Restaining your kitchen cabinets is a great way to give them an up-to-date look. So read the do-it-yourself guide below to get tips on what products and materials you need, where you can buy the materials, which restaining techniques you can use, and common mistakes you may want to avoid.
Materials and products needed and stores that sell these materials
You will need the following materials for your restaining project: cleanser to clean cabinet surfaces; stripping pads, wood strippers, furniture refinishers, an electric sander such as a belt and disk sander, or sand paper to take off the old finish; lint-free cloth or feather duster to wipe away dust; a roller or brush to apply the new stain; gel stain or wood stain to add color to the cabinets; gloves to protect your hands from the chemicals; and water based polyurethane, varnish, lacquer, or shellac to seal and protect the wood finish. You can buy these products from retailers such as ToolBarn.com, Ace Hardware (www.acehardware.com), Lowes (www.lowes.com), Home Depot (www.homedepot.com), and True Value (www.truevalue.com). Also, Rudd Company, Inc. (www.ruddcompany.com) and Woodcraft stores (www.woodcraft.com) have a nice selection of gel and wood stains.
To stain your kitchen cabinets you can either swipe a gel stain over the stain that is already on the cabinets, or you can remove the existing finish and swipe a new wood stain over it, according to House-Painting-Info.com. If you choose the technique using the gel stain, all you have to do is clean the cabinet, sand the surface, remove any dust, apply the gel stain by brushing it across the surface in the direction of the wood grain, let the gel stain dry for 24 hours, and apply a finish such as water based polyurethane. If you choose the technique of stripping off the existing stain and replacing it with a new one, you would have to use stripping pads, furniture refinishers, or an electric sander to remove the stain that is already on the cabinets. Once your cabinets have been restained, you can beautify them even more through stenciling, according to DIYNetwork.com. You can make beautiful designs on your cabinets using stencils and a water based paint.
Your kitchen cabinet restaining project will be a success as long as you carefully adhere to the rules of staining cabinets. One important rule is that you do the project in an area that is well-ventilated such as outside in your backyard. A room that is not well-ventilated can trap in the dangerous fumes that the chemicals give off, making it hard for you to breathe. Another rule you should keep in mind is that gel stains would only make dark colored cabinets darker, according to House-Painting-Info.com. So don’t use gel stains if you want dark cabinets to have a lighter appearance.
Sources
“Restain Cabinets for a New Look.” www.house-painting-info.com
Restaining Cabinets: Tips and Suggestions for Restaining Kitchen Cabinets.” www.homeguide123.com
Bruce Johnson. “Cabinet Makeovers.” www.diynetwork.com
