Try General Finishes High Performance Topcoat. I'm experimenting with it on red oak. It very much preserves the natural color of the wood. So much so that I'm wondering how to enhance the grain just a wee bit before I topcoat w/ it. No yellowing (on red oak) whatsoever. General Finishes contact phone # 800-783-8050. They're located in Wisconsin so Central Time Zone. I've called them before & will give them another call for suggestions on slightly enhancing the grain of red oak. It's available in satin, semi-gloss and gloss. McFeeley's has the best price that I've found. McFeeley's Oh, the stuff is super easy to apply. (I'm using a foam brush but it's sposed to spray nicely, too.) The only complaints that I've read about it is that it maybe dries too fast. I ordered some extender but haven't tried it yet since I'm only doing small pieces so far. Here is a link that might be useful: General Finishes High Performance Topcoat

Here is how I would expect a pro to spray paint kitchen cabinets. A brush painted job would differ slightly in that you wouldn't hang the doors to paint. You'd place them on a work table or easel instead. It's time intensive work, and should take 7-14 days to accomplish completely and cost between 3K-7K depending on kitchen size and amount of detail in cabinets. Remove doors and drawer fronts. Remove hinges and hardware. Clean with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) Rinse and let dry. Scrape any loose finish. Fill any damaged spots or hardware holes that won't be reused. Sand fill smooth. Scuff sand the rest. Tack off dust. Hang in dust free paint booth with wires through hardware points. Tack off dust again. Spray with alkyd based primer. Scuff sand again. Tack off dust. Spray with second coat of primer. Spray with first finish coat of latex enamel. Spray with second coat of latex. If glazing is to occur, that is next. Spray with conversion varnish. (If being brush painted, this step is typically skipped.) Add more molding or decorative details to boxes, filling nail holes and sanding smooth. Repeat prep process with face frames and exposed cabinet sides using plastic to create a spray booth on site. If interiors are to be done, they are done before face frames and sides. Interiors are difficult, and add both time and expense to the job. Allow everything to fully cure. Clean hinges and hardware and clear coat if you're keeping the old hardware. Install new (or old) hinges and hardware. Re-install doors and drawers and adjust for proper clearances. If you are receiving a job without this amount of effort, then you are not receiving a quality professional job.

Hi Kathrine. It seems like you are well on your way to a solution already, but I would like to clear some of the fog. First, I would like to address oil and wax finishes. Although they do produce a decent finish, they take forever to cure, they will need to be renewed eventually, and they offer little to no protection (when compared to a film finish). In a kitchen, durability is usually the big concern and pure tung oil simply doesnt have a place there. Now if you have a nice antique hall table that you dont mind babying, tung oil and wax could be a good choice. But with the amazing array of beautiful finish options available today, its hard to believe tung oil (and boiled linseed oil), still find their way into our homes. That being said, I am glad you went with the Waterlox. Despite the incorrect information Minwax gave you, Waterlox is not all that different from a wiping polyurethane. Waterlox actually contains little to no tung oil at all. It does, however, contain a resin that is derived from oil and is a close relative to polyurethane. Many woodworkers like this particular resin better because it is less "plastic-looking" than standard polyurethane. So what you have actually done is exactly what I would have recommended: you top-coated your tung oiled surface with a wiping varnish. This varnish will give your cabinets the protection they need from oil, grease, heat, water, and cleaning agents. A level of protection that tung oil cannot provide. And one note to the folks who were discussing "food-safe" finishes. Nearly all film finishes are food safe once cured. If you are a bit skeptical, there are FDA-approved varnishes available (usually labelled salad bowl finish), that will offer much more protection and durability than oil and wax. I apologize for the blitz of information. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away. Marc

LIve wire oak mentions many things...the biggest red flag is the 'professional' (ahem...) using a low-grade DIY product such as Minwax. Minwax stains are OIL based. They take time to cure (72 hours anyone?) before a product such as Loba can be applied (water based product out of Germany). And just like oil and water NOT mixing, Loba and Minwax do NOT mix. Loba has their own line of water based stains. They are expensive, but beautiful. A SOLVENT (aka oil based) based finish (like Minwax) turns ORANGE. Not just 'yellow' but ORANGE!!!!! So...you can kick Minwax to the curb IMMEDIATELY!!! Like YESTERDAY! Water based polyurethanes (such as Loba 2K Supra AT; Loba WS 2K Supra; Bona Traffic HD; Bona Traffic; etc) do NOT TURN YELLOW! They are referred to as "clear coats" by many. White Oak NEEDS a sealant (Loba Easyprime = Loba sealant) when working with water based polyurethane. If you do NOT use the sealant (because you are using a WATER BASED polyurethane) then you will find the White Oak tannins (the stuff that gives wood its colour) will move to the surface of the wood and sit there = turn yellowish over time. Whew! So first things first: find ANOTHER refinisher. Water based stains are a B!tch to work with if you DO NOT have the training. And NO, you do NOT WANT to be the 'project' they floor dude uses to learn the product. Water based polyurethanes are ANOTHER issue all together. As easy as Loba is to work with....it still takes PLENTY of practice to 'figure out'. Especially if you are an 'oil guy' for 20+ years. Please find the nearest professional: www.nwfa.org An NWFA Certified Flooring Sander/Refinisher is going to charge $5+ per square foot to work with the high end stuff. But it is TOTALLY worth it. And that $5/sf is JUST the staining/finishing. The TOTAL cost for installation is going to add a few more $$ per square foot for the labour to cut/install the wood floor itself.