Refinishing Wooden Cabinets In Your Kitchen

Refinishing the wooden cabinets in your kitchen helps provide your kitchen with a fresh new look. Refinishing can bring new life to your old kitchen cabinets, and revive the wood’s look, with little cost.

Step 1: Remove Cabinet Drawers and Doors
Empty the cabinets and remove the hardware from the fronts of the cabinet drawers and doors. Remove the cabinet drawers, using masking tape to number their location. Use a screwdriver to detach the cabinet doors and remove the hinges. Place the cabinet doors and drawers in a clean, dry place in order to be worked on later.

Step 2: Repair Any Damage
Inspect the cabinets thoroughly for any damages, including scars, nicks or rot. You can repair the damage using wood putty or sandpaper. This should also be done for the cabinet drawers and doors, making sure to repair any damage as you find it.

Step 3: Wash the Cabinets
Wash down the cabinets, doors and drawers with warm water and a cleaning solution in order to remove any grease and grime that may have accumulated over the years. Use a mixture of 1 teaspoon of Borax and 1/4-cup of vinegar to create a paste to remove grease and oil stains. Use a rag, or old toothbrush, to work the solution into the stain and rub the area until it is removed.

Use cool water to rinse the cabinets, doors and drawers and cover the countertop with a drop cloth in order to prepare for sanding and painting the cabinets.

Step 4: Sand the Cabinets
Use a light-grit sandpaper to sand the cabinets to remove any rough spots and debris. Use a shop vacuum to remove any dust and debris that has accumulated from the sanding. Repeat this process for the doors and drawers.

Step 5: Paint or Stain the Cabinets
Paint or stain the cabinets with the wood stain or paint that you selected. Use a natural bristle brush to apply the paint and a rag to work the stain into the wood surface, applying the stain with the grain of the wood. Do this for the cabinets, doors and drawers, working carefully to ensure that all surfaces are covered completely.

Apply multiple coats of paint or stain, allowing the first coat to dry completely, before applying the second coat. Once the stain has dried, apply a polyurethane sealant to protect the wood and bring out the gloss of the cabinets.

Step 6: Attach the Handles and Hinges
Put the new hardware and hinges on the doors and drawers. Attached the doors to the cabinets and place the drawers and shelves into their original place.