How to Stain Antique Cabinets

Staining antiques can be a fun project.

Staining antique cabinets is not as easy as brushing on a layer of stain. Your antique cabinets have a long history and some of that must be stripped away to make room for the new, rejuvenating stain. Before you tackle the multi-step job of refinishing your antique cabinets, make sure that your work area is well-prepared. Many of the steps are timed and looking for supplies is time-consuming. Place the cabinets over a dropcloth in a well-ventilated area with all of the things you'll need right at hand.

Things You'll Need

• Paintbrush
• Semi-paste stripper
• Putty knife or stripping pad
• Lint-free towels
• 100-grit sandpaper
• Tackcloth

Instructions

1. Strip off the antique cabinet's old finish. Use a paintbrush to apply the stripper as thickly as you can, but use as few brush strokes as possible to avoid overworking the stripper. Allow the stripper to sit for two to three minutes (or the manufacturer-recommended amount of time).

2. Remove a test strip of the stripper, using a putty knife or stripping pad. If the finish does not come off with the stripper, reapply the stripper and allow it to work for another two to three minutes (or the manufacturer-recommended amount of time), then remove the old finish with your putty knife or stripping pad.

3. Remove as much stripper residue as you can when you are scraping off the old finish. Wipe the rest of the stripper away with a soft cloth soaked in lacquer thinner. Soak a large paintbrush with its bristles cut down to 2 inches in lacquer thinner to remove stripper residue in hard-to-reach places.

4. Sand the entire cabinet lightly with 100-grit sandpaper. Sand in the direction of the wood and apply equal pressure to your forward and backward strokes to sand evenly. Wipe the piece down with a tackcloth to remove the sanding dust.

5. Apply the stain evenly over the surface of the cabinet with a lint-free rag. Leave it on for three minutes (or the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer). Wipe the stain off in the direction of the grain of the wood with a clean, lint-free rag. Light pressure will leave more stain behind and darken the wood's color. Heavier pressure removes more of the stain and results in lighter-colored wood.

Tips & Warnings

• Brush oxalic acid (mixed according to the manufacturer's instructions) onto any stains or water marks. Leave it to dry and then rinse it off with a sponge dipped in warm water. If this doesn't work, substitute the oxalic acid for a solution of one part bleach and five parts water.

• The less you repair an antique cabinet, the more value it retains.

• It's best to work on one manageable section at a time to control the amount of time you leave each product on your antique cabinets.

References

• Ron Hazelton's House Calls: How to Restore Antique Furniture
• Your Antique Furniture Guide: How to Stain Furniture?