Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing: Restaining
Come on, now. Don't get all hot and bothered when I mention the words “kitchen cabinet refinishing”. The job isn't nearly as bad as you might think, and now that football season is almost at and end, and it's getting colder outside, it's the perfect time to tackle an indoor project. Without having to spend a whole lot of money, you can refinish your kitchen cabinets and make them look like new again. Think of the points you could earn with your significant other! Just a few simple tools and some time on your hands, and you'll be ready to get started.
The first step in refinishing your cabinets is removing all doors and hardware. Never try to refinish around the hardware, because it just doesn't look as nice when you do it that way. Besides, you may need to soak your handles, knobs, and hinges in a de-greaser to remove layers of kitchen grease, or you might decide you want to replace them with something that won't make your cabinets look so dated. If you take down doors and start loosening the screws, even younger children will be able to help you remove the hardware. They'll even enjoy getting to help! Make sure to save all hardware and screws in some type of container so that nothing gets lost.
Depending on how much build-up there is on your cabinets, you may need to use some type of heavy-duty cleaner on them first before you try sanding off the old finish. The built-up grease will tend to clog your sandpaper and cause you to have to change it more often (and sandpaper is rather expensive). Once the cabinet frames and doors are reasonably clean, you can begin sanding. Take the doors out into the garage or into the basement where the dust won't be able to drift all over your house. Carefully sand all of the old finish off of the doors. If your doors aren't absolutely flat-surfaced, you may need to do some hand sanding or even invest in a little chemical finish remover to get the job done.
It's harder doing the cabinet frames that are still hanging in your house, but it can be done. You might try renting a small sander with a dust collector from a local rental shop, and that will cut down on the amount of dust you get in your home. You can also cover doors and other items with plastic so that sanding dust will be kept somewhat contained and appliances and other items won't end up covered with dust. The good part about sanding the cabinet frames is that they don't have a lot of surface space, so there isn't a lot of sanding to do.
After sanding, go over all surfaces carefully with a tack cloth to remove all sanding dust. Feel all over the surface with your fingers to make sure there are no rough spots, and sand a little more if there are. Then it's time to wipe on a coat of the stain you've chosen using a small, clean rag. Be sure to wear gloves while staining as the stain will discolor your hands. After you've stained an entire surface, wipe the stain off with another clean rag. Wipe all in one direction with the grain of the wood. You will usually have to let the stain dry and add a second coat unless you actually like the color you get after the first coat. Generally one coat isn't enough to give the wood the great rich color you want, however.
When the stain has dried completely, wipe the surface with tack cloth again to make sure it is dust free. You'll be ready then to add a coat of varnish. Choose a polyurethane varnish, and decide if you want your cabinets to have a matte finish, a satin finish, or a glossy finish. Satin finish is probably what you'll want, but it depends on the look you're striving for. Apply the varnish with a foam brush, making sure you get it on as evenly as possible. You will want at minimum two coats of varnish and probably more. Use steel wool between coats to knock down the grain and remove any minute bumps or bubbles. Once everything dries thoroughly after the final coat, you'll be ready to put your beautiful new cabinets back together.
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