I think of varnish as being a type of finish (and finish as a generic term to apply to any treatment of the wood) but I'm sure woodworking people can steer you right on that. On the California CARB question, though, there are two sets of rules guiding this: one is the rule about what you can emit while doing work like finishing, which is what prevents cabinetmakers and others from using traditional catalyzed finishes in state. Like that link says, there are many CARB compliant finishes out there, though I'm not sure anyone can say with certainty how they will perform side by side in the long run, since most are relatively new. The second set of rules governs what cabinetry (and other woods) can emit themselves after they're finished, and that affects cabinets made *or* sold in California. A higher tier of rules just kicked in last month so I don't know if it knocked any players out of the marketplace, but in general the big companies have been watching this carefully. As of last year at the lower level of regulation, you could get most/all national lines here. Interestingly, some of the small shops we talked to were willing to bend these rules on the paint front (and paint with oil-based, which is not allowed for residential use). The guy we ended up with was adamant about not doing this as he could potentially lose his license for it, and that seemed very reasonable. So we used low VOC paint, and I do have to say that I really love that it doesn't smell at all, in contrast to the oil-based, which the PO used on our old cabinetry. Very resilient/easy to clean, but still stinky months later. So there are upsides to being CARB-compliant. ;) HTH!

Couple thoughts: You're masking them off yourself. What happens if something goes wrong. Are you getting all this on paper with sigs, or just talking it thru. I was kinda kidding, but kinda not about being in someone else's shop; I have a habit of thinking about the what if's. Can he help you, give you guidance about what to do after he sprays 'em. Like how long to wait and then how to subsequently mask off the lacquer so you can do the paint. Can he direct you to the primer and paint that you should use on the raw wood to complement the lacquer. Are we sure this is worth it? If he's not going to do the masking for you, maybe it would be easier, less work for you, to just let him spray the whole thing and you nail down the right process and products for painting after the fact.

I'm definately a cabinet novice but trying to learn. This is the finish from one of the custom cabinetmakers I've talked with. Can someone explain what this means? How would it compare to factory finishes? Durability? Is it unusual for a custom shop to only offer a one year warranty?

"As far as the paint flaking off from water damage on the beaded molding this is caused by water sittinting in the grove of the beaded molding and getting under the paint.. Because of the bead detail it has a place to sit and not run off to the floor. If it didn't happen anywhere else just ask them to give that area extra attention. it's hard to get paint down into that small grove. If they are aware they can make sure that area is sealed well." Your explanation is probably the best explanation for what happened. I'm not totally sure but yes, it only flaked in that one spot under the sink. We've since sold the house and I have a lot of BTDT experience to carry forward to this new house remodel. For one, beaded + white cabinets and children do not go with each other....lol. For the new kitchen, I plan to use a warm gray shaker style with a slight angle and a medium toned alder island. Because we now live on a fairly large cattle farm, I need things that can withstand a little wear, tear, muck and mire :) "To clarify the Post cat vs Pre cat mention above. They are both catalyzed conversion varnish POST is when the catalyst is added just before use and you have a limited window before the material in not longer usable. With the PRE" it comes with the catalyst added already from the factory which is easier to use but not as durable. Personally I dont use either but that's a different topic." I'm not sure what the guy I used the last time used and I wasn't very learned on the techniques at the time. I do know he called whatever finish he used something akin to "car paint" that is a harder finish than plain paint. However, whatever brand/product he used only came in certain colors (or he could only mix from certain colors). I know my formula was x cups of A color and y cups of B color and z cups of C color. Again, I have no idea what he used exactly or whether his methodology has changed since 6 years ago when I last used him.