Hi everyone, I’m not sure if this post belongs here or in finishing, but here it is. I have a customer that wants a new kitchen to match other woodwork in her home that was finished with Rubio Monocoat, which is a floor finish. It’s what I would call a high end job. Material is reclaimed white oak at $20-24 a board foot. I have never used this type of product before, and never done a kitchen with what basically looks like a penetrating oil finish. The customer understands the finish will have to be reapplied very year or as needed(it’s a summer home). Has anyone ever done this before, or can you see any pitfalls to avoid? The biggest concern I have is spilling wine or pasta sauce on it and stain on the wood. Not having a film finish might also lead to excessive wood movement. Your thoughts?

could you apply that product, then spray an isolante barrier coat, then topcoat with a 0 sheen topcoat?

Chances are that the client has been sold on Rubio from a small scale furniture maker. I would suggest you produce a sample of a proper kitchen finish (I like Chroma Uniclear CV for it open pore quality) in a 20° sheen. They may have the impression that lacquer is only a glossy plastic finish.
My finish supplier also has a CV that is deemed a "oil and hard wax" look. I haven't used it though.
I would hate to finish a kitchen then tell the customer that it will have to be renewed annually and don't get it wet etc.

I hadn’t heard of Rubio. Their faq says it needs to maintenance every 2-5 years not every year. Who told you about the annual maintenance? It also mentions the lack of resistance to typical household cleaners. I wouldn’t use that stuff in a kitchen. There is a reason why the industry has the KCMA rating system.

Just a few months ago...I do not remember which magazine it was, but either Cabinet Maker or FDM+c had an article tooting the wonders of Rubio Monocoat. I am not sold on it and have seen friends try to use it on a counter tops with serious failures near sinks and dishwashers.

Such finish would come with a very seriously worded waiver of warranty, and also a very serious waiver of color precision.

Personally I'd get a good stain mixed up and topcoat with 0-5 sheen conversion varnish. I'd warranty that (and, have, on several occasions with no regrets). I'd be sure the client understood exactly what I was doing.

I'd also be sure that the stain/CV was much more attractively priced than using the Monocoat. Not because there's necessarily anything wrong with Monocoat, but because I know stain/CV very well and there are very few unknowns I'd be dealing with.

I've eaten enough profit in my lifetime by doing "nonstandard/oddball" finish procedures for clients that had levels of expectation that were unreasonable.

I've used monocoat in several situations, but mostly for architectural work, so i am familiar. Lately the 'ultra matte' look has become popular and i've had great success with Lenmar 'Dull rubbed' lacquer. It has similar look to monocoat but adds some durability. im sure other manufacturers make similar sheens. it even cleans up well, which i always emphasize to a customer who wants the dull look on a surface that will be used and cleaned regularly. unlike satin or other de-glossed finishes the sheen in the dull rubbed seems to be part of the chemical makeup of the finish, not an added component that settles out. i may be wrong, but it does seem fundamentally different.

i recently did a rift white oak kitchen with this product and everyone was very happy. i would say it was a 90%+ match to raw monocoat.

Mono coat is very popular here in south western Ct. Though they use on floors quite often, it doesn’t hold up well.
We use it a lot on cabinets and millwork . It’s easy to apply and seems to hold up on cabinets .