Credit: Kitra

Kitra’s waterbourne lacquer is manufactured in the United States using European self cross-linking acrylic resins. It has no hazardous pollutants, contains no formaldehyde, is non-flammable and conforms to the strictest health-based program requirements.

Vancouver company Kitra offers a genius cabinet refinishing fix that’s a win-win for the planet and your pocketbook

Vancouver-based Kitra is turning cabinet refinishing on its head. The company, founded and operated by Vancouver entrepreneurs Anthony Pavlakovic and Todd Pretty, employs a model that is unique in the world and defies all preconceived notions of refurnished cabinets being sub-par.

€œIn 2017 we shook up the industry, pioneering a premier refinishing service using one of the world's most advanced waterborne lacquers, proprietary equipment and our own innovative techniques,€ Pavlakovic says. €œIt is the first of its kind to flawlessly refinish cabinetry using environmentally friendly, non-toxic lacquer, and it is the way of the future.€

The lacquer is manufactured in the United States using European self cross-linking acrylic resins. It has no hazardous pollutants, contains no formaldehyde, is non-flammable and conforms to the strictest health-based program requirements.

Credit: Jack Perry

Kitchen cabinets prior to receiving Kitra’s unique, waterbourne refinishing process. 

Credit:

Designed by Andrea Rodman, photography by Jack Perry

Cabinets are truly reborn after Kitra’s proprietary refinishing process that is turning the restoration industry on its head.

When Kitra was born, Pavlakovic and Pretty tried to partner with spray shops, but that quickly became a dead end.

Typical shops can€™t work with Kitra's waterborne lacquer because it isn€™t compatible with their existing equipment, which is dedicated to solvent-based commercial lacquers and other coatings. To meet that challenge, Kitra opened its own shop in North Vancouver and provides part of the service using a mobile service vehicle. This is where the company's truly innovative nature shines and where the team put the bulk of its efforts and investment.

€œThe process itself is relatively painless,€ Pavlakovic says. €œA Kitra makeover is typically two-weeks with about four days at the home and maybe two days of actual kitchen non-use.€

Most importantly, Kitra's offering provides an important environmental service. €œFifty to sixty percent of landfill is construction waste,€ Pavlakovic says. €œWe believe cabinetry's lifespan should be extended beyond the typical 15-20 years.€

During 14 years in business, Pavlakovic has developed a team of 22 skilled craftspeople who have developed a profound depth of knowledge and unique perspective on what truly is possible when it comes to fieldwork.

€œWe are the refinisher that industry professionals happily recommend because we do the finishing to strict, furniture industry standards,€ Pavlakovic says. €œNo tricks, no compromises.€

In fact, they are so confident Kitra coatings will hold up to heat, grease and cleaning, they come with a 25-year warranty.

€œI love to remind clients that the process is one new cabinets go through and that they will essentially be getting a brand new kitchen,€ Pavlakovic says. €œAt the end, they say they can€™t believe it, but it is absolutely true.€

For more information on Kitra please visit www.gokitra.com or keep up with Kitra's projects and progress on Instagram @gokitra