Cabinet finishes for pool house cabinetry

LaMar · Joined: 25 Oct 2010 Posts: 175 Location: East Coast

Hi folks. I have been asked to research options for cabinetry finishes that will hold up in a pool house. The pool house will be heated and cooled, but sometimes be completely open when the pool is in use, etc... and will be subject to more moisture and humidity, etc... than what is installed in a normal house.

Can someone give me some advice as to appropriate materials for these cabinets and finishing procedure? The designer does not want to do anything stained. Would prefer a painted finish. Thanks on advance.

Dancing Deb · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 7:03 pm Post subject:

One main problem with cabinets which are going to be exposed to the elements is the issue of expansion and contraction due to fluctuations in humidity. The first thing to cut down on this, and the chances of cracking in the corners of the finish, would be for the doors to be made of MDF or, if they are five piece doors, for the center panels at least to be made of MDF. That will minimize expansion/contraction movement of that center panel and cracking in the corners and along the interior edges.

Regarding finishing, make sure that they are finished completely. If there are crowns on the cabinets the crown backs should be sealed as well, if there are side panels the backs should be sealed prior to installation, again to minimize moisture absorption and reduce the incidence of warping.

Waterborne acrylics may be your best bet for finishing materials. They are flexible, so if there are moisture issues, they will be less inclined to crack and chip off after curing, as opposed to oil based.

CarpenterSF · Joined: 21 Nov 2010 Posts: 126 Location: San Francisco

The threads a couple months old, but anyway...
Flat, euro-style doors. As Dancing Deb points out, you want to avoid differential movement in the door pieces. As for finishes - anything that will work in a kitchen will work in a pool house.