How to Clean & Touch Up Wooden Kitchen Cupboards
It's amazing how much grease from cooking is in the air of your kitchen. It settles on everything, including the cabinets. Over time the grime builds up a dull, almost waxy covering that must be removed. Fortunately, you won't have to have the cabinets stripped, just scrubbed. If there are touch-ups necessary to the clean cabinet fronts, then that will require sanding down to the bare wood. This process can be done over a series of evening hours and the results will look very good without a big cash outlay. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Trisodium phosphate (TSP) for painted cabinets Boiled linseed oil for stained cabinets Turpentine Vinegar Rubber gloves Clothes Sponge Water Fine grit sandpaper Tack cloth Small disposable brush Stain Acrylic lacquer
Instructions
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Clean the fronts of your painted cupboards with trisodium phosphate. Mix a solution according to package instruction, and wear rubber gloves. Rinse and dry thoroughly. This is the best cleaner for painted wood.
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Try out some of the TSP solution on an inconspicuous spot before going over maple and walnut woods. TSP sometimes causes the wood to darken. If that's the case, make a mixture of equal parts of boiled linseed oil, turpentine and vinegar. Don rubber gloves and sponge it onto the cabinets, rinse with water and dry.
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Fill damaged areas or dents with wood putty. Dry before sanding. Sand away any dark spots or imperfections in the wood. Wipe down with a tack cloth and either repaint or refinish the cabinets as necessary. Use a disposable paintbrush and feather the paint or stain in the repaired area onto the regular finish.
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Finish the cabinets with a fresh coat of acrylic lacquer. Use at least two coats and dry thoroughly between applications. Allow the cabinets to cure for several days even if they seem dry because they will be tender and can easily be damaged.
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Tips & Warnings
TSP darkens some woods like mahogany, so make sure to test it on an inconspicuous bare spot. For our purpose here, TSP should not be touching bare wood, only the lacquer finish already on the cabinets.
