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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/refinish cabinets that have lacquer

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Expert: - 4/28/2009


Question
I have new cabinets (natural hickory) that I would like to warm the color up and darken some.  Do I need to remove the laquer coating or is there something I can use right over it after a good cleaning?

Answer
Hi Genie,

You say these are new cabinets so I am assuming that the clear coat is reasonably fresh and in good condition.  How much work you need to do is dependant on what you want to accomplish.  If you just want to add a warm tone to the finish, you can simply rough up the existing finish with a medium fine sandpaper (remove all the sanding dust) and apply a few coats of oil-based poly urethane.  The Polyurethane will add the slightest bit of yellowing(you will not notice this-it is not perceptible) but it will add the depth and warmth you are looking for.  

If on the other hand, you want to darken the cabinets, you will really need to remove the clear coat completely.  The new stain needs to be able to penetrate into the wood pores. Once the stain has completely dried, you can apply the clearcoat of your choice.

You can always experiment on a not so obvious section, such as an inside panel before deciding which direction to go in.

Thanks for your question and good luck with your project.

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maura macaluso

Expertise

I can answer most questions, regarding, wood sculpture, wood carving, carving tools and accessories and different types of woods.I am not an appraiser of carvings nor an antique dealer.

Experience

I do full design work, custom carving, restoration, fabrication, repair and refinishing. I can take a piece of raw wood and turn it into a work of art and I can help you do the same. I am "the" carving instructor for the new york city parks dept. I am heavily involved in carving on the internet and belong to many, many mail lists which are quite active. I am also an international promoter of woodcarving and am affiliated with many master carvers, notably nora hall, originally from holland, now in the U.S. and kalina pavlova, a bulgarian master carver. I routinely communicate with the top names in professional woodcarving nationally and internationally.

Organizations
the national association of woodcarvers. the woodcarvers of queens NY, the staten island woodcarvers. the northeast woodcarving association. the world wide carving internet list

Publications
chip chats-the national magazine of woodcarving. also at www.carvinginnyc.com

Education/Credentials
Self taught artist and sculptor, 40 years of drawing and painting as a hobby, 5 years of serious woodsculpting. I have my own website and have written a 300 pg book on carving. I have published online tutorials and pictorial projects

Awards and Honors
many first place awards

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