How to Refinish Old Stained Kitchen Cabinets

Refinishing old and stained kitchen cabinets labor-intensive, but the steps aren't difficult and it is a job that can easily be done by a handy homeowner with often wonderful results. Refinishing kitchen cabinets can add immediate value to your home. If you are preparing your home for sale, having sparkling, new-looking cabinets will help give the kitchen that updated feeling that buyers are looking for.

Things You'll Need

• Ladder
• Mild dish soap
• Scrubber
• Soft nylon-bristled brush
• Old toothbrush
• Scraper
• 1-inch putty knife
• Sponge
• Old towels
• Garden hose
• Plastic sheeting
• 12 old towels (optional)
• Masking tape
• Bowl
• Power screwdriver
• Screwdriver (some hardware will resist power tools)
• Acetone
• Rubber gloves
• Eye protection
• Long-sleeved shirt, pants and boots
• Citristrip finish stripper
• Disposable paintbrush
• Rubbing alcohol
• Spray bottle
• 3M scrub pads for varnish remover
• Hose
• Water Thief adapter
• Citristrip stripper remover wash
• 80-100 grit sandpaper
• Power sander
• Tack cloth
• Stain
• Urethane-based sealer
• Primer
• Paint (optional)

Instructions

1. Scrub down the kitchen cabinets using mild dish soap and water. Use the scrubber and brushes to work dirt out of the corners and trim. Use the sponge to keep water from sitting on the wood surfaces. Use the scraper and putty knife to scrape off any large debris.

2. Prepare a work space in a garage or shaded outside area. If using an outdoor area, water the adjacent garden and grass to prevent any accidental run-off of chemicals from injuring the plants (the saturation will dissipate any liquid).

3. Lay plastic sheeting on the ground. Use old rolled-up towels as log rolls along the perimeter to keep your work areas separated from garden areas.

4. Remove the cabinet doors and drawers. Use masking tape on the inside of each door and cabinet to number which door goes with which cabinet. Remove the cabinet hardware and hinges. Place all hardware, screws and hinges in a bowl so they don't get lost.

5. Lay the cabinet doors on the plastic sheeting in rows, allowing for room to walk along the rows. Use plastic sheeting and mask to tape off all surfaces in the kitchen adjacent to the cabinets. Cover the floor and countertops too.

6. Wearing safety equipment, wipe down the cabinets, doors and drawers with acetone to remove oils and grease still on the wood surface. Place used rags in a disposal bag to prevent chemical mixing later.

7. Apply Citristrip with a disposable brush, working on the cabinet doors and drawers first. (Citristrip is a less caustic and environmentally friendly finish stripper that goes on thick and smells like oranges.) Use a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water and spritz the stripper if it appears to dry out before the old finish bubbles up. This may occur on very warm days or in bright sun.

8. The stripper will lift the finish in approximately 15 minutes. Use a 3M varnish scrubber to remove the varnish. Drag the varnish off in the direction of the wood grain. (This stripper will lift paint or clear sealers.) Use the brushes, scrapers and putty knife as necessary to help the stripper in tight areas.

9. Connect the Water Thief adapter to an inside sink faucet that has hot water. Create a rinse station away from the work area where the water can flow to drainage. Citristrip must be rinsed off with HOT water, which is why most of the work should be done outside. If cold water is used, the stripper will clump and stick, making a mess. If the cabinet faces and sides are stripped in the kitchen, use the Citristrip stripper wash instead of water. (Follow the product directions.)

10. Wipe the wood dry as soon as rinsing is complete. Never allow any wood to stand in water.

11. Sand the cabinet doors, drawers and faces using sandpaper grits from coarse to fine, until the surface of the cabinets is fresh. This process should remove all stains. Make sure all old sealer is removed or it will discolor under a new finish sealer. Wipe down all the wood with a tack cloth.

12. Stain the cabinets with a stain that you like. Since the wood is stripped and sanded, you can change the color of the previous stain. Allow for drying time as recommended by the manufacturer. You can also prime, paint and seal the cabinets for a painted finish if you prefer.

13. Seal the cabinets with a urethane-based sealer for a durable surface. Clean, repair or replace the hardware and hinges to update the cabinets even further.

Tips & Warnings

• This project is a four-day-weekend type of project. It is best done without children or animals around. Careful preparation and thorough work will produce excellent results.

• Do not throw paint materials out in regular trash. Dispose of all chemicals and debris according to the recommendation of your refuse service.

References

• Ron Hazelton