How to Stain Kitchen Cabinets

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By Amy Laine
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Staining kitchen cabinets can be a easy inexpensive way to give your kitchen a new look. Learn how to stain your own kitchen cabinets.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Select a stain color for the cabinets by deciding the desired look for the kitchen. To open up a room or make the room appear larger a light stain will work less. To reduce stress of keeping smudge free cabinets from kids finger prints or to increase the warmth of a large kitchen a dark stain will work nicely.
Step 2

Take apart the cabinets as much as possible to avoid having odd spots that did not get stained. Make sure all hinges and handles are detached and put up to avoid being lost.
Step 3

Prepare the cabinets to be stained. If staining cabinets a darker color, you may be able to stain the wood without removing original stain. To remove or lighten old stains to put a new stain on, you may use paint thinner or stripping.
Step 4

Lightly sand the cabinets. Sanding will allow the stain to soak into the wood more evenly.
Step 5

Apply the stain in a even coat with a lint free applicator. After the stain has dried apply a second coat to even out areas of the cabinet. Allow to dry at least two hours before going on to the next step.
Step 6

To make cabinets easier to clean up, apply a clear varnish. Varnish should be applied in a even manner. Let the varnish dry overnight if possible before reassembling the kitchen cabinet.