How to Finish Hickory Cabinets

Take apart the cabinets, removing all hardware, including hinges. Lay out hickory wood pieces on papers.

Sand the whole surface of the cabinet with your vibrating detail sander and medium sandpaper. Sand it enough to get down to bare wood, completely removing any existing finish or, if the piece wasn't previously finished, getting off all grime and gloss.

Repeat the sanding process, using the sander and fine sandpaper to smooth out the wood and get it ready to accept stain. Thoroughly wipe off all the dust.

Use a finishing paintbrush to apply wood stain over the wood surface, working in sections of about two square feet. For each section, brush the stain on thickly, let it sit for about one minute, then wipe off the excess stain with cotton rags. Do the whole cabinet.

Let the stain set overnight.

Brush on a thin, light layer of polyurethane, starting at the top of each surface and brushing with the direction of the wood grain. Cover the whole piece. Let it set overnight.

Sand the gloss lightly by hand with fine sandpaper, getting it slightly dull so the next coat of polyurethane will stick. Wipe off the dust with dry rags.

Apply a second layer of polyurethane in the same manner as the first. Let it dry, hand-sand it lightly, and brush on a third layer. Let it dry 24 to 48 hours, then reassemble the cabinet.