How to Strip Kitchen Cabinets

Strip cabinets to give your kitchen a new look.

Update the look of your kitchen by changing the look of your cabinets. The cabinets make up a large surface in the kitchen and their appearance can drastically change the look of the space. Replacing your cabinets with new ones can be a costly endeavor; refinishing your existing cabinets with paint or stain is a much more economical option. Before painting or staining them, you'll need to strip them of their old paint or stain.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Cleanser
• Damp cloth
• Paint stripper
• Sponge
• Trowel
• Tack cloth
• Sandpaper
• Sander

Instructions

1. Remove cabinet doors. Use a screwdriver to remove the doors and lay them on a flat surface. Remove any hardware--pulls, knobs, latches--from the doors and the cabinet boxes.

2. Clean the surface of the cabinets. Apply a cleanser to the doors and boxes of the outdoor surface of the boxes of the cabinets. Rub a damp cloth over the cleanser, removing the dirt. You may need to do this several times to thoroughly remove the dirt.

3. Apply the stripper by using a sponge to rub the stripper along the surface of the cabinets. Use long strokes and move slowly. The paint or finish will begin to loosening immediately, so work on one door or area at a time. After you've applied the stripper, use a trowel to remove the paint or stain. Move the trowel in the direction of the wood grain. Use a damp cloth to wipe away the paint or stain.

4. Sand the cabinets. Use a 150 to 200 grit sandpaper and an electric sander to smooth out the surface of the cabinets. Wipe the dust off the cabinets with a tack cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• To keep track of which doors go on which cabinets, lightly number each door and corresponding cabinet with pencil on the unpainted parts of the door and cabinet.

• Work in a well-ventilated area and wear rubber gloves and a mask. The fumes from the stripper are strong and toxic.

References

• Refinish Furniture: Stripping Kitchen Cabinets for Refacing