Homeowners shopping for new kitchen cabinets first wrap their mind around wood species selection and finish color--then they get hit with this question.
It's easy to pass off cabinet finish treatment as a minor detail, but it's far more than that. Let's take a look.
What is Finish Treatment?
Cabinet finish treatment refers to the appearance of the finish, excluding color. You might have a transparent natural treatment that lets the beauty of the wood grain show through. Or you might want a treatment on the other end of the spectrum--a painted finish that completely blocks the wood grain. Then, of course, you have an entire range of finish treatments between those extremes.Types of New Kitchen Cabinet Finish Treatments
- Thermofoil - The veneer, usually white, that covers the entire surface.
- Paint - A thick coating of paint that is more about the color of the paint than the texture or color of the wood grain below.
- Distressed or Vintage Paint - Basically, the paint finishes above but either hand- or machine-distressed to create an attractive, aged appearance.
- Glazed - After the base coat of stain, a glossy layer of glaze is applied for a more contemporary look.
- Highlighted - Your basic stain but with darker highlight colors added to recesses, giving the cabinets more of a 3-D appearance.
