"Martin" wrote in message
et...
A previous tenant apparently spilled perfume of some sort in one of the
cabinets. We've tried to get rid of the residual odor by painting it over
with shellac, but it's still pretty strong after 3 years.

There was a thread on here recently that talked about wood cabinets and
shellac, but these are made of dense particle board with a veneer of 1/32"
white plastic. They seem to be quality construction.

I wonder if anyone has tried Kilz or an acrylic lacquer, or has any
comments
on those or other finishes for blocking odors.



Sounds like it was cologne and not perfume, oil vs. water base.
It's obviously had time to sink in, particle board is like a sponge, and
probably gotten into the seams.
Scrub with a unperfumed liquid dish detergent, they break down the oils.
Then you might try a bleach water mix, or ammonia water mix. PLEASE don't
do ammonia and bleach together.