Expert: Eileen Cronk - 2/9/2009

Question
I would like to redo my kitchen cabinets and not sure exactly how to go about it, would like to sand them all down and try a stain, any suggestions, i find if you paint them they will probably chip and stuff thought the stain would be better, what would you suggest, thank you Wanda

Answer
Hi Wanda
Nice to hear from you.
I agree with you 100% about painting. Do it only as a last resort.
In order to stain them you must remove all existing finish with paint stripper. This is a big job but if you are a patient person it can be done.
First though you must do a test to see if you can get the cabinets to look the way you want.
Do the test on the back of a door.
Remove the finish there with an MC stripper.
Then stain your desired color.
Then you will have to judge wether to proceed.
Its often very difficult to remove some cabinet finishes. It just depends what they are.
Its often also difficult to get the wood to stain the way we want. It depends on the kind and age.
So do your test Wanda. And if you need further help just ask.
Kind Regards
Eileen