Crestwood’s 5-Star Evolution Finish
There are builders today who will have you believe it is better and cheaper to have your cabinets finished on the job-site using lacquer or conversion finishes. We are going to explain why that is not the case. We have worked long and hard with our Italian partners to produce our state of the art finish with unparalleled characteristics.
Crestwood’s 5-Star Evolution Finish is a two-part Italian high performance Polyurethane coating. What does that mean? Crestwood’s finish is a 2-component system, similar to epoxy, in which the polyurethane resins chemically cross-link with a hardener resin to form very strong and cohesive bonds. As such, 2-component polyurethanes dry much faster and are more chemical and moisture resistant than the job-site finishes.
The 5-Star Evolution Finish offer these 5 qualities:
- Superior mar, water, solvent and household chemical resistance (see illustrations below).
- Formaldehyde-free
- Low in HAP’s and VOCs
- Meets or exceeds all Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing performance standards
- More flexible to show less cracking from wood expansion and contraction
According to the Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI), Crestwood’s 5-Star evolution finish is more wear, heat, solvent, moisture and stain resistant then the typical conversion varnish used on job-site finishes.
As you can see from the image above our finish is more resistant to cracking or peeling over time, when exposed to heat, water etc. Conversion varnish and lacquer over time will have a tendency to yellow, and can become sticky to the touch.
In Europe, 2-component polyurethane are so popular,that catalyzed finishes, such as conversion varnish, have been almost totally replaced by two-part polyurethane finishes.
Crestwood also has developed the best in class finishing systems that allow our evolution finish to be applied in a very controlled thickness to provide ultimate protection from wear. Job-Site finishing, usually applied in a vertical application, does not provide the consistency of finish from piece to piece. This will result in uneven wear over the life of the kitchen. We at Crestwood believe our state of the art finishing system along with the 5-Star Evolution Finish will allow your cabinets to stand the test of time.