How to Refinish Existing Wooden Kitchen Cabinets

Before you attempt to refinish existing wooden kitchen cabinets, you should consider two important points. Most kitchen cabinets are finished with a protective layer of varnish or polyurethane wood sealer that provides protection from abrasion scars. You must eliminate this coating before you begin the application process. In addition, because stain is very runny, it is prone to splattering. You should use the proper materials to protect surrounding surfaces, or you may end up with permanent stains.

Screwdriver
Dish soap
Rags
Palm sander
220-grit sandpaper
Tack cloths
Professional painter's tape
Drop cloths
2- to 4-inch oil paintbrush
Oil-based oak stain
Mineral spirits
Varnish or polyurethane wood sealer

Instructions

- 1
  Unscrew all of the handles and remove them from the cabinets.
- 2
  Use ordinary dish soap and cloth rags to clean the cabinets. Rinse them and wait approximately 2 to 4 hours for them to dry.
- 3
  Sand the cabinets with a palm sander, equipped with 220-grit sandpaper. Sand along with the cabinet grain of the wood until the finish appears dull.
- 4
  Eliminate sawdust from the cabinets by wiping them with tack cloths.
- 5
  Apply professional painter's tape to areas adjacent to the kitchen cabinets. Cover your floor with drop cloths.
- 6
  Brush on a coat of oil-based stain, using a paintbrush engineered for use with oil paints. Wipe excess stain from the kitchen cabinets, using clean cloth rags. Wait 4 hours for the stain to dry.
- 7
  Wash the stain from the paintbrush with mineral spirits.
- 8
  Brush on a coat of varnish or polyurethane wood sealer using the cleaned paintbrush. Wait 4 hours for the finish to dry. Skip this step if you'd like the wooden cabinets left unvarnished.

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