You should ask to see a sample painted door at the very least.

I agonized over this as well and ended up choosing local cabinet maker. I'm also in CA. They make their own but also sell Omega cabinets. They told me excessive water will ruin the painted finish but by the time you get that much water on them (say a flood), chances are the cabinet will need to be replaced anyway).

Re: scratches and dings, I'm not convinced they will hold up as good as factory finish but I have young kids so expect I'm going to have to touch up quite a bit

If they peel, that's part of the warranty

Hmmm, I live in California and have painted cabinets. They're actually the old boxes and new drawers and drawer fronts. They were painted in 2012 and I'm assuming the paint rules were in effect then. They used some conversion varnish type of paint (sprayed on) and it is hard as a rock. The only damage after four years is on the top edges of a few lower cabinet doors where my door-opening cat has left some pin holes from his claws. It's not the paint's fault.

Is it laquer?

I think paint regulations are more strict in certain areas in So. Cal (like mine).

I chose to use out of state cabinets - Conestoga - specifically.

After talking with many companies, it comes down to that I would need to replace or do something about my painted doors after 5 years or so. That's what the honest companies tell me.

Conversion varnish is what the old finishes used to be in CA and is still used in many parts of the country. It's what is used on my 18 yrs old cabinets that makes it look like brand new despite all the abuses over the years.

You can get a decent finish with paint in CA but it will depends on who you use. You have to understand whether they are doing a post catalyzed lacquer, waterborne or water reducible, types of resins they are using and the quality of the finish products they buy. ML Campbell provides a decent product. How they apply the finish correctly also matters because it's about triggering chemical reactions for bonding even in the water based products.

I found it very difficult to get answers about these details from the local cabinet makers.

In the end, I went with Conestoga because it was 2-3X more expensive from the local guys except for one large company. I also couldn't get a straight answer from many.

I would highly recommend looking at the finishes on many different manufacturers to familiarize yourself. This is what your money is buying and what you and others see when they look at your kitchen. Is the finish dead looking? Is it holding up in the showroom? Quality?

I would ask to see a current sample. Recently I painted a room and wanted to buy high gloss for the trim and the door and was told that we cannot buy it in California, we can only buy satin finish. Yuk. The people at the store weren't certain but they thought the rules had changed in 2013. I would not like a kitchen cabinet painted with a satin finish. At that point I would definitely use a finished wood over paint.

Practigal, I don't understand ... you were told you could only buy satin finish paint for trim? What store were you in and what kind of paint were you looking to buy (oil? latex?)?

I don't know the exact terms, but custom cabinets get professionally lacquered. It's not paint as we know it from the paint store, and the formula is different from paint, and it's industrial level finish, sprayed on, as Linelle said. So if they talked about that sort of finishing to you-you should be fine.

(Of course you can damage it with sharp object as you can damage almost everything unless it's hard stone)

My last CA kitchen had painted custom cabinets. No problem. Maybe it was an issue years and years ago before paint technology had caught up, but it's not anymore.

BTW they usually prepare 3-4 samples of colors for you, before you finally decide on a color..I bet your contractor's guy might have some samples left from other people jobs. Maybe you could ask him.

>I found it very difficult to get answers about these details from the local cabinet makers.

Agreed 1000x - but even if he told me the step by step process that he uses, it'd be like hearing about quantum mechanics - all gibberish.

I'm trying to decide between this dude (who my contractor is pushing - mostly because he gets a cut and because it is faster/flexible/convenient) and Omega Dynasty.

I saw his work at another house that was completed and it was... well... OK. Definitely not as good as factory (it felt like some spots were uneven). But I can only judge based on my limited knowledge which is based on how it looks.

If his work didn't meet your standards don't go with him. People post horror stories on factory cabinets as well but you can always have them remade. (Headache of course). If the local guy isn't capable of doing a good job I would pick factory.

My local cabinet maker's work is amazing. If it wasn't, I would have chosen the Dynasty as well.

Just a word of caution. I have Dynasty Omega since 2012 and we are less than thrilled with how the paint finish is holding up. I need to deal with them on it which is why I have said nothing publicly about the issue.

Yup, factory finish isn't a guarantee either.

Yikes! Mind dropping me a note at honestabe@cluemail.com so i can learn more about your Omega Dynasty situation?

Latex interior high gloss Sherwin Williams

Curious, OP ... how did you narrow your selection down to these two choices?

Custom Cabinet Guy - my contractor highly recommended

Omega Dynasty - looked at a few shops and cabinets, this one seemed good - could deliver in a reasonable time.

This was definitely not the most scientific decision making process. We're in a real time crunch.

IMO, time crunch and quality don't go hand in hand. How is a custom cabinet maker supposed to whip up cabinets and then put a quality finish on them when he's under the gun to get it done quick. And you've already seen his work and deemed it just "okay" with imperfections in the finish. Maybe he wasn't even rushed on that job. And you've already said why your contractor recommends the custom guy, so consider that.

I don't live in California; so can't talk as much to your 'paint'; although I'd say that paint technology is SO advanced that I can think of several types that don't require laquer or oil or any other harmful additives or bases. It IS a complicated, large subject, and by the time your install date has passed, you'll have only scratched the surface in research. I certainly wouldn't be afraid of paint, however.

Now; a question. How do you paint a car there?

Curious what is driving the time crunch?

I'm in CA and used a local large custom-ish cabinet maker that does a baked on conversion varnish. We will see how it holds up, but they were (of course) confident in their product and contractors had good things to say about them too. Most people I talked to seemed to think as long as it was a heated finish rather than just painted it would wear well, regardless of where it was manufactured. I'm not an expert and have only had my cabs for less than a year though, so time will tell!

@Ichabod, excellent question about cars... the Teslas around here all look lovely and shiny!

Ichabod techs can use low voc paint in a compliant paint booth. Needless to say that is much more costly than it used to be....

Sorry, I'm traveling for business right now. We're having issues with the paint finish.