Expert: Eileen Cronk - 12/16/2008

Question
I have maple cabinets in the bathroom that are over 40 years old but are still in pretty good shape.  There are 2 doors and 3 drawers. However, around the handles the color is gone and there are a few scratches.  I cannot afford to have them refinished but I would like to do something myself. What is the best way to solve this problem.

Answer
Hi Jackie
Nice to hear from you.
These over 40 year old maple cabinets would not be a huge job to strip and refinish yourself. Have you considered that?
If you have let me know and I will provide detailed info.
Just remember you cannot be too choosey with a stain color.
Maple is hard wood which does not absorb stain readily.
So the color will be what it will be LOL.
But you can certainly try to help it along.
Other than a refinish Jackie, painting is the only other option.
And to be honest, I feel that on this amount of cabinets, stripping will take less time than painting.
Get back to me. I'll help you through the process.
Kind Regards
Eileen