Interior Art The wood can be paint grade, even mdf can be used depending upon the finish you want. Save yourself some money there. The finish is a mixture of paints and stains. You want to hire someone who knows what they're doing with specialty wood finishing for durability and beauty both. Have your designer specifiy a beautiful finish in the tones and finish sheen to best suit your space.

To save money, it's a good idea spend a little more by hiring a good millworker who makes clean miter cuts and installs clean lines. Poor installations can cost a finisher days to make the wood look smoother with fillers, bondo, multiple prime coats underneath and tons of sanding in order to repair installation flaws.

The photo I'm attaching of cabinetry finishes in a Master Bathroom were specified by the interior designer as a "Very simple, clean, subtle finish" for this particular space. These cabinetry finishes are a simplified version of the beautiful finishes shown in the above closet designed by Frantantoni Luxury Designers. Again, it's just paints and stains, or glazes. Perhaps your cabinetry guy and/or interior designer knows of an excellent finisher. You'll want to see examples of their work before hiring them. I've come to find cabintry guys throw in the finishes as part of the cost of the cabinets and only allow for a small window of cost to cover very simple finishes by a very basic finisher. This is part of what some cabinet guys do in order to add to their repertoire & profits in such a competitive market. Alternatively, some cabinet guys don't do the finishing at all. These are two completely different trades, afterall. Most likely, he'll be subbing the special finishes out to someone he uses regularly. Unless you see from the finish samples he has in his workshop that his guy knows what he's doing, you may want to find your own finisher or a local artisan. If that's the case, you'll want to hire someone to do your specialty finishing who has a mix of artistic talent and technical know-how in order to come up with an excellent end result. If it's your cabinet guy - know exactly what you are putting your money towards before approving the design. Always sign off on samples of everything prior to the work being performed; this just keeps everything clear, clean & honest. I've seen too many special finishes gone wrong due to lack of understanding of it's importance by homeowners without designers. So just know what you're getting into before saying yes & writing the check.

fit4lifelu While I appreciate all this information, and the time you may have taken to write this or copy/paste it, I simply was asking because i was stuck between white paint/brown glaze, as opposed to another color on brown or another glaze. My cabinet maker worked for Wood Mode for many years, and is quite the perfectionist. I've since (this original question) have made so many decisions in design.....and am using the paint/glaze look with Maple and raised panel doors and panels in a bath, and have decided to do my Walk In /Sitting Room with Maple and an Espresso sort of (Custom) stain. We also used Cherry with a Merlot Stain for our kitchen and all vanities except that one bath (which will look like the photo above).

In response to the other response, Without placing judgment on Fratantoni Co., there are people in this world that do things out of genuine desire to help others and there are those who do things with e desire to gain something from others, I choose to be the first. I have learned in my life to Live and Let Live!!!

I am blessed to have a great cabinetmaker and the means to have my own Walk In Closet.

Best Wishes to AL!!!!!!

I LOVE HOUZZ!!!!!!