Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/29/2010

Question
i have in a moment of madness painted my kitchen unit doors in a cream gloss they were solid oak doors i am wanting advice on how to get them back to the original doors

Answer
Ann,

The good news is that since your doors were probably finished when you painted them, that cream gloss may not have penetrated too deeply into the pores of the wood. You will need to strip that paint off using a good stripper. It's not going to be easy, but it will come off.

Look in the paint department of any hardware store for a stripper - if there are a lot of choices of stripper, look for the can that is the heaviest, for the best price. I've read that the active ingredient that makes a stripper effective is heavy, so the weight of the can indicates that the stripper has more of that ingredient in it, making it more effective.

You'll paint in on the doors, let it sit on the wood for a while, and then scrape it off, taking care not to scratch the wood. I use a plastic putty knife for removing 90% of the paint. The last bit that is still on your wood will come off with either an old toothbrush, or even steel wool. Get all of it off, especially in the crevices.

After that, the wood might indeed be clean enough to lightly sand and then re-coat with a clear finish. If not, reapply some stripper and get the rest of the cream color off. What WERE you thinking - lol?

Once they're clean - let them dry completely. Sand any rough spots, and vacuum the sanding dust off the door. Then pick a high quality varnish and apply it. Here's the best advice I can give you - buy a GOOD brush for applying this varnish, it makes all the difference in the world. And apply two thin coats, rather than one heavy coat. Your doors will look like a pro refinished them, if you do this.

The good news is - you didn't ruin your doors, just created a lot of work for yourself. Good luck, write back if you have more questions.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com
My woodworking blog: www.wooditis.blogspot.com