How to Refinish Kitchen Cabinets Yourself

Refinishing the cabinetry can make your whole kitchen seem brand new.

Refinishing cabinets -- as opposed to painting or refacing -- is a laborious, messy, and fussy job. But if you have some well-built, solid-wood cabinets that you'd like to restore rather than cover up or make over, a good old-fashioned refinishing is the way to go. The project is much like refinishing any wood furniture: Strip the old finish, sand the wood down to its original state, and finish it with a stain and protective topcoat or just a clear coat for more natural coloring.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Masking tape and pencil
• Drill/driver or screwdriver
• Wood finish remover/stripper and applicators
• Plastic sheeting
• Finish scraping and cleaning supplies
• Sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Wood finishes

Prepare the Cabinets

1. Label each cabinet door and its location on the cabinet box with pieces of masking tape and corresponding letters or numbers to avoid problems when reinstalling the doors. Do the same with all of the drawer fronts. If you’ll reuse hinges, label all of them, too, including their positions on the doors.

2. Remove the doors by unscrewing the hinges from the boxes. Move the doors to your workspace, then remove all of the hinges from the doors. Remove the handle or pull from each door.

3. Empty the drawer and remove them from the cabinets, then remove all handles or pulls. Place each drawer facedown on a work surface and locate the screws holding the drawer box to the drawer front; remove these screws to free the fronts, and set the boxes aside.

4. Remove the shelves and shelf pins from inside the cabinets.

Remove the Old Finish

1. Purchase a finish remover/stripper that's compatible with the original finish of the cabinets. Also consider your comfort with toxic chemicals when choosing a remover. If you have any questions about your old finish and the best stripper for the job, take a cabinet door or drawer front to a good local paint store for advice.

2. Prepare an ample workspace with plastic sheeting, drop cloths, or newspaper to get ready for the messy work of stripping the finish. Clean the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, then apply the stripper to each piece per container directions.

3. Allow the stripper to work for the recommended time, then begin removing the stripper and old finish, using various tools to reach all surfaces, corners, and contours of the wood. These can include putty knives, nylon abrasive pads, and nylon scrubbing brushes. A contour scraper, or molding scraper, (sold in sets with a variety of scraper heads) is handy for stripping fine details and profiles. If any traces of finish remain, repeat the stripping process as needed.

4. Clean all stripped surfaces thoroughly, following the manufacturer's directions. Sand the wood surfaces as needed for consistent smoothness and coloring, starting with medium- to fine-grit sandpapers and working up to 220-grit paper to achieve the desired finish.

5. Strip and sand the face frames and exposed side panels of the cabinet boxes in the kitchen, following the same process as before. Be very careful when sanding cabinet panels, as most are made of plywood with very thin face veneers that are easy to sand through.

Apply a New Finish

1. Clean the doors, drawer fronts, and cabinet boxes with a tack cloth to remove all dust.

2. Apply a stain or other coloring agent to the cabinet parts, if desired, following the manufacturer's directions. Test the finish and your application technique on an inconspicuous area first, such as the inside face of a drawer front that will be covered by the drawer box. Let the finish dry completely.

3. Add a clear protective topcoat to all of the finished surfaces. Polyurethane varnish is a popular choice for kitchen cabinets for durability and water resistance, and usually requires at least two coats with a light sanding between applications. Follow the manufacturer's directions carefully, using the recommended applicator for the best results. Let the final coat cure completely.

4. Mount drawer fronts onto their boxes with the original screws, then re-install the hinges and handles onto the doors, or install new hardware if desired. Install the doors and drawers back onto the cabinet boxes in their original locations.

Tips & Warnings

• When testing finishes on the cabinet material, bring the sample piece into the kitchen to see how the finish looks under normal lighting conditions in the space.

• Take all recommended precautions and provide adequate ventilation when working with chemical strippers and wood finishes, including wearing gloves, eye protection, and a respirator, as applicable.

References

• Rockler Woodworking and Hardware: Refinishing Cabinetry
• “The New Wood Finishing Book”; Michael Dresdner; 1999
• House-Painting-Info: Basics of Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets