Hello fellow woodworkers. I have my first painted kitchen that I have to build and the cabinets will be black. There will be no glazing or distressing, just black. I have done several small jobs in the past with paints and each time I used general finishes milk paint with two coats of clear enduro poly on top. I had good results with this, but for an entire kitchen I was wondering if there is a better product to use. The face frames, doors, and all parts will be made of hard maple. I use gf products on all my projects, so I would like to remain in the waterborne field of finishing. Any thoughts, suggestions would be extremely helpful. Thanks.
From contributor Le
Black primer and clear coat.
From contributor ri
What sheen? It doesn't get any tougher than gloss black. Preparation time is tripled!
From contributor Je
The customer was looking for flat to semi gloss finish. They said they don't want the kitchen shiny. One other question I had was how fine does one have to sand the parts to. Is 150 grit satisfactory for getting a smooth finish?
From contributor Ro
Be prepared to struggle with 'Black' finish.
Your drying area must be perfect. A flat finish with a Clear Coat will be even harder, IMHO. Add 25% to your normal rate.
From contributor ri
150 on hard maple is not fine enough, unless you are using a really hi fill primer. 180 at least, maybe 220. Block hand sanding is a plus if you have the time. Black, no matter what sheen, magnifies anything that is not totally flat and smooth.
From contributor Ba
I think your present system is fine. I've used GF's products for years. The milk paint really isn't milk paint anymore it just "looks" like it and is more durable. 2 coats of the black milk paint and 2 coats of poly are certainly good enough. You could use 2-3 coats of clear sanding sealer which is a really good water barrier then 2 coats of the GF black poly and call it a day also. I've done at least a 5 kitchen islands with the black poly and it's really easy. Black for sure is easier than white. You won't see the bug that lands on your final coat :-). If you can get them on the flat sheen band wagon. Shinier definitely makes your life more difficult.
goodluck
From contributor Ma
Are you spraying or brushing?
If you are brushing, I cannot recommend highly enough the Sherwin Williams Precatalyzed Waterbased Epoxy. It behaves like latex wall paint, and you can get it in eggshell. It's the toughest waterbased paint brush paint I've ever seen. It dries quickly, but does NOT harden like most epoxies into a hard plastic shell. It's more flexible. Easy to wash off the brush as long as you don't let it dry up near the tang.
Use their Pro-block water based primer underneath it.
If you are wanting to spray, I cannot make a suggestion, I spray only solvent based stuff.
From contributor De
Use GF black poly.
From contributor Pa
I am not familiar with the product you mentioned. However, we have done many painted kitchens, including black. We use pigmented lacquers. Also, I would never do a high gloss finish. We are not set up for it and as they say, "Gloss is unforgiving". An imperfection will jump out at you from across the room. We mostly do satin finishes.
From contributor Da
GF Black poly. or GF black undercoater then a clear poly on top, or ICA AO_275 black, or if solvent based Stealth or Resistant. Dont go Semi Gloss unless you have a spotless finish area.
