"Actor123" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all:

Can anyone provide some guidance on a problem I'm having. I'm redoing
basically every cabinet in the house (kitchen, bathrooms, etc.). I am
going with a high quality maple cabinet, and want it finished in an
antique white paint with perhaps a glaze. Right now, I am attempting
to decide between completely custom, built and painted on site
cabinets, and pre-finished, custom cabinets. The prefinished cabinets
are dura supreme, which are measured on site, then built in a factory
in Minnesota. I'm in california.

Because we are going to be using a painted finished, which chips and
scratches easily, I am extremely concerned about durability. I am
hearing completely different things from different people. Some say
that pre-finished is the only way to go because they can apply various
chemicals in minnesota that they can't in California, and these
chemicals protect the finish a lot more. These people also say that
pre-finished cabinets can have a "baked on finish" that you just
cannot get with on-site application no matter what state you are in.

On the other side of the coin, the custom guys say that the whole "you
can't apply such and such a chemical in California"-thing is an urban
legend, and they are promising that they can make as durable a paint
finish as I can possibly find with a pre-finished model.

Putting aside the entire custom vs. non-custom debates, as far as
finished go, does anyone know the truth? Are there in fact things
that are being done in out-of-state cabinets that can't or aren't done
on in-state cabinets?

In my experience, a factory finish will always be smoother, harder, and more
durable, than anything you can apply in the field. If special-order custom
cabinets can be made to fit your needs, I'd go that way. If I Really Wanted
local artisan-built custom built-ins, I'd go with some other finish that can
be field applied, like a stain and sealer. It won't have the gloss or dirt
resistance of a shiny factory finish, but can still look great. There are
very few shiny or satin field-applied finishes that look good, IMHO. YMMV,
of course.

aem sends...