"3rd eye" wrote in message
pine. Sounds great, but the stain is $35 for a quart, about 4 times
the cost of those I passed in the paint aisle in the store. Is it worth
it to purchase from the cabinet manuf.


NO.

I'd buy it. Sure you are getting screwed at that price. Look at the
alternatives. You buy three or four cans and find they are close, but not
quite. You already spent $40, drove 75 miles to different stores, and spent
two hours trying stains and it still does not match quite right.

So, in the scheme of a $20,000 or more kitchen remodel, what is the extra
$25 to have what you really want?

Keep in mind, or course, you are staining a different wood than the cabinet
manufacturer and still may get some different results. Experiment a bit.
If the trim and doors are pine, brush on some mineral spirits first to avoid
splotchiness. Or put on a spit coat of shellac for the same thing.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/