Software
Houzz Logo Print
lauriemaiser

feeling sick about cabinet color

6 years ago

So last year I toured a Parade of Homes house that I loved, and the cabinets and trim were all SW Creamy. So I went into our custom build positive I wanted this color (house was similar in style and has the same southern exposure for kitchen as our build).

The designer had the painter color match the cabinet sample for the trim, and it was too creamy, so we looked through the paint deck and found it was a good match for SW Pure White!!! The designer said that the lacquer finish they use on the cabinets changes the color a bit.

I am definitely more of an ivory/off-white person and I’m freaking out that our kitchen is going to be blindingly white, when all of my China, tableloths, etc. are ivory. Wishing I had understood this better so I could have made a more informed decision.

Love that I learn this when the cabinets are done. Thoughts or advice on Pure White? I’m clinging to the hope that perhaps this other new home also had lacquered cabinets and if I loved them there, I will still love them.

Comments (21)

  • 6 years ago

    Hire a designer to help you pull it together.

  • 6 years ago

    I’ve been working with a designer this entire time.

  • 6 years ago

    I told her I wanted my cabinets SW Creamy. Somehow I was not fully educated that the lacquer would change the color so dramatically.

  • 6 years ago

    SW pure white is so good, it's not going to be blinding. I think you dodged a bullet here. Wait til you see them. SW creamy is very yellow, I'd never do that for cabinets.

  • 6 years ago

    I agree with @itsourcasa SW Pure White is not a blinding white and SW Creamy is very creamy, like a pale yellow. I painted my bedroom in creamy.

  • 6 years ago

    It's totally subjective, but I think it will look great. Pure White is a great white. Have you gotten to see them yet?


    Fwiw, I gave my cabinet-maker a sample to color-match (BM Snowfall White) and did not ask for a sample from him (oops). A) the cabinets came back whiter than Snowfall White, and B) I actually prefer it to the sample I gave him. I'm crossing my fingers for you! At any rate, Pure White is a well-loved and oft-recommended white, so your kitchen won't look weird or anything.

  • 6 years ago

    You'll be OK. You'll accommodate and move with it - it'll be fine! Try to hang on....

  • 6 years ago

    SW Pure White is not a blinding white. We used it when we built 26 years ago on all of the trim, wainscoting, doors, crown and base. When we renovated our kitchen we chose it for our kitchen cabinets. I hope that your cabinet maker used a post catalyzed conversion varnish. It is more durable than a lacquer finish. That is what better cabinet makers use for painted finishes.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I hope that your cabinet maker used a post catalyzed conversion varnish. It is more durable than a lacquer finish.

    I am sorry to get on my high horse here, but conversion varnish is illegal on cabinets in countries with some pretty relaxed environmental safety standards. Xylene is essentially formaldehyde, and conversion varnish is a lacquer with high solid contents that requires xylene to cure. It is only allowed in the U.S. because they do some magic with advanced mixing techniques and chemically binding much of the xylene, which helps it pass the EPA tests, but also results in some additional off-gassing and makes over-catalyzation more problematic.

    In the end, I would use just about anything in my house before conversion varnish, but some waterborne finishes and hi-build lacquers can you give you similar performance with fewer health concerns and the two part polyurethanes are performing even better than Conversion varnish now.

    -----

    For color. We have had this discussion recently and color is color is color. I have heard the excuse that lacquers and professional products result in a different look, which is true, WHEN THEY ARE A DIFFERENT COLOR. I would suggest contacting Lori A. Sawaya if you have questions, she is the color expert.

    Lori A. Sawaya





  • 6 years ago

    Pure white is a beautiful soft white, don’t panic, I suspect you will love it once it all comes together.

  • 6 years ago

    I had a whole house of SW Creamy trim in my last house. gorgeous color but I decided not to use it in my new house ..a little too Creamy. And I love warm colors. I think you will love the Pure White. More neutral...beautiful, soft white.

  • 6 years ago

    I just did my cabinets and trim using Pure White and I am very happy with it. It is the soft white I wanted.

  • 6 years ago

    bry911, I have no idea what goes on in other countries but I'm in the USA and do know that both of the white kitchens that I currently own have post-cat conversion varnish finishes. One is a less expensive cabinet line and the other is a high end cabinet line and both have worn like iron.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    "What if you are a terrible cook?"

    Have a GREAT wine cellar.

  • 6 years ago

    And play weird, distracting music.

  • 6 years ago

    You can try out different light bulbs to get a softer light in the room. I just changed the bulbs in a new fixture in a half bath from bright white to soft white and it made a big difference. This will make more of a difference at night, of course, when you don't have your southern sunlight coming in.

  • 6 years ago

    Don’t panic - pure white is very nice. I’m assuming all your trim throughout all rooms will be pure white also?

  • 6 years ago

    Pure white is one of the best whites for cabinet and trim because it’s crisp and soft free of undertones so it reflects the environment it’s in for example if you have a lot of greens it will then reflect a green undertone if you have a bunch of yellow it’ll reflect the yellow undertone

  • 6 years ago

    @bry911 I really appreciated your comment above, "In the end, I would use just about anything in my house before conversion varnish, but some waterborne finishes and hi-build lacquers can you give you similar performance with fewer health concerns and the two part polyurethanes are performing even better than Conversion varnish now."


    We're trying to figure out how to get that non-yellowing finish that the OP discussed, and all the newer research I'm seeing is that the two-part polyurethanes that have been popular in Europe and are now making their way to the United States are outstanding, as you said. The finisher that our cabinet manufacturer is recommending to us uses only a one-part clear coat from Sherwin Williams. He'll coat the cabinetry 3 times with sanding in between (ours is unstained, unpainted wood, unlike the OP that is starting with a white base paint). He says he does a great finish but only guarantees his work for 3 years, which isn't too reassuring. We're also looking at buildable lacquers like Epifanes which calls for about 8 coats with sanding in between, but those are long-oil finishes for the most part based on oil that imbues an amber tone that will yellow over time. So many decisions.