Greetings all. We are reno'ing our own kitchen. We plan to rent out in the late Spring. A area...B house

With luck I think I posted a pic of them. TSP'd and rinsed, then sanded smooth. The plan is to paint. My ? Is about the insides. I planned to urethane the interiors to make cleaning east, stain resistant and maintain the wood look.

I have been urged to not finish as "you win not get the smell out. I considered using oil based (extra durable)...but now thinking water base.

Any thoughts, directions? Thank you.

Yes, Oil based poloy is more durable.

And will hold up to some water.

Water based not good in a kitchen as good chance will come in contact with water.

Dont understand the statement you will not get the smell out.

Oil based poloy has been used for years. On furniture, chairs, inside and out on cabinets.

You have a picture file but your picture doesn't show up.

Thanks for the replies which confirm my own thoughts. Oil based stuff is available and I've used a good bit of it over the years.

The shelves are not removable all are fixed in these 60 year old in this 60 yr. old tract home.

The friend/contractor works with a lot of snow flakes so I think that is why he made that statement.

I took photos but had no luck posting. Emailed webmaster...I am sure its "operator difficulty".

For the inside, water based poly dries faster, goes on white then dries clear, does not have much smell and stays clear. Water based does not yellow, with the faster drying you can get a couple of coats on in a day. Oil based tend to yellow and in a couple of days you can get a coat on and dry. I would be concerned about any oily residue inside that it will not stick to.

Shellac will stick to anything and as you put a second coat on, it will dissolve the first. It dries quickly being alcohol based, which does have a slight smell to it. You can buy it pre made, I would recommend the dewaxed or sanding sealer since it can be coated with poly after that. When I refinish furniture, I usually shellac the inside of drawers and cabinets.

If you can't take those shelves out, it is going to be difficult to poly or shellac. Poly is thinner than paint, so will drip all over.

I had partners that wanted a kitchen remodel of a rental to turn out their way. Color, look and finish. So I went with them to a wholesale cabinet shop and showed them the same basic kitchen with natural wood, stained wood and painted finish.

The cabinet interiors if they need updating might benefit from stain more than poly, or poly w/ stain. Wipe on poly is good. Not seeing pics it's hard to tell if the exterior door is better off stained than painted. I transition to paint when stain will no longer bring back the door panels.

The smell of the poly will go away over time...leave the cabinet doors open to facilitate this.

I am a hobbyist woodworker and use both water-based and oil-based all the time. Water-based products do still have some oil products in them, just not as much.

Be aware that poly (either type) may not adhere well to interior shelves if they are not "prepped". Sounds like your cabinets are old, so this may not be an issue, but many newer cabinets have "wood-like" panels on the interior that is not real wood, and the poly will peel off very easily. I suggest at a minimum wiping any areas with mineral spirits (they make a low-odor version). If you suspect the surfaces are too smooth, you can scuff sand them first with 120 grit paper, then wipe with mineral spirits, then apply the poly.

Water-based products will "raise the grain" of real wood, so you'll feel "nibs" after the first coat dries. Sand lightly with 220 grit paper and apply a 2nd coat and this will all but disappear.

Do not apply oil-based products within 4 hours after creating dust. For example, don't apply poly while the drywall guys are sanding. The dust will get trapped in the poly and it will be a disaster. Avoid dust at time of using the poly and for about 6-8 hours after (until the poly is dry to the touch).