the kitchen cabinets in my home are cherry wood and dull looking, no shine whatsoever...i'd like to bring them back to life somehow preferably w/out having to take them down ....what's the easiet/best way for me to do this ??

 

Trixy:

Tell the following:

1- Were the cabinets factory made, and when.

2- Do they appear to have a finish on them.

 

HI GEORGE....
THE CABINETS WERE FACTORY MADE AND I WOULD ASSUME AROUND 10-15 YRS AGO.... THEY DO HAVE A FINISH ON THEM ... ITS LOW SHINE ...... WHAT HAS HAPPENED, THERE ARE BLACK SPOTS PROBABLY FROM BEING HANDLED AROUND THE KNOBS THAT ARE THERE AS WELL...I TRIED LEMONS, ORANGES, FURNITURE POLISH , GOT FUSTRATED AND WENT FOR EVEN USING BRILLO..... I'D WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THEM BROUGHT DOWN TO THE LIGHTEST COLOR IN THE STAIN RATHER THAN THE DARK CHERRY LOOK BUUUUTTTT THAT;S ALOT OF WORK - I BELIEVE THEY ARE CALLED RUSTIC CHERRY (PERHAPS THE NAME OF THE STAIN?).....TALK TO U SOON.... THANKS FOR WHATEVER SUGGESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE...

 

Trixy:

A lot of new concerns voiced in your last post - As far as cleaning them up and restoring the sheen, cleaning with naphtha and repolishing with Liquid Gold should do the trick.

If you want to lighten the piece, and/or remove those black marks, you're going to have to strip the finish off.

The black marks may come off with the finish , but probably not. For that, you'll need an application of oxalic acid (a wood bleach) available from your local paint store.