@Kim Garlington I just wanted to give you a little more information about finishes labeled as "oil" finishes to try to save you some time and perhaps money on testing. I also wanted a natural-looking finish for my new cabinets which still have not arrived, and I tested Waterlox which I think must be very similar to the Woca Diamond Oil or Woca Master Oil in that it isn't a pure oil; it is more a diluted varnish with a small percentage of oil included. This means that you need to apply it using all the dust-control measures you would use with a regular varnish as the coating will trap lint and dust if present in the environment or rags/brushes used. Also the fact that oil is present (Woca's ingredients aren't readily listed anywhere that I can find other than the vague "vegetable oil" is used) indicates that finish will end up more or less either yellow or orange/amber in tint, even if it contains colored pigments like white to add a tinted haze. You can actually see this if you look really carefully at @ramlahn's lovely project, that there is some ambering to what would have been the original white oak wood color. This indicates that the Woca used in this instance is probably based on tung oil. Formulations that include more of the linseed oil tend to turn more yellow in tone, while the tung imparts more of an amber hue. Either way, oil finishes aren't really a natural look to the wood when you compare it to other clear varnishes that are made specifically as a water-based or waterborne (there is a difference) formula. I was disappointed in the amount of coloration that my oil-based testing produced and have since turned to further research for a more natural-looking finish. In short, I think you will find the Woca to produce visible ambering to your wood. Some people love this as a "warm glow" feature. Others really don't. The diluted varnish-oils like Woca and Waterlox are penetrating formulas, so once you've put them on, you are committed. it would be very difficult to turn back and do anything else than oil-based finishing on those cabinets in the future.
Some of the best non-yellowing, non-ambering waterbornes around for cabinet work right now are two-part formulas with the addition of a hardener to add durability and chemical resistance coming from Italian coatings research labs like those of Milesi, ICA, ICS-Ilva, and Sayerlack. A few other companies around the world including Renner which is based in the UK are also strong competitors in this arena. The problem for the do-it-yourselfer is that most of these two-part coatings dry too quickly to be rolled or brushed on. If you aren't set up with the complex equipment and needed experience to successfully spray these formulas, then you will either have to hire it done or look for something else. I've heard good things about General Finishes mentioned earlier in this thread, but one of the things I'm personally considering is using a product called Loba 2K Supra AT. It is not recommended for cabinetry, being a flooring finish, but it has a wet edge working life of 15 minutes which would allow a roll/brush application, and it is beyond amazing in durability and appearance for a natural wood look that will last decades. It is water based, not waterborne, which is a step higher on the level of quality particularly in terms of non-yellowing properties according to some finishes experts. Hope this might help. Here's a link that might be useful: Loba 2K Supra AT in a non-typical cabinetry coating application.
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