Wood finishes
Built for the spray gun.
Lenmar is the lacquer wall behind our counter: pre-catalyzed lacquers, sealers, wiping stains, and waterborne topcoats for cabinets, doors, and millwork. It is what the cabinet shops in this valley spray, and we tint the pigmented lines to order.
Pre-catalyzed lacquer, satin
Why
Wood gets handled. Wall paint was never built for that.
A cabinet door gets grabbed dozens of times a day, usually by the same square inch. Lacquer cures hard enough to take that and sands to powder between coats. Straight nitro also melts each coat into the one under it, so a repair blends instead of leaving an edge; precat trades some of that for a harder film.
Pre-catalyzed means the catalyst is already in the can. No mixing, no pot life, no leftover kit going off on the shelf. It sprays, flashes in minutes, and sands the same day — which is why shops on a schedule standardized on it.
Lenmar has made wood coatings for over sixty-five years — under Benjamin Moore from 2008, and under Gemini Industries since 2022. Same lines, same shelf, and we still tint it at the counter.
Range
Four families of wood coatings.
Pre-catalyzed
UltraLaq
The workhorse. White precat we tint to order, and water white clear that stays clear over light woods.
Nitrocellulose
DuraLaq
Straight nitro: sand sealers, primer-surfacer, and clears. The traditional system, burn-in and all.
Waterborne
DuraLaq-WB & Aqua Plastic
Low-odor topcoats and a waterborne urethane for occupied houses and site work. Water cleanup.
Stains
QuickStain
Fast-dry wiping stains, mixed at the counter. Wipe on, wipe off, seal within the hour.
Schedules
Three schedules for most jobs.
Painted cabinets
The shop standard
- 1Precatalyzed Primer — white undercoat, sands flat.
- 2UltraLaq White Precat — first coat, tinted at the counter.
- 3UltraLaq White Precat — second coat in the final sheen.
Scuff-sand between coats. Most kitchens in this valley are some version of this.
Clear over stain
The furniture schedule
- 1QuickStain Wiping Stain — wipe on, wipe off.
- 2UltraLaq Fast Dry Sealer — precat sanding sealer, sand at 30 minutes.
- 3UltraLaq Water White Precat — two clear coats.
Water white on maple and white oak; it will not amber the way standard nitro does.
Occupied house
The low-odor schedule
- 1DuraLaq Primer/Surfacer — or go straight to waterborne on raw wood.
- 2DuraLaq-WB Topcoat — waterborne lacquer, dull or satin.
- 3Aqua Plastic WB Urethane — on tops and treads that take abuse.
For finishing in place: less solvent in the air, water cleanup, same-day recoat.
Ledger
What we keep on the shelf. Fives and anything unusual, call the counter a day ahead.
Counter
White versus water white — which clear do I want?
Standard nitro ambers as it ages, which flatters walnut and cherry. Water white does not, which is why it goes over maple, white oak, and anything pickled or pale. If the wood is light and staying light, water white.
Can you tint it to a color I picked for the walls?
Yes — we tint UltraLaq white precat at the counter to the color on your order. A sprayed lacquer reads differently than a rolled wall of the same color: slicker, usually a touch deeper. Screens vary too, so spray a test door before the shop runs forty.
What does pre-catalyzed buy me?
The catalyst is in the can, so there is no mixing, no pot life, and no half-used kit hardening on a shelf. You pour, spray, and sand within the hour. The trade is shelf life — buy what you will use this season, and check the lot date on the can.
Can I brush any of this?
The solvent lacquers, no — they flash too fast and you will drag every stroke. DuraLaq-WB and Aqua Plastic lay down acceptably by brush on small work. If the whole job is brush-and-roll, talk to the counter; a different product line may serve you better.
Is Lenmar still a Benjamin Moore product?
It was from 2008 to 2022, when Benjamin Moore sold the brand to Gemini Industries, an employee-owned wood coatings maker. The lines on our shelf are the same, we still tint them here, and support now comes through Gemini.
Next
Bring the door, not a description.
Matching an existing finish means seeing it. Bring a drawer front or a shelf and the counter will work out the stain, the sealer, and the sheen against it.
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