Expert: Eileen Cronk - 8/25/2009

Question
I'm wanting to remove the varnish/stain from our golden oak kitchen cabinets.  We'd like to make them look either more like a cherry or a maple and we don't want to see the oak grain.  Would a semi-transparent stain cover most of the grain or do we need to use something else?  Also, can we just sand the old varnish/stain off or is it necessary to remove it with a product first?  We're hoping the semi-transparent stain would be more forgiving and not require every tiny speck of the old stain gone.  Thank you for your help.  ruthie

Answer
Hi Ruthie
Nice to hear from you.
This question is asked the most on this forum Ruthie.
Everyone gets tired of their golden oak kitchen. It was the thing when new but its tired now.
Everyone wants to change it and the solution is not easy. Its a tremendous amount of work.
There are no easy solutions.
You must remove all traces of the old finish with paint stripper.
Keep in mind that some lacquer finishes (likely what yours is), are extremely hard to remove.
Also be aware that you cannot hide the oak grain. You may have been told about grain filler but I doubt it would stick. You could try but just doing that step to all your cabinets is not something I would attempt..I hate even thinking about it.
I understand you want an easier solution like a sanding and apply a semi transparent stain over the existing finish. In my opinion this would not hold up on kitchen cabinets but why not try a test on a drawer. That way you will know.
The best solution if you absolutely cannot stand your cabinets is painting with melamine paint.
Be prepared to paint every five years or so but if you use normal paint you will be painting every two years.
Ruthie I am not trying to discourage this but rather make you aware its a tremendous amout of work with an outcome thats "iffy" at best for the look you want to achieve.
Kind Regards
Eileen