This a local to you endeavor. Google hand painting for walls, and furniture in the bay area.

@JAN MOYER If I were going to create a complex painting on the doors I would agree that it must be done locally. But for some basic colors on several sections of a door, I would be willing to order the doors from a vendor who is remote and have them do the artwork there. Obviously there would be a test piece sent so that the overall scheme could be seen or approved before doing all the doors.

If no cabinet maker does the painting, then I already have a local artist I have used and could use for this. The other questions I asked still pertain to that case.

I am telling you_ Nobody, but a local will do the artwork. A factory finish paint job, would need a prime beneath for additional art.

Frankly.......without seeing the cabinet within the context of your kitchen? I can't advise beyond that.

You are asking for a very customized piece of furniture and very customized pieces such as this are best when executed locally in their ENTIRETY

" The idea would be to find a veneer that has a rich-looking texture when painted but is cheaper than a high-end wood. What would be the best choice to give the doors a nice texture for the paint, but save money on the door cost? How should I specify the door options to the manufacturer of the door?"

ANSWER? No. Because custom, has a custom PRICE. Unless you are a crafty diy type. Do it local. A wood craftsman and a hand painter working together with a clear vision of YOUR vision.

Working with an interior designer with regards to the entire kitchen, may be the shortest route to what you want.

westes, I just realized you were here yesterday asking where to buy 1 ready made cabinet door to match those in a 1970 model mobile home. Similar to what Jan said above,you were told no manufacture supplies it and you must use a local cabinet maker. Just as you did here,you presisted down the path of some manufacturing plant rather than take advise you were given to go local. Is it just me or are you making a game of this? I'd like others to click your name which will open a window with your activity. Below activity,click posts which opens a window with all the threads you have started. Browsing those threads lead me to further believe there's more going on than first meet's the eye. There's no rule nor law against it but imo you are not actually looking for solutions but just asking questions to see how folks respond.

@klem1 The 1970s door is going to be repaired by someone local on Saturday. Lots of bad assumptions and illogical conclusions in your response.

In this post, I asked if there was a manufacturer of kitchen cabinet doors that does custom painting of those doors when they are manufactured. The answer is apparently no. I never argued that. Next topic, please.

Having established that I will have the doors painted locally - and I already said in the last post I have a local artist to do that work for me - now I wanted to explore what kinds of veneer I should order on the doors, or does that even matter.

One of the hardest things about Internet conversations is that people just assume that no one could be agreeing with them and then the same topics get rehashed over and over. I already accepted that I will not find a manufacturer to do the painting, and now I would like to just discuss the pros and cons of different kinds of veneers, assuming I am going to have someone local paint over the veneer.

@JuneKnow XIV What if we treat the finished colored door like decoupage and put multiple heavy layers of lacquer on it to preserve the underlying paint? Is that kind of finish inappropriate for kitchen use? Is there any kind of finishing process the artist can do on the door to make it last for 30 years?

Do you want a 2k cabinet, a five K cabinet or a work of art for 20K ? all of them will look different and thirty years?? Why? Even you may hate the creation in thirty years. No kitchen "lasts:" thirty years, really. Something will need a redo in that time.

You haven't even shown the kitchen this will reside in. ..or your plans for it, Either way, your pursuit is a local endeavor, via a designer and craftsman.

It's like asking a local college kid/painter to slap red paint on a dining wall, and produce the EFFECT of a glazed in thirteen layers Park Avenue library ONE GLIMPSED IN ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST.. Not going to HAPPEN.

😂😂😂😂

@JuneKnow XIV "Putting a hard coating over a softer inferior one only ensures failure...." Honestly, that made no sense at all. As a generalization, that has to be wrong. One can argue the details and chemistry, but of course we protect softer materials with harder and more durable surfaces.

Of course I will consult experts and I will let experts make their decisions, but everything I have seen online from full-time cabinet painting professionals suggests that four coats of lacquer give a very good result for a protective coating.

It sounds like there are separate issues about what kinds of paints you use on the wood as well, and if anyone has something constructive to suggest I would appreciate knowing about it.