Thank you so much for your video I had no idea how different you can make a cabinet look. I always thought you would have to look at least somewhat similar to the color of the stain.
I am doing bath cabinets. This helped a lot. Especially the part on sanding. So many videos don't show this step or advocate skipping it all together???
stain is never a problem to brush on. The clear coat (polyurethane) can be brushed on as well. I sprayed it just because I had a sprayer. I brushed it many times as well. Just don't overbrush the poly, as it will leave brush strokes. I really don't love sanding - but you can sand everything by hand, or use a chemical stripper. If you have an orbital sander, it makes quicker work of it.
A great video, once I made the mistake of spraying Minwax Fastdry Poly with an airless sprayer, they told me that their product was made to be brushed! I am sure that it is OK to use an HVLP though.
A well-done video, very professional and informative. I have two questions. First, would it be a bad idea to begin sanding with sand paper that is coarser than 100 grit? Second, I noticed that sanding sponges are not rated with a "grit" number so I'm wondering whether to start with coarse, medium, fine, etc. Thanks, in advance.
I've had some luck with them, mostly on smaller surfaces like face frames and trimwork. For some reason on larger panels, they don't work well for me. Give it a try on some scrap wood of the same species as your project. But make sure you get a large sample, because everything looks good in a small area.
@leticia2001 I used a gloss finish - but it just depends what look you want. Sanding past 220 is ok to do - some people say that it closes the pores of the wood more, and the stain will not absorb as easily, but it really depends on the wood type and if you want a heavily stained look or lighter stained look.
Great video.... Question for you. What if I want to match the exact same stain/finish of my 22 year old oak kitchen cabinets? It appears only the base cabinets need refinishing.... the wall cabinets are in very good shape... but need to refinish the base. I want to make sure the base refinish/stain matches the original wall cabinet stain/finish. Thanks.
man, that's a great simple video. you gave me an idea of the project I'm going to do. but I actually want to ask you a question. I have an old kitchen (wood) but it seems the old owner just paint it with whatever (cheap staff) and it look green color paint. If I want to refinish with a color similiar to the one in you video, should I scrapp the cabinets first then sand it? and I'm planning to do it for the whole kitchen, should I talk the cabients off easier for me or just do it on walls? thnx
@777Decypher Wood conditioners work well to give your stain a uniform appearance. The reason I did not use one is because the stain I used was a gel stain - a heavy bodied stain, that normally does not require a conditioner - if used on oak. If it would have been a wood like pine, I would have used a conditioner.
Hello, great video! I have a question. It appears I have the same finish on my kitchen cabinets as you were using in this video. I just bought this house few months ago and tried several products to repair damage on the cabinet doors. There is wather damage and the finish is peeling to the bare wood. Touch up pencils and things do not work. I do not refinish the whole thing, as I have too many of them and most are in great shape. Can I touch up with this gel stain?
@tgilldesign If you want to match an existing finish, the best way to do it is take one of your doors to a paint store that does stain mixing. Out here, its Sherwin Williams. They will match a stain color to an existing finish. Since you want to do all your lower cabs, the match does not have to be exact - pretty close will do. I have had them match stain up almost perfectly. You can always mix stain colors yourself, but its a bit more work - a lot of trial and error.
Kevin Templeman Sorry, no before and after. Refinish vs replace - just depends on how much time you have vs money. New cabinets are a great choice especially if you do not like your current kitchen layout, or the boxes are in bad condition. You can also take a look at getting new doors and ordering them pre-finished. Then you could just stain the face frames to match.
Oh and what do you think of the stain and clear coat all in one products? Im gonna do my kitchen soon (just experimented w an old cabinet door that was removed for a over the stove microwave) The wood looks like an Oak grain but they might be black walnut
+Dunkirk NewYork Those products have come a long way. They actually work pretty well. I always test any stain on some scrap wood of similar species before I commit.
@tgilldesign sorry for the late response - get some wood that is similar - whatever it is - oak or maple, etc. now get a few off the shelf stains that come close - start putting test strips on the wood. make sure you let it dry fully and then put your poly coat on. now see how close of a match you get to your exisiting. I will mix several stains together sometimes to get the desired effect. also multiple coats of stain will give a different appearance as well
those are Bench Cookies sold by Rockler. $12.99 for 4. They have a non slip grip surface on both sides. Work very well for routing or sanding. Keeps the door from slipping around. Go to rockler dot com.
This looks great but most of us can't spend an hour + on 1 cabinet door in just sanding... I guess you need that if you want to stain it, but you don't have to go down to bare wood if you want to paint it, right?
+Gabriella Szasz if you want to paint your cabinets, just take 120 grit, and give them a single sanding with that. All you need to do is scuff the surface, so that the paint can adhere. Make sure you use a good primer. 2 coats primer and two coats paint would be perfect - semi gloss looks really good on cabinets
Was your poly spray finish satin, semi-gloss, or gloss? Everything you said concerning the number grit sandpaper you used starting with 100, you mentioned if it was your house you would end with a 220. Today we used 220 and then finished with a 320 is this ok? Is it a benifit or a waste of time? Thanks.
Are you thinning down your top coat so it will actually spray from a cup gun or gravity fed gun? You aren't using a sealer and hand sanding after your stain ?
you can use any good interior latex paint. the key is getting a good primer coat on there. I would sand down the cabinets with 150 grit, put down a good primer coat, let it dry, sand it down with 220 grit, then put your top coat of paint on. without a decent primer, the paint will not stick well to laminate
+Tadeuz K Sanding the cabinets really well, and working thru the grits - 100/150/220 - will give you the best finish. With oak, the 220 grit sanding will close up some of the pores in the wood, giving you more even stain coverage.
+timothy hubert I like to use a foam brush as an applicator - you can either put it on and wipe off the excess after 5 min or so - that will normally get rid of any brush marks.
+Lucas Garcia To fully sand the finish off a door, it takes me on average about 15 minutes to completely sand a door with some detail. The flatter your door, the quicker it will be.
+wave surfa I would go with either paint , or if you still want a stain look, check out Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations kit. It's kinda like a paint system that will resemble the look of stain, and works really well for damaged surfaces
You are describing laminate or rigid thermo foil. You probably want to leave it alone, as there is not much you can do to refinish it. I have used a product by Rustoleum called "Countertop Transformations" which allows you to apply a finish over laminate. The stuff is really durable, but a bit pricey. It does not come in a wood grain, but has some cool finishes. Google it and see if it would work for you. Or you could reface the cabinets by ordering new doors and veneer for the face frames
+MWJ yes absolutely. it may be a little slower, but you have way more control. If your doors do not have any damage, the sanding will be minimal. you just want to take 120 grit paper, and scuff the finish enough to take off any blemishes/scratches/etc, and give the paint a surface to bite onto. Use a sanding block for all of your flat surfaces. Good luck
Alternating with spray and hand brush is really confusing. What if I don't have a spray gun, should I go and buy one then?. Why telling us you love sanding and then again, you involved all manner of sanding machines...just confusing. lol
Great video. Very informative and clear, but man...those cabinets are ugly. Before and after. Before they look like they belong in an 80's mobile home, and after they look plastic. I don't like the color or finish when done. Is it possible to make these look like brand new professional finish when you are done?
@777Decypher @777Decypher This guy has no clue on how to refinish cabinets. First off you don't sand first you use a chemically stripper then sand whats left in the grooves. should not take more then 10 min to have that door completely ready for stain. Real cabinet finishers don't use store bought stains like this. He basically painted this door with some ugly stain. Real finishers make there own stains and custom mix them. Also Oak never needs wood conditioner. cont.......
