Expert: Eileen Cronk - 1/7/2008

Question
I have white washed oak where the wood has been worn past the white washed surface. How would I refinish this to look like the the rest of the wood. Also, our kitchen cabinets probably could use a new finish to protect the wood. What would you use? Thanks.

Answer
Hi Bill
Nice to hear from you.
Heres what I would do to just one door for a sample.
And the finish is worn away anyway so no harm done at all trying.
Give the door a good scrub with a steel wool pad dipped in a TSP solution.
This will get rid of all grease and grime.
Pay particular attention to the worn areas to get them well cleaned.
Next get a bit of white latex paint. Just a tiny can if you have none on hand.
Start off by mixing it half and half with water. Just one tablespoon of each to start. Rub this on the worn area to see the result. Too much white?.. then remove it with a wet rag. Try again. Add one more TBLS water and try again.
Not enough white?..remove with a wet rag and try again.
Add one more TBLS paint.
You see the method Bill. Just experiment till you get it correct.
If this works continue.
Bill this whitewash will have been clearcoated with a finish of some kind.
Of course I would not know what that was. So once again you should do some sampling.
Do this part on the back of a door. It will have the same finish as the front.
Once again a real good scrub with the TSP and steel wool.
Then I would use a water based poly as the finish because it will not yellow down the road..
Just a small area and leave it for a few days to see if it adheres well.
Bill I can hear you saying..but what if its an oil based finish on the cupboards?
Well if its oil based, it will be lacquer or poly.
Personally I tend to rule out poly if the whitewash does not look yellowed.
That leaves lacquer which you cannot apply in any case as it needs spraying.
It could also be some type of glaze which I think would be water based.
So you see your choices...only one.
I feel the water poly will stick with good surface prep which the scrub will give.
If all goes well with the samples, there is no reason you cannot re-do your entire set of cupboards.
The cost to do the sampling is minimal so nothing ventured nothing gained.
Good Luck
Regards
Eileen