Expert: Eileen Cronk - 12/9/2007

Question
Hi Eileen,
I have red oak cabinets(15 yrs old)that have been danish oiled and varnished they have an orange hue that I do not want. I would like to remove the orange hue and stain them a different color. I know this is a big job can you offer some advice.

Answer
Hi Trudy
Nice to hear from you.
Love to pass on any advice I can on this Trudy as I've done it a few times.
If I start to ramble, ignore it LOL.
OK..you already know this is going to be a big job, so armed beforehand with that fact in mind, you should do great.
A big job, yes, but not a frustrating one if approached correctly.
Trudy we women know that the kitchen is the hub of the household and as such we cannot have it torn asunder for days or weeks on end while we do renos.
So with this in mind, select a place away from the kitchen where the majority of the work will take place.
It must be well ventilated as you will need to strip all existing finish from everything.
Outside is ideal weather permitting. Or a well ventilated garage.
It is important that you only work in sections or you will find you just do not have room to put the pieces while drying. And kitchen cupboards are sections anyway aren't they?
So choose your first section. No more than 4 doors or 4 drawers.
Remove doors and take to your stripping area.
Remove all hinges and handles.
You will need to strip both sides of doors.
After thats complete, move to the kitchen. The case fronts will need stripping, but a small section is easy...and remember..work in sections LOL, and get the windows open.
Lots of old throws to protect the surrounding area.
When this section is stripped, I would stain these parts.
The staining only takes minutes.
I roughly estimate stripping 4 doors and the case fronts  will take about 3 hours if the finish comes off well (the finish you describe will come off well). At that point I would get the kitchen back in order and forget the job for the day. You will get frustrated if you continue.
The next thing I would do is start applying the finish to the stripped and stained sections. This only takes a short time.
The reason I like to apply the finish to the doors while they are off is that if they are laid flat, there is no fear of unsightly drips or runs like you get on a vertical surface.
I would use a water based poly which does not "yellow" over time and dries very fast. You will need two coats.
While this is drying, start removing another section, and getting it stripped.
Then get your first section which has been stained and finished back in place.
So you see where I'm coming from Trudy?
If you are methodical and neat, this need not be one of those jobs you wish you never started.
Most peoples approach would be to remove everything all at once, dump the drawers into boxes, create total chaos in the kitchen, everyone mad cause they can't find anything....it just goes on LOL.
Slow and steady Trudy. I know you can do this.
Please get back to me if there are and "glitches" along the way. I am always at my PC every evening.
Good Luck
Regards
Eileen