How to Stain Varnished Oak Cabinets

Staining varnished oak cabinets is a great way to revitalize a worn old finish and make it look like new. Unlike a paint job, though, you can't just stain over whatever is on the current surface. Stain works by soaking into the grain of the wood, which it can't do if there's a varnish layer sealing it off, so the varnish will have to come up first. After you remove the varnish and stain the wood, it's important to apply new varnish over the whole thing to provide a protective coat over the stained wood.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Newspapers
• Sanding pad
• 80-grit, 100-grit and 220-grit sandpaper
• Rubber gloves
• Wood stain
• Brush
• Paper towel
• Varnish

Instructions

1. Disassemble the cabinets with your screwdriver, removing the doors and drawers and taking out the knobs and hinges. Lay the doors and drawers out on newspapers. Spread more newspapers under the cabinet body.

2. Sand off the existing varnish finish from the cabinets, doors and drawer fronts, using your sanding pad and 80-grit sandpaper. Make sure the surface is dull and no long reflects light anywhere. Put 100-grit sandpaper on the pad and sand it again, exposing the wood grain and getting the surface smooth and clean. Wipe away all the dust.

3. Put on your rubber gloves. Brush wood stain onto all the surfaces (cabinets, doors and drawer fronts). Let the stain sit on the surface for a minute, then wipe off the excess stain with paper towels. Let the stain dry overnight.

4. Brush a layer of varnish onto the cabinets, doors and drawer fronts. Make the layer very thin and smooth, with no drips or bubbles. Let it dry overnight.

5. Gently buff the dry varnish by hand with 220-grit sandpaper, to slightly dull the surface so the next layer of varnish will adhere. Wipe off the dust. Apply a second layer in the same manner as the first. Let it dry, then buff and apply a third layer.

6. Let the third layer cure for two days. Re-install the doors, drawers and hardware.

Tips & Warnings

• Ventilate the room when apply stain and varnish.

References

• House Painting Info: Refinishing Cabinets.