How to Easily Refinish a Kitchen Cupboard
New kitchen cabinets can be expensive. If you have the desire to do it yourself, you can save a lot and have a clean new look in your kitchen. It will take time to strip the old finish, but then it's fairly quick to re-stain and seal. You can transform the look of the entire kitchen with choices about whether to paint or stain, go light or dark, keep the wood distressed or smooth and use old fixtures or add new ones.
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Things You'll Need
- Stripper Putty knife Sander Medium and fine grit sandpaper Tack cloth Stain or paint Lacquer Rubber gloves Safety goggles Disposable paintbrushes New fixtures and drawer pulls
Instructions
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Remove the drawers and cabinet fronts and all of the hardware and drawer pulls. Apply a commercial wood stripper to the drawers and fronts, as well as the interior cabinets and the drawer frames; work according to package instructions. The time it may take to work through an accumulation of build-up varies from 20 minutes to an hour. Use the putty knife to scrap away some stripper to check. It can always be reapplied to continue working.
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Use a putty knife to lightly scrape away the stripper and old finish. Wipe away residue with old rags. Use a medium grit sandpaper to smooth away leftover bits that didn't come off from the stripper. Take a final pass with fine grit sandpaper and a tack cloth to brush away the grit.
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Decide whether you will use stain or paint. This is the time to completely re-do your cabinets. Both options will give you a fresh change, so do you want a color or the ambiance of wood? Paint can give your kitchen a boost of color, or a clean bright look in white, while stain is darker, warmer and can match your kitchen table and chairs. It's a matter of personal taste.
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Once the surface is bare you may even decide to want to give the front of the cupboards an antique look by distressing them. Distress the cabinets and drawer fronts by putting a bunch of rocks in a muslin bag and striking the drawer and cabinet fronts randomly to put in dents and scratch the wood finish before you stain or paint. When you are satisfied, apply two or three coats of paint or stain. Be sure to dry thoroughly between coats.
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Use another disposable paintbrush to apply at least three coats of lacquer to the drawer and cabinets as well as the frames. The lacquer will help keep the cabinets clean looking and impervious to chips and dings. Dry thoroughly after each coat.
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Replace the old hardware or try out new hardware for an updated look.
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Tips & Warnings
While you are overhauling the exterior of your cabinets, take everything out of the inside and give the interiors a thorough cleaning. Use household cleaning agents to remove debris and grease.
Stripper is a chemical. Use it in a well-ventilated area. Be sure to use rubber gloves and safety goggles while you are working with it. If some splashes on your bare skin, immediately wash with cool water to remove. Safety goggles are recommended during the sanding process as well to keep flying dust out of your eyes. Protect your clothing with a carpenter's apron.
