Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/9/2007

Question
I have wood oak cabinets, that are still in very good condition. The cabinets do not have handles or knobs, I noticed that the varnish has worn. Can I sand the oak cabinets and give them a different stain.  

Answer
Hi Kathy,

Yes, you can do what you asked (sand down and refinish) but you have to understand there is a difference between stain and varnish. Some people use the words interchangeably, but they are different.

Varnish usually refers to polyurethane varnish, which is a surface finish for your wood. It usually comes in a clear form, and it dries as a somewhat "plastic" coating to your wood. But - there are some two-in-one products that both stain and varnish at the same time. So applying those products would not only darken the wood (by staining it) but seal it as well, with the polyurethane.

Stain, on the other hand, is generally a penetrating finish, and will change the color of your wood. So if you use walnut stain, you will change the lighter Oak color to a darker walnut color. Stain by itself does not protect your wood, it only colors it. But- as I mentioned above, there are some stain/varnish products out there that allow you to do both things at once.

So - stain changes the color. Varnish protects wood. Got it?  :)

Now- about your question, you mention that the varnish has worn in some places. And then you ask if you can give the cabinets a different stain.

So my answer is this- if you want to lightly sand the cabinets and then re-varnish them, that is no problem. Actually, they probably have a grease buildup on them, as most kitchen cabinets tend to be a little greasy over time. So a good scrubbing with TSP would cut the grease and prepare them for a new coat of varnish. You'll still have to do some sanding, but getting the grease off first will help to make the varnish absorb evenly.

Ask the people in the paint department and they will tell you about the TSP. It is an industrial cleaner, used for degreasing things before painting them. Be careful, it's caustic.

But... if you want to stain them, that's a different story. Because stain penetrates, you will have to completely remove the previous coat of varnish, or the stain will not be absorbed evenly. If you don't this will result in a botchy looking finish. So if you want to change the color via staining, your best bet would be to use some sort of a paint stripper to take off all the varnish that is there. Sanding might not be good enough, as the varnish is probably in the pores of the wood. So just sanding wouldn't eliminate all the varnish.

One last thing... there are some products on the market that will both stain and varnish, as I mentioned above. But they are slightly more opaque, and are more difficult to apply. But if you don't want to strip the cabinets you have, this might be a solution for you. Once again, ask the paint department people and they will steer you to the products that they carry.

OK, good luck, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this. And if this answer was helpful... please take a minute and rate my service. Thanks!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com