What are the differences in the finish on your cabinets

Excerpts taken from NKBA Kitchen and Bath Products:

Enhancing Natural Wood Tones

When you choosing a finish for your new cabinetry, keep in mind that there are many finishes that you have to choose from. It's important to choose a finish that will work well with the type of wood you are using and your lifestyle. Price may be a huge factor in which look you finally choose.
Many of the hand applied techniques can affect the overall costs of your cabinetry by 15%-25% depending on the finish. The following are some of the most common that are available.

The natural color of wood can be enhanced by simply adding a coat of oil. The approximate color resulting from a transparent finish can be determined with a "wet test". Simply moisten an area of the unfinished wood with clean water. The more porous woods will show a greater change in color than woods with closed grains.

Staining Woods

Stains are employed to bring out the full beauty of the grain, or to emphasize the color of the woods. Woods with no color that must be stained are: basswood, popular, gumwood  and white pine

Light-colored woods that may be finished in their natural color or stained include: ash, beech, birch, cherry, elm, oak, maple, chestnut and mahogany.

Stain is not usually used on veneers or wood with natural beauty and rich color, such as butternut, mahogany, rosewood, teak and walnut. These woods, which have a natural beauty of pattern and color should receive a clear finish which will magnify their beauty.

It must be remembered that a stain is not a finish, and that a finishing coat must be applied over it, except in the case of varnish stains, penetrating wood-sealer finishes and lacquer containing stain.

Types of Stain

Water Stain- A powder best applied with spray equipment. Will raise the grain of wood. No preliminary sealer coat required.

NGR Stain (Non-grain Raising)- Stains in which powders are dissolved in a solvent other than water to minimize the problem of grain raising. Best applied with spray equipment, which carries mixture into the pores of the wood and later evaporates.

Spirited Stain- Powders soluble in alcohol which are very quick drying. Best applied with spray equipment. Can result in a slight muddiness in the finish.

Pigmented Wiping Stain- Effective in staining a cabinet made from different woods. Pigments are in suspension in a penetrating resin vehicle. While all stains are wiped, wiping is penetrating resin vehicle.

Varnish Stain- Not often used for fine wood finishes, these stains fill, color and add a gloss to the surface, all in one coat. When a product is made from less expensive grades of lumber, varnish stains may be successful because they give a uniform coloring to woods streaked with very soft and porous parts.


Coloring Woods

Paint, colored lacquered and tinted varnish will provide a painted appearnace on cabinetry. Painting will conceal the wood grain on tightly grained wood species. During painting, an undercoat primer with no gloss is applied, then followed by a finish coat of high gloss, semi-gloss or satin. The lacquer will give it a colored finish, yet retain the beauty of the wood grain.

Pickled finishes (white pigment rubbed into woods to enhance the grain) give wood cabinets the look of antiqued scrubbed surface. Pickling is most dramatic on woods with large pores such as oak and ash, although it works well on others too.

Additionally, paint dragging - white or off-white paint left in cabinet joints and within distressed sections- heightens this "Old World" antique look. This appealing vintage effect works beautifully in many kitchens and bathrooms.

Vintage Finishes

In addition to a wide array of wood stains and fashionable colors for cabinetry, many consumers request cabinetry with hand-applied finishes creating an antique look. These finishes are reminiscent of a room that has developed the patina of a cherished but well-worn furniture piece. Generically, they may be called "Vintage" multi-step or layered finishes.

To create these finishes, there are three broad categories of special effects employed.

Glazing- Glazing is the application of a colored material after the base coat of stain or paint has been applied. There are four different types of glazing: Patting, Burnished, Striated, Dry- or sometimes called "defining glazing"

Physical Distressing- A person damages the wood finish to create the look of aged, beaten furniture. A variety of distressing systems are available, the techniques include: dents, relief cuts, chisel cuts, peck marks and worm tracking. Such distressing can mimic natural wear or be taken to an extreme level to create a rugged, worn look. Distressing is limited to wood; it is not applicable to veneers.

Special Effects- Special effects are the application of specialized materials to recreate the sense of an aged wood surface. Typically, there are three broad categories that many manufacturers employ: Crackle, Spatter/Cowtailing, and Wear-thru