Expert: Eileen Cronk - 1/15/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have just purchased a house with "honey" stained oak cabinets.  I have have medium brown oak floors and would like to stain the cabinets darker.

How should I go about doing it?  Is that better to paint the cabinets instead?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Cristinavv

ANSWER: Hi Cristina
Nice to hear from you.
In order to stain your cabinets darker, they have to be stripped of all existing finish. Even then, you may not be able to go much darker as oak does not absorb stain well.
So first you must do a test to see if the existing finish will come off easily then to sample some stain colors.
Painting is an option but remember the grain will still show as oak has a coarse grain.
In my opinion, it takes less time to strip (assuming the finish comes off easily) and refinish as it does to do a correct paint job and I would try this before I even considered painting.
The steps for stripping are these.
Remove all doors and hardware.
Strip finish
Apply stain
Apply two coats of poly
Re-hang doors and replace hardware
Enjoy your cupboards for the next 10 years

The steps for painting
Remove all doors and hardware
Wash all surfaces with a degreaser and let dry
Sand all surfaces well (a miserable job)
Apply a coat of primer
Lightly sand
Apply two top coats of paint
Rehang doors (trying not to mess up paint job LOL)
Replace hardware
Start budgeting to repaint in two years.
So do your testing. The back of a door is a good place.
Hope this helps
Kind Regards
Eileen


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the answer.  It appears that there are many more steps involved with painting; however, the person I am working with says that painting would be better and much less expensive than staining.  

As far as going darker, can you give me a sense of how darker it would go?  I saw a catalog from a company and was interested in "cognac" type of finish.  Would adding a glaze after help with the color?  Thank you again.

Cristinavv

Answer
Hi again Christina
The person you are working with is correct.
If you had to hire someone to refinish it would cost much more than hiring someone to paint.
If its do it yourself, the cost is about the same.
The color you saw will be done with these lacquer/ toned finishes and are not possible to do in the home or by non pros.
Its hard to give you a sense of how dark you can go.
All wood is different. All oak is different. The age of the oak is a big factor because if its older, it will have naturally darkened under the finish and that helps.
It is my experience that on antique oak, it can be stained pretty dark. Newer oak cannot.
I do feel however that you can get a browner color that will tie in better with your floors than your current honey oak does.
It will not be dark brown.
Thats why its so important for you to test before you make a decision.
A glaze you refer to will be a colored one. It would help color wise but not looks wise in my opinion.
Good Luck and thank you for the wonderful ratings. It makes volunteering worthwhile to know its appreciated.
Kind Regards
Eileen