Welcome DIY. Can't wait to see more pics!

Details please about that range hood!
Its the next thing on our list this week. DH is building.
We are on the fence about sprayed finish vs. brush stroke.
I believe the spray will hold up better, and so says the cab guy. Just cant hardly find oil based to spray anymore and the acrylics don't hold up according to this cab guy.
Oh and welcome looks like you're pretty handy around the kitchen!

Hey, nice cabs! I'm sure you'll get way more info but I brush painted my last cabs. 2 coats primer, 2 coats BM white dove. 4 years, so far, so good! I'd think a professional job of any sort would do better than my diy and that's holding up fine.

Thanks. The range hood was a fun project.

The lower part is made out of 7" wide maple. I built a cradle for the hood insert to slide into. It is stopped by some rounded maple that is slotted into the lower portion of the cradle.

I build a box on top and used some pocket holes to hold it down. I fluted the wood on either side of the doors and trimmed off with moldings from the local hardwood store.

It was the first thing mounted in the kitchen for the uppers.

I purchased an Imperial hood insert with two exhausts for better air flow for the Capital range top. My wife was thrilled to see two new holes in the side of the house as our original hood vent was too low. I still have a little stucco work to do. : )

Posted another pic - is there a way to post multiple pics in a post??

What is your counter? I love it!

You can post multiple pics, but you have to use html code to do it and not the image upload feature. Your picture would need to be hosted somewhere on the web like Photobucket, then you would link to it.

I ilke the cabs and don't have any advice on painting (never painted cabs myself). But I do have Swiss Coffee throughout my house for trim and wainscoting. I really like it but it is very white (not off white, creamy or what have you). It is a very neutral white--no pinkish or yellowish undertones, which can sometimes be a problem.

Conversion varnish is the way to go if you care about the most durability. But, it's best done off site in a clean room. Site finishing isn't recommended for any finish. You have to deal with debris and insects floating into it. But, it does give you that "old fashioned" look! Which, if that's what you're going for, you might as well have what's there hand brushed for "authenticity". I'd still want the primer and first coat sprayed, especially if you're dealing with the unfinished interiors. There simply isn't a good way of doing that in place though without masking off the whole kitchen and counters. Even with a HVLP and the HVAC turned off, you're going to get a bit of overspray floating where you don't want it to be. But, spraying that will be scads cheaper than paying someone to hand brush it all.

The primer should be shellac based to seal in the wood tannins and to provide grip for the topcoat. Two light coats preferred. For the topcoats, you want a latex enamel from a quality paint manufacturer like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams or even the Behr Ultra. Brand isn't as important as your relationship with the paint store. Latex won't yellow and will have a tiny bit of flexibility to crack less when the wood expands and contracts with the change of the seasons.

Wow! You have serious skills.

Thanks for the info Live_wire. The cabinets are already installed - so no chance of taking this to a shop plus DIY on fixing any issues on a conversion finish does not appear to be a good alternative. The shellac based primer and enamel sound good. The whole kitchen will be masked and sealed off from the rest of the house. I have estimates that range from $2.5K - $6K to do the finish, and range from 5 - 10 days of work. Still sanding, sanding, sanding. I hate sanding, lol.

Wolverine - the granite is something called Nebula Aurora by Bellisimo Granite. We fell in love with it at the show room as it was unlike anything we had seen - more veining and little to no speckles. We liked it so much, we decided on using it for a full splash. Plus It matched our slate flooring. However, I learned as they were installing it that it was a softer stone. It is a quartzite. We had some hot oil spill on it and it stained right away. Needless to say I have learned how to "poultice" lol and now, I am having some regrets about using it as the backsplash especially behind the Capital Culinarean.

Mareluce - thank you - but I have made my share of mistakes - part of which is causing me to paint rather than stain to cover a few things that I messed up. I did not make the doors - I ordered those from Cabinet Now in Northern California - they shipped doors within 5-7 business days - great company - easy to deal with.

You made that? Wowser!!!

L.

I love your counter/BS. too. "As they were installing it" they mentioned it was not granite and might stain? Nice. Would more sealing help prevent staining?

Also like the slate floor. Can't wait to see it all done.

For a guy like you, definitely a finish that you can touch up as needed seems best. Or even change.

The virtue of the highest-durability finishes is just that, of course, but what about eventually? "Eventually" is a much larger problem than touching up occasional chips, and it's not nearly far enough into the future to make it worth it for me. Of course, I can't just write a check and head off to tour another continent while it's taken care of. If I could, that'd mean another problem wasn't--what if I decide I want a yellow kitchen in a few years? It's happened before. :)

Wow DIY Guy, a beautiful job!

I wanted to pipe in with my vote for Swiss Coffee. It's a beautiful off-white. We put in built ins in our living room and painted them Swiss Coffee. I am so pleased that they do not read yellow at all.

Its going to look perfect with your stone and floor. Great job!

Another congratulations on your cabinetry skills. You're kitchen looks great.

Looks like painting "in situ' is where it's at. Live Wire Oaks gave professional advise. I'd like to say I love brushed painted cabinetry.

Glad you posted and welcome.