I work for a cabinet shop in Hayward,ca.
25 years ago when I started in woodworking lacquer was the standard for most shops. It is easy to apply and to repair. Its main drawback is that it isn't very durable, especially where water is involved. I would not use it in a travel trailer. excessive heat will cause it to become brittle and crack. Its best used on furniture that will be in a controlled environment, and won't be put to heavy use.
Most cabinet shops are using conversion varnish now which is a two part finish, meaning it has a base and a catalyst you have to mix in the correct amounts for the finish to become active. It is very durable. it is as easy to apply as lacquer. The surface is durable enough to be used on desktops and dining tables. We started using it about five years ago, after many years of using and repairing nitro-cellulose lacquer on our cabinets. Since that time we have almost no problem with callbacks for finishing issues. It has made a huge difference in the quality of our products.
Some of the finishes being discussed here are not really suitable for the extremes of temperature and humidity that our trailers will be put through in the course of regular use. The type of finishes that really soak into the wood are only durable if they are allowed to build up to a film on the surface. This takes many applications with danish oil or tung oil, and it's not really practical for the use because of that. It would take probably fifteen or twenty applications to build a film. True, it would have excellent adhesion, but at the cost of possibly weeks spent applying finish and waiting for it to dry. Yes, Its possible, no, Its not very practical.
For those who have no finishing experience to speak of I always recommend trying a floor finish first. Varathane has a really good one, and there are also some good water based floor finishes out there which cure really quickly. I think waterlox makes one like that. These are finishes you can brush on or rag on. All you have to watch out for is that you don't apply so much finish that it runs. They are usually thin enough to have good penetration, and because they are somewhat thin you will need at least two coats, maybe three to get complete coverage. The nice thing here is you can re-coat two or three times in one day with the fast drying ones.
I also recommend using satin, rather than gloss or semi-gloss finish. It looks more like fine furniture, rather than plastic. It shows less defects due to poor application and damage also.
You can see some of the conversion varnish used on cabinets at the link below
Segale Bros.
Now, who wants this soapbox next?
Rich
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