What do you suggest we use a a finish?

Your cabinet maker should have used the correct finish. Obviously you should not be seeing these stains.

he said that I just have to be extra careful because of the nature of walnut veneer?

The veneer has nothing to do with it. It's the finish that protects any type of wood used in a kitchen or bath.

Ask what type of finish was used and report back here.

it looks as though they were never sealed (or top coated). walnut veneer just means it's a very thin piece of real walnut, glued over a less expensive type of wood. to do those doors in a solid walnut would be very expensive. but the walnut on top is the same as a solid piece, in that it still needs to be protected. You basically have raw wood for your cabinets. There should be some type of lacquer coating that will allow for contraction/expansion of the wood, and act as a sealant so that oil/grease won't absorb. I don't think he needs to replace the panels. he could prob give them a cleaning, a sanding and then apply a natural wood oil or lacquer varnish that is sprayed.

I actually made a platform bed out of walnut veneered plywood. it looked just like your finish before I treated the wood. I applied one coat of stain and a few coats of a satin poly.

just know that in sealing it, it will deepen and enrich the tone of wood. It will actually look better. walnut is beautiful when oiled.

they should resemble these when properly finished. (who is this guy that supplied these?? doesn't he know how to protect real wood finishes?)

I think I see the problem ... on the counter ... looks like you are drinking and cooking! ;-)

He used sanding sealer and a pre cat lacquer. See attached pix! It was a satin finish. I’m not sure if that matters

The Pre-Cat Lacquer is a poor choice for kitchen and bath cabinets.

At a minimum a finish should meet KCMA standards, and ideally exceed them.

General Finishes has a rather poor website and I could not find that info, but I would be using this product. It's rated as their most durable.

https://generalfinishes.com/wood-finishes-professional/water-based-topcoats-and-sanding-sealers/enduro-conversion-varnish

Thank you for that! I will go back to them and ask them to redo it with this finish

Unfortunately, this is why kitchen cabinets should be purchased from a dealer for a major cabinet manufacturer and not be purchased from small custom shops or carpenters. Most carpenters will not have the ovens and other tools and shop essentials needed to make well made cabinetry with a durable consistent finish. And there is no safe warranty when only a single individual is building the cabinetry. They can be injured, get sick, or change professions.

When you buy cabinetry from a dealer both the dealer and the large cabinet company are warrantying your cabinetry. Very small companies are likely to make mistakes on aspects of jobs they haven't done many times over.

Even now trying to reseal your cabinetry is experimenting. When you spend the kind of money a new kitchen costs you do not want to be experimenting.

well, obviously those products didn't work if the wood is absorbing kitchen oils. Either that, or he used them incorrectly. A sanding sealer is just that. not really meant for any type of protection. my concern is that the beautiful richness of the walnut is not showing because it looks raw. you need to put on something that enhances that grain.

I agree! I did mention that the wood looked light! He said it was a natural wood and it will always vary! I knew something was off! I’m glad I came here to hear all your feedback as it has really helped me!

Clarice,,,like I said, I worked w/that same type of walnut veneer. here's a before pic before I did anything to the wood.

here's the after. I did a one coat stain w/walnut (to darken it) and a coat of GF Arm r Seal Urethane topcoat. you can see the diff in wood colors and how rich and dark it ended. This is how your walnut should look. you don't have to stain it if you don't want it darker, but the wood should absorb the natural oil finish to enrich the wood.

Your cabinets already have a water born finish on them, so it's possible that a better finish cannot simply be sprayed on top.

Some woods like walnut may have an oil or stain/dye applied prior to the clear finish to enhance the look. Not possible with finish already applied.

Not that it helps you now, but common procedure is for the cabinet maker to produce a sample of the finish on your chosen wood and for the customer to approve.

PPF has a point. you can't do a water based finish and then come over the top of it w/oil or lacquer. vice versa, yes.

have your guy do a sample finish on a spare piece. all of your other cabinets will need to be redone, since they won't match if he just replaces those two.

I agree with MLKD. When I was talking to various people about doing my new kitchen, I quickly realized that while many of the small custom cabinet shops might build a nice cabinet, their finishes left much to be desired. We no longer just put regular paint on kitchen cabinets or any other finish for that matter. They're all highly technical finishes that require special "clean" rooms in which to spray, and expensive equipment. Small cabinet shops usually can't afford such, and if they have them, any cost advantage over a big commercial company will be lost. They have to amortize this expense someway, and it will be through the price the customer is charged!

I was NOT a fan of factory painted cabinets when I started my search for new cabinets! I was accustomed to hand-painted ones, using high gloss oil-based enamel in my own kitchen, and seeing beautiful hand-painted cabinets in high end showrooms in London. I still love those I saw in London, but I have no idea how well they hold-up. I do know that my oil-based enamel cabinets held up extraordinarily well. I also realized that I no longer have access to a really good painter who is also affordable, and I was unwilling to turn an unknown painter loose on very expensive new cabinets.

So, I went with Shiloh painted cabinets. Since I detest change, it took me a few days to get used to them, but 3 years later, I'm a fan! They're very easy to wipe down and the finish appears to actually repeal dust. My yard man was cleaning my hood last week and I had him also wipe down the wood above. A damp cloth took the grime right off with one swipe! When they were hand-painted, it took a bit of scrubbing and a cleaning product to do this.

I find it hard to believe that there is anything whatsoever on that wood! All wood slightly darkens with oil/lacquer/finishes. I really like General Finishes products ALOT. They are considered the absolute top of the line for furniture refinishing, so I would think they'd do a pretty good job for cabinets. But there is no way they were applied properly based on your photos.

Take off a door and ask a painter if there is finish applied. I haven't seen these types of issues since I went to prefinished cabinets early 2000s.

Why is your gas not turned on and how did you get a cert of occupancy?

@Main Line Kitchen Design - unfortunately, many known cabinet manufacturers choose to work through large retailers with unqualified sales/design staff, leaving a similar crap shoot.

PPF - do you mean my current cabinets cannot be redone now since he already used a water based product? He would now have to redo them all with new walnut veneer for the correct finish?

It isn't helping, that your counter top is FLUSH with your door /drawer faces. That is a look......... best suited to a place where no cooking takes place. LOL...... very nice on a bedroom dresser or bedside table. Unrealistically hopeful in 99% of all kitchens, perimeter OR island. It was a poorer choice indeed, with any local custom shop vs. a factory finish.

Most counter top fabricators balk at this concept. For good reason and topping any cabinet, painted or stained.

Jan- in a previous kitchen, we had walnut veneer cabs in our island with a flush top countertop - and had zero problems over three years. And we are both heavy cooks plus had a very active preschooler during those years. The cabs looked as good the day we moved out as on the day they were installed.

your cabinet faces do not appear to have any clear coat sealer or top coat on them, they need to be removed and done properly using a good quality conversion varnish which will outlast any laquer i have come across. i have been spraying cabinets for 20 years and have never seen anything like your results.

PPF - do you mean my current cabinets cannot be redone now since he already used a water based product? He would now have to redo them all with new walnut veneer for the correct finish?

You really need to work with the maker on this. They are the ones responsible for fixing the problem. Everyone here is just guessing.

looks like.the finish is lacking not enough coats or just non. the wood is obsorbing oils or water. I would have them redone in the genral finishes WB conversion varnish. cant go to a solvent finish now you would need to replace them. there other brands of WB finishes that are better. but, tests would need to be done to see theres any reactions to current finish.

I had cabinets made by a local cabinetmaker and he used SW precat lacquer. He sprayed 3 coats. It has been 8 years and the cabinets are in a rental and the finish is a little scratched around a couple knobs But otherwise perfect. same guy does high end homes around the lake. With the same products as he used on mine. I think your cabinetmaker either used old finish (it has short shelf life), forgot how many coats and just did one or something else....equipment failure or drunk?

We had flush walnut veneer doors - that we made ourselves in our last kitchen. We used a stain to bring out the grain and then coated with general finishes urethane. We also had a bathroom vanity that we used danish teak oil to finish and never had any oil spots on either.

Just wondering if you have any updates to this issue 2 years later? I am doing walnut veneer custom cabs and hoping to avoid. I’d also love to see a picture of how they look now, as I’m betting the color has changed. I happen to love the lighter wood look.

I love the lighter wood look as well. Any suggestions for lighter walnut veneer. Thank you!!