Expert: Greg Scholl - 10/13/2009

Question
QUESTION: I would like to change my kitchen cabinet color to cherry red - currently it just oak with no color. I tried oil base stain - it is very light - I want it to be dark cherry red or mahagony color... how can I achieve this? Can you please help...

ANSWER: Hi Arathi, what you want to do is not possible with stripping the cabinets down to bare wood and then refinishing them.On top of that, the finish that's on them is likely a catalyzed finish, that's extremely tough and durable, and therefore VERY hard to strip. If they are Oak, it's doubly hard because Oak is a hard wood that doesn't take oil stains well, so you'll need to get into dye based stains and toning, which is spraying colored transparent clear coats over the stain and sealer coats.This is typically only the realm of the professional finisher, and requires experience, knowledge of the techniques and materials used, and is not something that I would suggest anyone without some serious finishing experience, try.I'm sure that's not what you want to hear, but I hope I helped a bit. Post back if need be- regards- Greg

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

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your information.

Which products do you suggest for Dye based stains ? Where can I find professional finisher - who can stain dye based color....

Answer
Many manufacturers make dye stains, General, Mohawk, Behlen are a few names that come to mind,but again, this is specialized stuff, that needs to be used by someone with knowledge and experience, and only AFTER the cabinets were completely stripped and prepped...  as far as someone in your area that would contemplate stripping and refinishing a kitchen, I don't know.....it won't be easy to find that person either, as it just doesn't pay to do this. It would likely cost as much as replacing the cabinets or more,with all the labor involved, and doing this type of work on site isn't something that you'll find someone would want to do.The cabinets would have to be removed, stripped, refinished, and then reinstalled. Wish I had better news, but I hope it helps a little....In my opinion you'd be much better off to replace the cabinets with some nice Cherry cabinets if that's the look you desire....or reface them, where you order new doors and drawer fronts, and then reface the "boxes" on site. There are MANY refacing companies out there, (including Sears), so that's a viable option...regards- Greg