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer. It does, as the chart shows, have far better clarity and non-yellowing characteristics, but its durability is on par with the Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer listed above. It is not as hard and durable or as chemically resistive as Conversion Varnish. Many manufacturers that have used the Pre-Catalyzed Varnish are moving to this finish because of lower VOC emissions.

Sherwin Williams White Paper: Acrylic Conversion Coating

These coatings will be the future. 100% Solids means no VOC. These coatings are really high tech and require extremely expensive finishing systems to apply. These coatings will not air cure, they are catalyzed but the catalyst must be activated by really intense UV exposure for a few seconds. The finish has very good clarity and non-yellowing and is harder than but not as chemically resistive as Conversion Varnish. This is becoming the finish of choice for the pre-finished flooring industry and will someday become available from products made by large cabinet and furniture manufacturers in spite of its current need to have the UV rays hit each area directly at 90°, which is easy for the floor industry but problematic for shaped pieces of wood on cabinets. This product most likely will always be out of reach for small and medium size shops, which is one reason why the Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer or Acrylic is still so popular by the small shops and many manufacturers.

I began hearing this one back in 1980, and I still hear it today:

The finish on these cabinets is the best you can buy and cannot be duplicated by local cabinet manufacturers. It is baked on in special ovens!

It sounds impressive, but even in 1980, long before the new 100% Solids UV Cure Conversion Coatings, all manufactures of even moderate size would run their cabinets through a baking cycle right as they came off the assembly line. Not to make it a harder or better finish as the salesperson would have you believe. Production manufacturers simply cannot afford to have cabinets laying around for days while the finish cures. They use ovens to force cure the finish in minutes so the cabinet can go right from the assembly line into a box and on a truck. The oven curing has no effect on the strength or durability of the finish. The finish will have the same characteristics whether it air dries for days or is fast cured in an oven.

At that time, the primary finishes available were lacquer, conversion varnish, and pre-catalyzed lacquer. Now we have the acrylic conversion coatings as well. These all dry to the touch to handle gently in 5–10 minutes, but if you put them immediately into a box for shipping you will have a disaster, such as protective foams or cardboard sticking to the finish as they are still too soft to package. In production plants, they must be force cured with heat or UV to force a full cure in minutes to keep the trucks moving.

Of the various finishes discussed above, 100% solids UV cure coatings are the only finish in which the manufacturer’s forced curing process is an integral component to the strength and durability of the coating. Today, it is unlikely, but possible that a cabinet finished with a 100% solids UV coating is available at a home center or kitchen showroom, but you cannot be sure until you get it in writing. All manufacturers should have that information available.

The precise finish literature and documentation are not readily available on imported cabinets. Taking advantage of this fact, the sales person has been trained to say something along the lines of:

These cabinets come with a piano-grade high quality furniture finish.

Whether it came from a European or Chinese import, when I press them to put me in touch with someone who knows, the answer has always been lacquer of some sort. Press them to tell you the actual chemical used to finish the cabinets, and do not be afraid to reject any ambiguous non-answers they will likely give you.

I first heard this one in the late 1970’s pertaining to Lacquer, and now it is used for Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer trying to say their finish was somehow better than Conversion Varnish:

We use a special UV Block, in actuality it is an Inhibitor not a Block, and we put on seven coats to give you far more protection than you can get with Conversion Varnish.

Come on…if you put on more coats of an inferior finish, it does not give you more protection, just more of the chemical that is going to fail and increasingly block the wood grain as it yellows or leave a deeper gummy dark area around the handles.

A good design choice for many but not all styles. They must have a protective finish that will define its durability (see section on finishes above).

Thermofoil is a foil that is heated and vacuum formed around a piece of shaped MDF, The most versatile design choice for almost all styles, arguably more so than wood. Thermofoil is available in many hundreds of colors, woodgrains, and unique patterns. It does a great job at mimicking wood — I have fooled more than one client when comparing samples.

A laminate that, when heated, can be formed around opposing edges of a door (the other two edges need to be edge banded as is done with real wood veneers). High Pressure Laminate is a very versatile design choice for Contemporary or Modern designs. Like thermofoil, It is available in many hundreds of colors, woodgrains, and unique patterns, and does a great job at mimicking wood veneer.

Melamine is a door material that’s a good design choice for Contemporary or Modern designs. Is available in numerous of colors, woodgrains, and unique patterns. There are fewer color choices than thermofoil or high pressure laminates, but it has some unique patterns not available in other materials. Can mimic wood. It is not a laminate in that the color and plastic coating are manufactured on to the MDF substrate and the cabinet maker simply cuts it to size like they would real wood veneer panels. All edges will only be square with edge banding, no detailing available like with thermofoil or solid wood.

he choice is yours and will boil down to comparing price of material with what level of maintenance, durability, and aesthetic appeals you need:

1. Water damages all these materials, wood probably a little more easily than the others.
2. Very High Heat or steam damages all these items, thermofoil probably a little more easily than the others.
3. All the synthetic materials are more scratch and wear resistant than wood.
4. In a 5 piece traditional style door: Wood is the most universally desirable material, and can be customized with finishes and techniques to give infinite looks. You can save a lot of money if you chose Thermofoil instead, but you will have very limited color selection.
5. In a painted 5pc tradition style look: In wood, you will have unlimited color selection. In thermofoil you will get enough color selection to make it a viable alternative and it will be a lot less expensive and far more durable than painted wood. see below for more info.
6. In more modern or contemporary slab type doors styles: Wood is still a very viable option offering unlimited colors, but the other materials on this list offer an incredible assortment (1000’s) of colors and textures in a product that is less expensive and more durable than wood.

1. When built well, it is just as strong or stronger than Face Frame cabinet construction
2. It offers better access to all interior storage space. Face Frame style cabinets restrict the opening on cabinetry, which makes all accessories smaller in width and height because of lost space taken up by frame.
3. Most drawer systems, hinges, and accessories available today are designed to be installed in true 32mm system drill patterns, which are only available in Frameless cabinets. Installing these items in Face Frame cabinets is cumbersome at best, and most often an extremely wasteful use of the interior storage space which is already limited by the frames themselves, further reducing the available space.
4. Frameless cabinets provide clean, elegant lines and styles, adaptable to both modern and older traditional styles with ease. The same can not be said for Face Frame construction.

1. Face Frame cabinets have much greater tolerances (bigger spaces between doors) that require far less skill & knowledge to install and make look good when done. A Frameless cabinet must be perfectly plumb and level when installed or the doors can never be adjusted properly. Face Frame construction, because of their tolerances, can hide any shortcuts or errors the installer may have made.
2. They are outdated in both construction and application. Frameless cabinets require different manufacturing and installation equipment than Face Frame cabinets.

One of these two systems is somehow superior in quality or strength of construction than the other.

The Truth: both systems, when done at their best, are equally strong and structurally sound. When built to cut corners (as is now the norm), both can be seriously inferior structural products. As is true with all products, you need to decide if you want one built to last or built for the cheapest cost.

FACE FRAME CABINETS

FRAMELESS CABINETS

Today, all wood only means all exposed surfaces of a cabinet interior and exterior is some form of wood, normally a thin wood veneer. If by all wood you, like many consumers, mistakenly think it means all solid wood: an all solid wood cabinet is for all practical purposes not available anywhere today, and there is good reason to not want one.

Prior to the mid 1950’s the majority of kitchen cabinets installed here in San Diego were all solid wood. Solid sugar pine interiors were the norm, for one reason. Soft sugar pine, was the cheapest material available to build cabinets with. Plywood had not yet replaced it as the least expensive and superior quality alternative. Yes, I said superior quality! I have torn out hundreds of kitchen cabinets made prior to then, and all had solid pine interiors and cases. The shelving even though it was dadoed and mortised into the the cases were always warped, (cupped) not flat when we tore them out. Solid wood has this tendency. Plywood took over when it became less costly than solid pine, but most importantly the real structural advantage of plywood was it is designed specifically to be far more dimensionally stable and less likely to cupp than solid wood when exposed to moisture which is what caused the cupping.

Wood Interior means Plywood or a Wood veneer over a particulate board. Most manufactures who use a prefinished plywood and claim their cabinets are all wood which leads to the confusion stated above.

Melamine interiors are plastic veneers over a photograph of a woodgrain, pattern, or solid color which are both laminated over an industrial grade particulate board.

Both products are excellent choices for cabinet interiors. Both are extremely dimensionally stable and when of ¾” thickness very strong and resist sagging under load. Both have the same one major weakness: Standing Water. Plywood and Particulate boards are both made of wood. Solid wood, plywood and particulate boards do not stand up to standing water. Large amounts of water that are allowed to stand and soak into the joints or around the wood based material for more than a few minutes, will cause solid wood, plywood, and particulate boards to absorb the water and deform. Hardwood floors and the bottoms of sink cabinets made of either plywood or melamine will deform so much they will need replacement. Anyone who says either solid wood, plywood, or melamine will withstand water, is not very enlightened.

Unfortunately the internet is full of negative comments about melamine regarding this standing water issue, but the commenter omits the simple fact that plywood is no more immune. In reality, if both plywood and melamine sink cabinets have their interior joints caulked with silicone after installation to minimize the possibility of water seeping between the joints when exposed to water, my money (bet) is that melamine, a plastic surface that gives formica its water resistance, would hold up longer under exposure to water than the chemical finish on the plywood what could have scratches or other imperfections what allow water to breach the surface sooner.

Dan prefers Melamine for various functional, aesthetic, and durability reasons:

1. The plastic surface called melamine is far more scratch resistant and chemical resistant than any finish one could put on plywood, or the shelf paper you will need to add to the plywood. It is the same plastic that gives Formica its scratch and chemical resistivity. So no need to add shelf paper.
2. Melamine interiors cost about 8% less than prefinished plywood interiors and over 20% less than custom finished wood interiors.
3. Melamine interiors are available in Clear Maple (looks like plywood), White, or Black interiors as standards, and are also readily available in hundreds of other colors if needed at a minimal upcharge.
4. Plywood is not as flat and smooth as melamine causing the plywood to wear unevenly during use. Call any hardwood lumber supplier and they will confirm that their best looking smoothest wood veneers are not on plywood substrates, they are on particulate boards that have far smoother surfaces and are preferred for laminating.
5. Plywood is not as dense as melamine board, so it does not hold screws or glue as well as the denser board. I think melamine creates a stronger cabinet than the most common prefinished plywood used for cabinet interiors.

Unlike the other cabinet parts that are stationary and do not move, drawers are under constant use holding various loads while opening and closing. Opening and closing also exposes them to other possible abuses or forces.

The strongest joint for wood boxes (solid wood, plywood, or melamine) is the traditional dovetail joint. It is stronger than a dowel or mortise joint and will last longer. Unfortunately way too many drawer boxes available today are none of the above, they are just glued and nailed together. Those glued and nailed boxes are significantly inferior and have a short life expectancy.

With Dovetailed construction, which is best, solid wood, plywood, or melamine?

1. No matter which material you use, if longevity is your goal, I would highly recommend ⅝” minimum thickness for the material.
2. Solid wood is the most used and asked for, but it is not necessarily the strongest option.
3. The plywoods available and used are an extremely dense 7 or 9 ply that is structurally more stable than solid wood, less warping.
4. Melamine is also more stable but dovetailed melamine over mdf does not look as good as a wood dovetail joint. I like to paint the exposed mdf to make it look better.
5. With the new undermount guides that are currently the standard the slight warpage of solid wood has little to no affect on the operation of the drawer.
6. Warpage can greatly affect the operation of the drawer if side mount guides are used.

The standard thickness for drawer bottoms is ¼” and works well in most drawers. However, for Pot and Pan drawers or roll out shelves wider than 27”, I highly recommend using ½” thick drawer bottoms for more strength. Through the years I have seen too many ¼” bottoms fall out on these type of drawers that are holding heavy loads.

There are lots of options for drawer guides today. Many are very good and long lasting. The old standard side mounted options are good, but lack one new feature that has become a standard over the last few years: Reliable and quiet soft close feature found in the new generation of undermount hidden drawer guides. These undermount soft-close slides are the new standard. Within this standard there are many choices and manufacturers in the market. I have tried most and here is a synopsis.

1. Blum Manufacturing: For years, Blum has been the industry leader in developing new technologies. When they introduced their soft-close undermount Tandem slide, it changed the market. It is a good product at the top of the price spectrum for this type of slide.
   Reason to Buy: A lifetime warranty by an industry leader.
2. Grass Manufacturing: Grass is another good large industry leader. Their Dynapro series has all the features of the Blum Tandem plus a few of their own innovations that make their drawer slide a little more stable for wider drawers. Comparably priced to Blum and also feature a lifetime warranty by an industry leader.
   Reason to Buy: In our opinion, Grass Dynapro Slides are an overall best buy.
3. Salice Manufacturing: Another industry leader, highly popular in Europe. Another good product, a little less expensive than Blum and Grass.
   Reason to Buy: About 20% cheaper and lifetime warranty.
4. There are hordes of Chinese manufacturers in the market. They seem to be very good products. They cost about 40% less than the Blum or Grass alternatives, but offer a 1 year warranty at best — many bring to mind old-time used car warranties: 60 seconds or 60 feet 😉
5. The best buys, in my opinion, in this class of soft close undermount full extension guides:
   1. Premium Category: Grass Dynapro is far superior in smooth operation and installation than the comparably priced Blum Tandem.
   2. Low-Cost Category: Grass Elite Series, is as good as any import and priced like an import…but unlike the imported alternatives, offers the typical Grass Lifetime Warranty.

As stated above, it is a system that I believe is going to grow and develop into the industry standard. It offer a cleaner look, all white, gray, or metallic than a wood box and is available with or without the soft close feature. It also uses ⅝” thick drawer bottoms which are far superior in strength to the traditional wood boxes. It was introduced by Blum, but is copied by numerous other manufacturers. Cost for a soft close system is a little more as a wood box with undermount soft close guide.