How to Match Factory Finish on Cabinets

[Norm Green]

I am replacing the Sony bedroom TV with an LED screen in our '06 Thunder.  Our coach has the natural cherry cabinets with no insert.  I would like to apply a spray finish on the new woodwork that would match the existing finish as much as possible.  Does anyone know what type of finish the factory used and if it was a gloss or semi-gloss.  When I get this project completed I will post some photos.  Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Keith Oliver]

I refinished some of the woodwork in my 1998 Contessa.  Mine was all done with a clear finish on Alder, which was stained slightly on the cabinet frames but not on the doors.  I covered the bedroom TV opening with a pair of doors that I made out of new Alder and finished with a clear, oil based wipe-on varnish (see below). My existing cabinetry in the front cabin had some battering that I repaired, and I used a stain to match the surrounding wood and a water base wipe-on varnish to finish (see below).

Due to the original finish being more than 2 years old, it is unlikely that you will encounter a chemical compatibility problem.  In any case, you should do a test piece somewhere where any lifting of the old finish, when you put on the new, will not show.  Assuming compatibility, sand lightly with 220 or finer grit paper and  apply whatever you have chosen.
To add new wood and match the existing colours, you will need to stain, as the existing wood has been exposed to several years of UV that has likely darkened it somewhat.  If you are prepared to wait without staining, for the UV darkening to affect the new wood, within a couple of years you won't notice the difference, and within 5 years you won't be able to tell which is the new wood, from the colour alone.
For ease of getting a good finish, I prefer the Minwax wiping varnish, in an oil base.  I have tried the water based product, but find that it dries too fast and leaves a streaky finish.  The oil base gives you time to wipe it smooth and leaves a nice, semi-gloss finish very much like the original finish.  The added advantage is that this is a very thin finish, per coat, so you don't get a buildup that would affect the colour of the wood.
If you are set up for and experienced in spraying (if that was the case you wouldn't be posting here) a good spray lacquer finish is likely just what the factory did, and for mass production of a great finish, it is the best.
If your coach was done in high gloss, you will need to apply a high gloss, interior varnish.  Exterior varnishes are tougher, but also contain UV inhibitors, which will darken the finish quite a bit, so is undesireable for your purposes.

[Edward Buker]

This is a good subject for those of us that are trying to match coach finishes and install modifications. In the Marquis we have a very high gloss finish with a smooth surface. I think the Patriots may use more of a matte finish. You can learn some of the necessary wood finish steps by looking closely at the current cabinet finish regardless if it is a matte or gloss finish. If you see no pores in the wood coming through the finish then a pore filer was used first to level the surface. This is a good article and I like the waterbase filler approach near the bottom of this article.

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/Main/Articles/Sealers_and_Pore_Fillers_5129.aspx

When the surface is smooth then like Keith mentions you have to decide if you want to darken the wood with some stain or let the wood age and darken over time. For a finish I have had good luck with polyurethane by Minwax using a foam brush, sanding with 320 or higher between coats, tack rag, and recoat until you are happy with the final result. I have not had any good results with a wipe on gloss finish but for matte they work pretty well. Spraying wood finish is a good approach but involves equipment and techniques that unless you do it often is hard to master and justify. I use some scrap wood to test the method before I finish my final project. I have experimented with wet sanding and buffing the polyurethane wood finish with a fine rubbing compound. Although it yields a very glass like surface for smoothness it still ends up being a matte looking finish that does not match the Marquis woodwork. So no luck there. All in all you can get pretty close with pore sealer, polyurethane with a foam brush, and fine sanding between coats.

Later Ed

[Andy Clark]

For those with the light (off-white) factory finish on their Beaver cabinetry (ours is a '95 Pat), I have found a product combination that produces an almost perfect match.

I recently installed a new flat screen TV in the stock location over the driver's head, for which I had to fabricate close-out panels to enclose this new unit. I used 1/4 inch thick oak sheets finished with Old Masters Penetrating Stain in Pickling White (41416), top-coated with Daly's Gloss CrystalFin Acrylic Polyurethane (#12080), which appears to be water based (have to protect from freezing).

You have to look very closely to detect any difference in the color and texture from the adjacent factory panels. Most of the very slight difference appears to result from the oak grain itself.

Hope this helps those of you with this less-than-common color/finish.

Andy