Reply by OSU55

Whatever you choose to do test, test, then test some more before starting on the cabinets. Never used any but black birch appears similer to hickory. I would suggest playing around with some low intensity dye. A little color can really enhance the grain. Color and intensity are important aspects. You also probably want good chatoyance – easy with solvent, not as easy or as good with wb.

More info will help. Will you spray? Why are odor or voc’s an issue? Not finishing in house are you? In short I prefer solvent over water based, but spray a lot of wb in the winter when I cant ventilate properly.