clear coat

[Scott Finlay]

Want the finished cabinet to look closest to raw wood. What is the best option for white oak (rift sawn)

[ChadBarker]

We offer a CLEARCOAT finish option with a natural matte sheen. Alternatively, you can order your doors in raw wood and apply your preferred finish on-site. Some new waterborne wipe-on finishes are ultra-matte and barely noticeable. Our CLEARCOAT finish has a matte sheen, as shown in this video:

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[Adrienne]

Hello, Chad.

I was wondering if the matte finish is available for doors and trim purchased from Barker door, and appliance panels from Barker cabinets?

Thank you.

[ChadBarker]

Finishes between Barker Door and Barker Cabinets are going to look virtually identical. You would not be able to tell a difference.

[Adrienne]

Thank you. What I wanted to know is whether the waterbourne matte finish is a finish available for Barker door & cabinet products instead of the conversion varnish finish?

[ChadBarker]

As of mid-April, Barker Door products are now finished with a waterborne clear coat in a matte sheen—the same finish used on City Cabinets.

Barker Cabinets products continue to use a conversion varnish with a matte/satin sheen.

Both finishes are extremely similar in color and sheen; in real-world comparisons, the difference is virtually indistinguishable.

[Leigh]

Could you post a side-by-side comparison of the Barker Cabinets conversion varnish clearcoat and the City Cabinets waterborne clearcoat? I’m interested in the rift white oak. To my eye, the matte finish shown above (City Cabinets) looks quite different from the satin varnish (Barker Cabinets) that I see in a more recent forum answer, but of course the lighting is different.
Also, are there any plans to switch to the waterborne finish for the Barker Cabinets line, as you did for Barker Doors?

[ChadBarker]

All lines now use the Acroma Pro clearcoat (Sherwin-Williams’ industrial finishing system). This change was implemented in mid-2025, so every product is currently sprayed with the same waterborne crystal-clear finish. In our testing, it has proven to be more durable than previous options, with zero yellowing and no added tint.

[Dale McKinnon]

I’d like to make some minor surface repairs (dog claw marks) to our shaker/maple kitchen doors. Is your “clearcoat” a proprietary finish or can I buy it either from you or a retail hardware outlet? BTW, our kitchen is a visual and functional gem to us! Thank you!

[ChadBarker]

Thanks for your business! The Barker Cabinets clearcoat is a conversion varnish, so you cannot really exactly match to it with the exact product. For touch ups you can use a Minwax clear poly with a satin sheen as this is the closest I have seen.

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