Expert: Eileen Cronk - 1/13/2008

Question
I have 18 year old oak cupboards which are showing some minor wear & soiling on the perimeters in the area of the handles.  The cupboards were stained medium oak with a sprayed on verathane finish.  I've tried to clean the soiled areas with Murphy's Oil Soap but to no avail.  Can I lightly sand the areas with very fine steel wool to remove the grime, re-stain if necessary and then apply a product like a "wipe on" polyurethane to match the existing spray finish.  The cupboards are quite elaborate in the centers but are flat oak on the perimeters ( it would be very difficult to redo the entire cupboard door.)
Your help is appreciated.

Answer
Hi Ken
Nice to hear from you.
Your right on with the technique.
The only thing I would try before resorting to sanding is a good scrub with a TSP solution using a steel wool pad as a scrubber. You want to get rid of any Murphys residue and create a surface for the stain to adhere to.
I am hoping the TSP will remove the dirt, but if not, you will be forced to lightly sand.
If you have a random orbit sander great, but do not use anything but 220 grit on this oak as you will leave scratches that will not show till the stain is applied.
I would do the entire perimeters you speak of with the TSP.
And stain the entire perimeters.
And use the wipe on poly on the entire perimeters too.
And Ken, this wipe on poly is so easy to use that I always recommend folks wipe on a coat on these wear areas before the wood is exposed. Once a year is great, but every couple for sure.
Cupboards have become so hugely expensive and this will save replacing down the road.
Good Luck
Regards
Eileen