whoopazz Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Thinking about refinishing the kitchen cabinets. They are stained and finished, and I just want to give it a fresh look. So I would be stripping, sanding, staining, and finishing. No paint. Anyone have experience with how much of a pain in the arse the stripping might be? Is the old fashioned carcinogenec strippers still the way to go these days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Bring Back Pat is a kitchen designer, so I may PM him if he doesn't see this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 It is sort of a PITA, Whoop....unless you enjoy that sort of thing. 3M makes a product I highly recommend...it's called Safest Stripper. It works well and is non-toxic. It's a white, gelatinous paste and stays where you put it. I don't believe any of the big box stores carry it, but Ace Hardware does. What kind of wood? Hopefully it is maple or some other tight, closed grain wood. If it's oak, you'll probably have to live with not getting all the stain out of the deeper graining. Keep in mind you'll probably want to go with a similar tone(read light, med, dark) or darker depending on how deeply the original stain penetrated. Send me a couple pics and also a couple pics of what cabinets out there you'd like to make them look like. I'll walk you through specific steps if you'd like. Give you some recommendations on certain products and stains. One thing...make things easier on yourself. Especially if you have European hinges. Number the doors when you take them down. You may want to leave the WHOLE hinge in place on the cabinet, meaning unscrew them from the door. Just number with a little sharpie behind where the hinge will go back on the door. It makes putting them back SO much easier.....lol. They've been leveled in place on that specific cabinet. You've never known frustration until you have to readjust 30 cabinets of European hinged doors put back on wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 BIGTIME PITA... try just using some Murphy's Oil soap and see if that brings out a better shine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Back Pat!!! Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 BIGTIME PITA... try just using some Murphy's Oil soap and see if that brings out a better shine. Worst product on the market!! NEVER use it on hardwoods of any kind, unless you want to create more work for yourself down the road. Here's a good explanation of how to care for hardwood floors, but it applies to all wood really. Murphy's Oil Soap As for the OP, I don't really have a lot of experience in this area, as it is a PITA. Now, if you'd like to gut your kitchen and put in some nice new cabinets, well, come see me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC=UGA Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Thinking about refinishing the kitchen cabinets. They are stained and finished, and I just want to give it a fresh look. So I would be stripping, sanding, staining, and finishing. No paint. Anyone have experience with how much of a pain in the arse the stripping might be? Is the old fashioned carcinogenec strippers still the way to go these days? Before you start stripping and sanding you need to know whether you are dealing with solid wood or veneered plywood/mdf. The doors in many cases will be solid wood, the boxes are typically veneered plywood or mdf. You can sand through the veneer very quickly if not careful. You also need to consider something before starting, when you sand down the wood, you're going to find that the wood may not match. You're going to have to take great care to ensure you get consistent coloring. Be careful sanding and change paper often. Start with 80 grit (100 if using a power sander) then move up to 100, 125, 150, 180 ending with 220. I would recommend against using water based stains or finish. You will have to pre-raise the grain with distilled water (wipe the wood with distilled water prior to staining) and then resand with 220 before applying the stain. I would suggest a gel stain. A dude named Jeff Jewitt has some very good books on finishing wood, Great Wood Finishes would be a good place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 This is really starting to sound like more of a PITA than what it's worth. They're nice hardwood cabinets (as far as i can tell it doesn't look like a laminate housing) and 23 solid hardwood doors (with raised panels) plus several drawers. They're really not that bad, mostly scratched around the hardware and need a really good cleaning, as in take the doors off cleaning. As you might have guessed, it is not I that is insisting on this refinishing idea I think I'll take off a door or two, thoroughly clean and polish them, touch up any deep scratches, add some new hardware, and see if that flies. I'll report brack, tx. BTY, I am far too cheap to buy new stuff or hire a pro to do this...sorry BBP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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