You May be Ordering Shrink-wrap for your Cabinet Finish Rather than a Lacquer or Stain

This vinyl peeled quickly next to the oven.

There are only two right ways of finishing cabinets, lacquer or stain. Lacquer can be applied to wood or MDF, medium density fiberboard created from softwood fibers and resin. Stain is used on solid wood. The shrink-wrap alternative to paint and stain, is a vinyl applied with heat to coat primarily MDF products but can be used on solid wood as well.  

Shrink-wrap vinyl is touted as a low-cost alternative to using lacquer or stain in finishing a cabinet. It’s low cost for the product provider but turns into a high-cost headache for the homeowner. We haven’t seen shrink-wrap vinyl last on average for more than 5 years. The very nature of the application of the shrink-wrap to a cabinet, using heat to wrap the surface and glue to hold it in place, never adheres the vinyl like lacquer or stain to any part of the cabinetry. The vinyl bubbles, tears and cannot be repaired adequately for it to match the remaining cabinets. Well, which honestly, once one cabinet starts tearing and bubbling, the rest are going soon as well. 

The cabinet has to be stripped of the vinyl and the glue removed before the original MDF layer can be painted again. And never paint over vinyl. The chemicals in the paint will cause the vinyl to peel more.

Builders and remodelers keep their costs low and profits high by using vinyl as a cabinet wrap. Beware of shrink-wrap on cabinets. Lacquer and stain finishes last tens of years and are easy, inexpensive options to repair. Lacquer is impervious to water, resists yellowing with age, protects your cabinets from liquids and requires very little maintenance. Stain likewise seals against moisture, protects from UV damage and is easy to fix if the wood is marred.   

The cost of lacquer and stain are not prohibitive. They provide the kind of charm and lasting beauty that you want to bring to every part of your home. Elegant finishes with a velvet touch and an infinite array of choices are all part of cabinet and millwork creation for the carpenter with old world craftsmanship and modern, environmentally sound practices.