Expert: maura macaluso - 7/9/2007

Question
Since I can't seem to get ANYONE to quote me on refinishing my kitchen cabinets, which are 14 years old (and were ugly to begin but even uglier now), is there an easy way to make these hummers look better.  I'd like to have them "finished" in my life time. Please help!

Answer
Hi Carol,  I personally had my cabinets re surfaced a few years ago, though it did cost a pretty penny.  They come in, remove all the doors and hinges and then they apply veneer to all visable surfaces. Then then attach brand-new doors.  It is cheaper than getting new cabinets and probably almost expensive as refinishing them.  it came out great and today, there is such a selection of veneers available, that you can get any look you're after.   After resurfacing, there is complete replacement which is the best way to go but very expensive and needs to be done by someone with experience so that you're not left high and dry by someone who doesn't know how much work is involved.  Accurate measurements need to be taken beforehand as the cabinets will be constructed elsewhere and then installed by a couple of guys who can safely lift them onto the wall cleats.

There are two more ways to go.  Refinishing or painting.  Between the two, i would chose to refinish because painting will require mantaience every few years and any scatches may reveal the original color and it will look just plain crappy.   Okay now on to refinishing.  I don't know if you as a homeowner are willing to get your hands dirty but I will tell you what you need to do. I will only go into refinishing the outsides, the inside is done the same way but is alot of work due to the shelves being involved. If the insides aren't too bad and will not clash with your new look, I wouldn't touch them at all except for the very front of the shelves which will be seen when you open the door.  There are also shelf edge covers which are available in a few different colors which can be slipped over the edge and save you some work.
First off, I need to know what the cabinets look like now.  If they are painted you will need to do the additional step of stripping the paint off, a very messy job.  for the sake of argument lets assume they are wood and have been stained some time in the past.  What you want to do first is to use a screw driver and remove all of the doors.  Then remove all the hinges and knobs.  Next step would be to sand down(use an orbital and a decent palm sander) all the outside surfaces. Cover the rest of the kitchen with plastic drop cloths and close off the kitchen from the rest of the house. as there will be plenty of dust As for the doors, you can either sand them down, both sides, or purchase new ones, perhaps with a different profile, which will give your cabinets a completely new look.  You need to take care that the doors are of the same wood or very similar light or dark wood.  You can buy doors at lowes or home depot.  This would also be a good time to update all your hardware if you so desire.
Next take all the doors outside if possible and completely sand them, front and back.  Now you should have completely bare wood to deal with. Back into the kitchen.  Completely vacuum and wipe down the entire kitchen to any dust that the dropclths didn't catch.  This in itself will put dust back into the air, but much less than before. let the dust settle before proceeding. Open all the windows and doors in the kitchen and if possible, set up a fan to keep the air moving. Put on rubber gloves. You will apply your stain with a rag, trust me here, much easier than brushing.  Make sure it is pretty even and that you almost reach the color you want. you will then apply either a varnish or polyurethane which will both darken the stain a slight bit.  Allow the cabinets and doors to dry for 24 hours.  Reattach the doors, put the knobs back on and it will be finished, you will notice the smell for a while, but it should be gone after a week or so.   No do you understand why most people will not take on this job.  It is not difficult but can be more work than anyone wants to do.  One last thing.....If you have used a rag to wipe the stain on, dispose of that rag in a coffee can filled with water. put the lid on it and put it outside in the trash. not inside.  Rags using these chemicals can suddenly combust so do not allow them to dry in the house.  Good Luck