Expert: Eileen Cronk - 4/25/2007

Question
I have one of those standard kimball hill home light oak cabinets that I'd like to re-stain a darker color.  In addition, I would like to glue/nail in some raw wood door panels over my current cabinet side panels which are made of particle board with a non-maching veneer finish, and I would like to add some wood molding on the bottom of the cabinets to cover the raw wood.  
If I strip the old stain on the doors, and the cabinet body (the front) and get the new raw plywood side panels nailed or glued on (which one is better) then when I re-stain will all the colors look uniform?  Is there something about the wood type etc that would affect how the stain will look on a raw wood vs a stripped oak wood.
Also, I am not really sure what type of wood my cabinets are.  How do I find out the material

Answer
Hi Anastasia
Nice to hear from you.
You sound like a very smart lady. And you are certainly correct to wonder about these things...most people plunge in without knowing the outcome and are disappointed with the results.
Yes it will be hard for you to match the new wood and the older stripped wood. Applying the same stain to both will not work as you suspect.
So I suggest you test before a final decision is made.
And the test is based on this being oak. If you are not sure you must get someone who knows to tell you.
Its not something I can tell you without being there LOL.
Get a small can of Minwax golden oak, and a small can of Minwax Special Walnut.
The older wood will come out darker than the new oak, so for it try mixing one part walnut to 3 parts golden oak. (just use teaspoons of it for the test.)
The new wood will come out lighter, so mix the stain half and half to start...then experiment till you get a match you like...you get the idea?
If you use veneered side panels, and the veneer is over particle board, then glue is OK.
If you use solid wood side panels, then I would screw them from the inside and make sure the screws are not too long and go right through the outside surface LOL.
Good Luck and get back to me if you have further questions
Kindest Regards
Eileen