Home >
Interior Design & Decor
8 Tips for Refinishing Your Kitchen Cabinets
If you've shopped for new kitchen cabinets
recently, you know that it's often much more economical to refinish
your old cabinets than to buy new ones. Here are 8 tips that will
make your kitchen cabinet refinishing a huge success.
1. If your cabinets are painted, remove the paint with a chemical
stripper. If your cabinets are stained or varnished, either clean
the surface well or remove most of the stain or varnish with a
chemical refinisher.
2. Take the doors off your cabinets and remove the handles and
hardware. It will be much easier if you lay the doors flat to work
on them.
3. Check to see how much damage there is to the cabinets. If there
is only minor damage, such as dark stains around the door handles,
just clean these areas. Use a synthetic steel wool pad because it
won't hurt your fingers or get caught on the wood grain.
4. Dip the pad in paint thinner, mineral spirits, or turpentine, and
scrub the stains. Then lightly scrub the whole surface, cleaning and
dulling it so the new finish will stick.
5. Once you've cleaned the surface and removed the dark stains, wipe
on an oil-based, clear finish such as Minwax. All clear finishes are
low-odor and most are available in either glossy or satin finish.
Apply several coats for a thicker finish.
6. If you find you need to redo more than just a few stained areas,
use a chemical refinisher - a strong solvent cleaner that dissolves
and removes part of the old varnish. Ask an expert at your local
paint store to suggest a good quality refinisher.
7. When you're using the chemical refinisher, work in small areas,
and scrub the finish with a synthetic steel wool pad. The chemical
refinisher will remove the finish and even out the color of the wood
and stain. Rinse the pad in more refinisher when it gets clogged
with dirty finish.
8. The cabinet's surface should be smooth and evenly colored after
you've scrubbed the whole surface. If you find it isn't, just wipe
the entire cabinet in long, overlapping strokes with clean
refinisher and clean steel wool in long, overlapping strokes. Most
of the stain color will remain, and the wood will be very smooth.
It's extremely important that you wear protective clothing and make
sure that your work area is well-ventilated when you're refinishing
your cabinets. And don't forget to follow all safety precautions on
the refinishing product labels.
By following the 8 tips above, you're sure to enjoy your
newly-refinished, beautiful kitchen cabinets for many years.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters,
portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop on line at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer
a great selection online at the lowest prices anywhere. We can also be
found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube