Part of finishing your cabinetry project is the task of caulking and puttying the brad holes, joints, and seams. I place the finishing efforts into two main categories:
- Pre-stained and lacquered
- Post-stained and lacquered
The two conditions result from your preferences. I prefer to stain and lacquer my cabinets and molding prior to installation. This eliminates almost a week of inconvenience at the site of installation dealing with fumes, dust, and the challenge of staining and lacquering right next to a finished wall. I also prefer to seal the unseen portions of the cabinets and molding with at least one coat of lacquer to help minimize detrimental effects with moisture.
Almost all my pre-staining and lacquering puttying is done with Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood Filler. I have had great success with this product over the years and haven’t been motivated to try anything else. I typically apply too much at a brad hole or a joint and let it dry (and shrink). I then knock the excess off with a rotary sander. I then stain and lacquer the cabinet as normal. I do not utilize caulking prior to staining and lacquering.
Post-staining and lacquering utilizes a wider selection of tools. You would be surprised at where caulking can be used to finish a cabinet. Caulking is available in a wide range of colors at your hardware store, from brilliant white, to shades of brown, to black. I typically utilize a shade of caulking that is close to the wall color to caulk between molding or cabinetry and the wall/ceiling. The caulking will hide the small gaps between the wall or ceiling and your molding/cabinet. I typically utilize caulking that is close in color to the finished wood to fill joints. Various putties and pencils are available from companies such as Miniwax, enabling you to purchase products that are similar in color to the finished wood. You can then take these products to fill brad holes and joints as well.
Utilizing these finishing tips will enable you to produce a finished cabinet that looks like it was done by the pros. Have fun!