How to Change Dark Oak Stained Cabinets to a Lighter Shade

It's not always easy, but you can change dark cabinets to a lighter shade.

Styles change over the years, and lightening the shade of stain on your oak cabinets is an ideal way to modernize the look of your room and make it appear larger. It's easy to stain cabinets to make them darker. It's not as easy to take a dark shade of stain and make it lighter. You can change dark oak-stained cabinets to a lighter shade if you're willing to start from scratch, if necessary.

Things You'll Need

• Paint thinner
• Paintbrush
• Nylon abrasive pads
• Paper shop towels
• Soap
• Water
• Stain

Instructions

1. Use a paintbrush to apply some paint thinner on your dark oak cabinets. Let it sit until it dries, then examine the color. If it's still too dark, remove all the stain so you can re-stain your cabinets a lighter shade.

2. Apply more paint thinner on your oak cabinets, and scrub them with nylon abrasive pads.

3. Wipe up the stain with paper shop towels as you continue scrubbing.

4. Clean the face of your kitchen cabinets with soap and water to remove all the dark stain particles.

5. Allow the wood to dry completely.

6. Determine the color you wish to stain your cabinets, and re-stain them to the lighter shade you prefer by applying the stain with a paintbrush.

References

• WoodAnswers.com
• The Stucco Company