lynne,
there is a difference between a hand brushed on finish and a sprayed on finish. some people prefer that smooth factory finish. to me it does tend to have a plasticy look to it. All of my cabinets are hand primed and painted with a brush. While they are smooth, you can look closely and see brush strokes in some areas.

Lynne - you are EXACTLY where I was when I went looking for cabinets. I knew mine would be painted and I just could not find a company whose finish worked for me. I understand a company's need to produce a durable product, but, I too, came away thinking that these were not what I was envisioning and I looked at everything from Kraftmaid, to Omega Custom to Crown Point (CP's finish was the closest, just couldn't afford them overall and at the time, they were not discounting projects like I hear they are now).

I ended up with a willing local shop -- were willing to use milk paint and experiment with me. On my poplar wood doors our process included - staining, sealing with clear coat, waxing in areas for distressing, painting with milk paint, distressing, sealing with a clear coat that is very flat. The staining, waxing and distressing were done w/hand applications -- they did spray the clear coat and paint layers on. Finish is still wipeable, but the paint seems much more a "part" of the door, if that makes sense.

There are plenty of painted finishes out there that I have seen on finished kitchens here that I think are lovely. When we began our project, I had a picture in my mind of EXACTLY how my cabinets would look and as a complete TKO individual, this piece I just couldn't compromise. I compromised in other areas along the way, but this piece was part of what made me "feel" about my kitchen -- for someone else it may be their range, their hood, their countertops, etc. - my cabinets were what I needed to make the rest of it work. Good luck in your search!

I want painted cabinets too and I want to make sure I get a quality finish.

jdesign - thank you for your analysis. Please would you be able to share some of the cabinets that you feel do have a quality painted finish? I am considering Omega, Bertch and Brookhaven but I haven't got round to looking in detail and comparing them yet.

Thank you in advance.

Tina

Lynne, we also did not want that "plastic-y" feel. Our cabinets are custom and since the cabinet maker only does the "power paint" finish, we opted to find someone who could hand paint our cabs. We are so happy with the results! The woman who painted the cabs first stained, then waxed for distressing, painted and added a glaze. The end result are lightly distressed cabinets painted by hand, with the brush strokes visible. The overall feel is smooth and not at all "plastic".

Could you get the cabs you like and find someone who will do the finishing?

Eliz

You're right - I have my dream cabinets - Plain & Fancy in Dove White, but the finish is very smooth. You definitely want to look into the hand-brushed finishes. Don't you love it when you have good taste and have to pay accordingly - lol

eliz, how did she get the paint to adhere over the wax?

Lynne,

See if they offer a "milk paint" finish, which is a gorgeous dead-flat paint that allows the wood to show through. Some market a colored "semi-transparent stain" or somesuch, which isn't real milk paint but will also give you the right "unplastic" look.

Other than that, you can save a lot of dosh if you get them unfinished and paint them yourself ... :-)

Paint is already an spendy upcharge in most cabinet lines, and to get some of the hand brushing and detailing, you're not in most average people's budgets for cabinets unless you go with a local cabinet maker. Local cabinet makers can make quality cabinets, but unless they use a conversion varnish top finish, you don't get the durability that you do from a factory finish. Most of the better quality cabinet finishes are being slowly regulated out of existance to the small cabinet makers, and even the larger shops in CA. CA has more restrictive regulations regarding VOC emissions than any other state, and it can be very difficult to get a quality cabinet product other than ordering from an out of state well known factory.

Lynne-

You have waaaaayyyyy more options than you think you do. So you just have to do some thinking about what you want and need and like and are willing to pay for (there's NOT necessarily a single scale or graph for these decisions!) and not rush and you will probably be able to find exactly what you are looking for.

I also thought the "painted" finishes looked nothing like paint. So I had my cabinets and shelves made by a local shop and my contractor painted them with paint I chose. I also dislike paint "treatments". So just his hourly rate.

This "ooo! paint is soooo fragile! don't risk it" I think is silly. Only you know your needs and your family's habits. I see antiques that are hundreds of years old with beautiful painted finishes. Yes they show some wear, but paints are better now, and you can apply topcoats etc.

My feeling is, kitchens are almost never torn out because they are worn out. They are torn out because styles change. So the small difference in wear probably won't make a big difference.

I also don't think you need to use solvent cleaners and scrub everything all the time. I use a washcloth and a little soap and everything is clean, and I have a matte paint surface that is holding up well.

Some cabinet companies paint options may be better than others. You may also go for a local carpenter to make your cabinets and have someone -- the shop, a painter, a contractor or a fancy painter, paint them.

Or there's another option that cabinet companies don't advertise that exists -- some of them will match your colors, or use your paint, or even sell you their cabinets either just primed or completely unprimed -- some with a warranty, some with no warranty -- so that you can paint or finish them yourself. On many of the lines I asked about, there was a small discount. But since the cabinet lines with that flexibility tended to be the upper-end ones, it's not really a budget tactic.

They usually give you a bit of sales drone ("You don't like factory painted cabinets? But you haven't felt OUR paint! It's completely different from all the other plasticky finishes you've felt." Uh, isnotisnotisnot.) But you can really just quickly and firmly say that you've picked out colors that they can't match and ask if they can do what you want, whatever that is.

So, what DO you need? Only you know.

Good luck!

Cotehele, she only waxed the areas that were to be distressed, so the paint didn't adhere to those spots. It was amazing to watch her work as she really took time and care to do every individual piece so that they were unique. Here are a couple of pix that shows a closeup.

Eliz

Eliz - I wish I had known you wanted distressed, I could have sent my 3 kids over and saved you a bunch of money :-)

I think for me the practical thing will be to have the factory painted finish. I do like when you know it's really wood, but OTOH, I started remembering the painted cabinets we had in my kitchen growing up. My dad must have painted that kitchen 4 or 5 times in my lifetime (once after I set it on fire). You could see the wood, but they also always looked a bit grungy. That was no doubt due to the hard wear and tear they got from the 6 kids, 2 parents, and a dog. My family is really hard on my current cabinets, so it's probably a good thing that I will have a durable finish. I look at it this way - it will probably take about 3 years, and they will have the look I want :-)

LOL Lynne - you're not the only person who's volunteered their children for a lived-in look!

Sounds like you're going to make a good decision and the results will be something you're happy with.

Looking forward to pix...!
Eliz

Eliz, your kitchen is gorgeous and the detail amazing. Now the wax makes perfect sense.
Judy

Thank you cotehele!

Eliz

Live Wire Oak - While I respect your opinion and think you give great advice on this forum, I have to disagree with you about not being able to get a quality finish here in California. It's true that we have stricter standards but what is also true is that we have and can use conversion varnish. I actually got a call about this a few days ago as I was pulling out of the parking lot of one of my suppliers here in LA who has conversion varnish on their shelves stacked up to the ceiling.
The facts are (and this comes from a chemist at Valspar, one of the world's largest coatings manufacturers): Conversion varnish in Califiornia has been reformulated for our stricter regulations. It's 275 VOC. In some counties you can still use the old 550 VOC. They use some different solvents and there's a bit less solids in their formulation. It's still conversion varnish and has all the same properties. If you've ever sprayed CV, you know you have to thin it to spray it anyway, and with any conversion varnish, you can't exceed a certain mil thickness or you will get cracking. All this ultimately means to me is I get less paint for my money, but it's the same durable finish.

Christopher Peacock, which is considered by many to be one of the best cabinet lines, does not top coat with conversion varnish. The paint he uses runs about $150 a gallon, (I'm using some right now), as opposed to about $25 for regular paint. It's all about the prep, the type of brush and the skill in the application. There's almost no visible brush strokes.

As far as which companies have the better finish, unfortunately, it's usually the more expensive ones. A better finish is more labor intensive and there's more artistry involved, so the price is higher. I also agree you can't always get a great finish from a small custom shop. There's three major elements involved in the making of fine cabinetry: the design, the construction, and the finish. Each are distinct and complex skills and it's hard to find someone who can do all three well, but they are out there.I spend a great amount of time deconstructing the higher end lines and what makes them what they are. It takes a lot of knowledge and experimentation to get it right.

The national brands use designers to put together their lines for mass appeal and they use industry techs to formulate their finishing schedules for a consistent product and look at that level.
John