Our Unique Process takes between 7 & 10 days for a Factory Fine Finish with a Cross Linking Urethane (water poly)!

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1. To get started, we’ll ask a few questions and offer a detailed quote.

2. Then we’ll have you prepare your cabinets so we can get to work on the in home portion.

3. We’ll take the cabinet doors and drawer fronts to our shop to be sanded, conditioned, primed and lacquered.

4. Then we’ll return your cabinet doors and drawer fronts and reattach them for you.

 

We do NOT rush your kitchen, Factory Like Finishes take patience & attention to detail to avoid cracking & peeling issues down the road. We like to do it right the first time!

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We have a HEPA Filtration system we use when spraying or for homes where sensitivity to air molecules is a concern.

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First, we’ll ask you to clean your cabinets so no visible food or grease contamination is showing before we start them. Wood finishes need to be dry in order to get the best primer/sealer bond. We are not able to lacquer certain finishes like Thermo Foil or items where paints have been applied over a previous lacquer finish.

 

Next, we’ll complete a finish sanding to remove bumps, cracking, and flaking in the old finish. Feathering out any blemishes in the old finish is crucial to the appearance of the final finish.

 

Here is where our process is unique: we use chemistry, solvents and conditioners to deepen the clean, and soften the old finish, opening up the pores of the finish. This step is crucial for any open grain, especially on oak.

 

Next, we apply a primer/sealer. Your original finish is likely a lacquer product. Our sealer and the old finish bond or melt together very well. This also seals the natural colour or tannins/oils in the wood from bleeding through the new finish.

 

Finally, we complete a finish sanding of the primer/sealer by hand and apply the waterborne titanium based cross-linking urethane in the colour(s) of your choice.

 

We schedule the in-home portion of our work while your cabinet doors are in our shop. This takes 2 or more days depending on the size & detail of your kitchen.

 

Our method varies based on wood type & detail and size of the kitchen. On the in home portion we’ll either apply the primer/sealer & water poly by spray application or by hand in some areas and some kitchens based on design and wood product. Our experience dictates that using the self leveling product with a special 4" roller that we can force the primer into the open or porous wood grain better on vertical surfaces vs spraying, where Oak wood is concerned this is crucial to getting a better long lasting bond that soaks deeper into the open wood grain. The product levels itself out so no roller or brush marks are visible anywhere. This method has been working very well for us over the last 10 years and served to reduce adhesion problems making them virtually non existent! Spraying every nook & cranny in most kitchens with todays spray gun sizes and shapes is just not possible. There is always some small elements of Kitchens that require some hand tool application. Customers can certainly request a full spray at any time however additional preparation charges may apply based on the size, shape and ease of which we can seal off a kitchen for spraying, not all situations or kitchen designs have features that make that easy. For example vaulted ceilings, ceilings over 12 feet. It takes a great deal more time to seal off these types of areas and in smaller kitchens that are of average size the time to do that and spray exceed the time needed to complete with self leveling handle tools & our lacquer. We also need to consider your ventilation system and the ease at which it could move any fine dried dust particles around your home. Lacquer's tend when in atomized form take on an electrostatic charge and they will float around drier air more easily, it can be in some scenarios very difficult to contain 100% of any dust.

 

We'll spray then return your doors & drawer fronts as well as any removable pieces 1 to 2 days after completing them and install them.

 

We’ll also leave a touch up bottle for any damages down the road.

 

The cross linking urethane fully cures over a 30-day period based on

room temperature and humidity. It can take longer depending on these conditions.

 

The water poly's flash off the solvent in 6-8 hours under normal conditions. Cabinets will be touch dry in 30 minutes. You just need to be gentle while the full cure takes place.