How to Refinish Kitchen a Cabinet

Make your kitchen look brand new by refinishing the cabinets.

Refinishing good quality cabinets can be an inexpensive alternative to an entire kitchen remodel. Doing it yourself is hard work, but hiring someone to refinish the cabinets can be expensive. New hardware and paint along with some time and careful planning can transform your kitchen.

Things You'll Need

• Ammonia based cleaner
• Paint stripper
• Scraper
• Sandpaper
• Palm sander
• Rags
• Stain
• Polyurethane
• Paintbrush

Instructions

1. Clean the cabinets to remove all grease and grime. Wipe them down with ammonia based cleaner. Let the cabinets dry completely.

2. Spread a 1/2-inch thick coat of chemical paint stripper on the cabinets. Let the paint stripper work on the cabinets long enough to soften the existing finish. Test the finish after 20 minutes. The paint or varnish should remove easily from the wood.

3. Scrape the existing finish off of the cabinets with a paint scraper. Hold a small bucket in one hand. Scrape the paint off in long strips and wipe the residue onto the side of the bucket. Remove as much finish as possible with the scraper.

4. Wipe down the cabinets with a damp towel to remove the remaining chemicals from the surface.

5. Sand the cabinets with fine grit sandpaper. Remove any remaining paint with the sandpaper. Sand the entire cabinet until the wood is soft and completely free of the original finish. Wipe away sanding dust with a damp rag.

6. Dip a rag into the stain. Wipe stain onto the wood and wipe away any excess with a clean rag. Apply and remove stain in this manner until you get a depth of color that you like. Let the stain dry to the touch. Add another coat of stain if necessary.

7. Paint a thin coat of polyurethane onto the cabinets with a good quality paintbrush. Allow the first coat to dry for one hour. Apply a second coat. Allow the final coat to dry overnight.

Tips & Warnings

• New hardware can do wonders to upgrade your cabinets. Find replacement hardware at a home improvement center or through a cabinet manufacturer.

References

• Rockler: Refinishing Cabinetry