Poly tends to amber more than most.

Alkyd varnishes such as Cabot 8000 series and Pratt & Lambert #38, less so.

Phenolic varnishes such as Waterlox Original and Behlen's Rockhard are a little darker.

Lacquers tend to be a little lighter, and CAB lacquers nearly clear.

Acrylic (water-borne) tend to be fairly clear, some even blue-ish, but others have a little amber additives.

Further complicating things is sometimes veneer and solids take the same finish differently. Sometimes one is darker and the other lighter, other times, vice-versa.

But given some light exposure the wood itself (and the finish) will change color.

The only way to tell is to run some test panels. Doesn't look good for Thanksgiving.

Bobsmyuncle - Yeah, I agree Thanksgiving isn't going to happen. Ah, well.

So poly does in fact continues to amber as time goes on.

I did check out Merillat's site and it appears you can get quarts of their stain and sealer. I'm going to contact my builder tomorrow and see what we can do about that.

If you're using a stain and sealer does it need to be water on water and oil on oil?

Would you first just try a bunch of poly and varnishes or grab some stain too? My heads spinning from all the choices.

Another question, the lacquers... does the stain need to be water or oil based if I were to use the CAB?

I did check out Merillat's site and it appears you can get quarts of their stain and sealer.

Be aware that the factory finish on your cabinets was sprayed on, and is probably a conversion varnish which must be sprayed and is unhealthy to work with unless you've got professional-grade respirators and ventilation equipment. If this is what Merrilat is willing to sell you, you may not want it.

If you're using a stain and sealer does it need to be water on water and oil on oil?

Your 'natural finish' cabinets may not need any stain. I would try other clear finishes first. If you want to put a waterbased coating over an oil-based stain, the stain has be really, thoroughly dried before topcoating. Don't try to do it all in a day.

Jon - Oye, I didn't think of that. I'm sure they were sprayed. I called a builder (actually not the guy that built my house buy long story) and asked about the clear coat. He said he could probably order it and would find out.

Here's wording off their page. It just says provides the same results as our factories. Page 133 in the link.

"The listing represents the matching stains, paints, and glazes as well as clear sealer/topcoat available for Merillat cabinetry or for where ever finishes need to be reproduced. Available in quarts only. The stains are a "two-step" process, requiring first the application of the hand-wipe stain, followed by an application of the clear sealer/topcoat. Instructions and safety data sheets are packaged with each can of stain or clear sealer/topcoat.

Each stain has been developed for a specific wood specie, & is listed within the stain name, i.e cherry cider. Blah, blah, blah, etc.

For the same color "Natural", the sealer/topcoat provides the same results as our facilities. For optimum in-field color matches, it is recommended that the clear sealer/topcoat be applied following stain application."

I don't have a sprayer and that would be difficult to do already on the island. The thought of needing "professional-grade respirators and ventilation equipment" doesn't make me want to use that if that's the case.

I'll run out today and grab some other sealers. I didn't really think about the difficulty of THIS part when I made the change. ha *sigh* Maybe before Christmas . . .

Here is a link that might be useful: Pg. 133

Have you inquired if Merillat sells stain to match your kitchen cabinets? That's what we did when we bought our new oak cabinets from Home Depot. We made our own crown molding from unfinished red oak and bought a quart of the exact color stain from our cabinet maker so the molding would match when we stained it. Also used stain on other trim pieces to match cabinets. It was a little pricey, about $20-$30 a quart (if I remember correctly) and ordered also through Home Depot, but well worth it since it's a direct match. Just a suggestion. I would inquire where you purchased the cabinets if this is an option. I believe most cabinet makers sell stain to match.

have you checked to see if Merillat sells pre-finished bead board?

Kaisermust - After checking out their site I'm pretty sure they do. Someone's looking into for me. If that's the case I'd think it'd be my best bet. Home Depot special ordered yours?

Bobsmyuncle - Never thought to even check that. I did have a heck of a time finding someone that had oak beadboard. I finally found a building supply company that was willing to order some. Since it's up I'm stuck with it for now. Hopefully I can get something to match.