RUBIO PRODUCT INFORMATION
In addition to traditional stained and painted cabinetry finishes, we have begun to offer Rubio Monocoat products as a finishing option in recent years. Rubio products have increased in popularity, especially on Quarter-Sawn White Oak applications, due to their ability to enhance and highlight the natural and distinctive wood grain patterns. They can give cabinetry a truly unique and beautiful appearance!
However, if you are considering purchasing one of our products with a Rubio finish, you must understand how it differs from a traditional stained or painted cabinetry finish:
- A traditional stained or painted cabinetry finish is sprayed on to create a protective layer on top of the wood, while Rubio is a naturally made oil finish that is hand applied, bonding with and sinking into the wood fibers. The unique kinesthetic effect this has is that the surface still feels like wood and not like a painted or clear-coated surface.
- While a Rubio oil finish creates a unique look and feel to the wood surface, it does not have as high of a level of durability as a traditional stained or painted finish. However, a Rubio oil finish is much easier to touch up or reapply after a few years of normal wear and tear.
- Rubio oil finishes react with the tannins naturally present in wood. This means there could be a greater level of color variation from one board to the next. We have no control over this variation in the finishing process, which should not be considered a defect.
- Rubio oil finishes do not contain the UV inhibitors that traditional stained and painted cabinetry finishes contain, meaning that color variation will occur over time as the product is exposed to sunlight and the wood naturally ages. For example, if we produce an initial sample and then the cabinetry six months later, there may be a slight color variation between the sample and cabinetry due to how the sample has aged in the intermediate period.
- Certain door styles on our cabinetry, exceptionally modern or contemporary slab styles, dictate using veneers over a plywood substrate as a construction method. The veneer is still natural wood. It is just sliced in a very thin layer. This construction method is done to prevent doors from the warping that would occur over time if a door was made in slab style in solid hardwood. Because the veneer is thinner and the wood grain is not as deep, Rubio products tend to have a slightly different appearance on veneer than hardwood. For example, see the picture below, which features a hardwood face frame and doors made with veneer. Some customers like this appearance, while others do not prefer it. (The only alternative we would have to avoid this difference would be to veneer the face frames, which is a labor-intensive process requiring a significant upcharge.)
For more information, please visit Rubio Monocoat’s website here. You can also read our blog post, which provides additional details about Rubio and some of the benefits it offers for your project.
Here is an example of inset cabinets with slab door style.
