Expert: Jamie Yocono - 6/24/2007

Question
We recently moved into a home that is only 3 yrs old but the kitchen cabinets look like they were exposed to a lot of water removing the finish in spots mostly on the tops
They are a white oak with a clear finish Is there a way to repair these without stripping and refinishing the whole finish

Answer
Hi Dwayne,

This question is sort of outside of what I do- which is build custom cabinetry. I don't do very much refinishing or spot repairs of wood finishes, but I do have a suggestion.

There is a product made by Formby's called Formby'sŪ Conditioning Furniture Refinisher.  It's sort of an all-in-one product, as it dissolves the old grime and finish, and reconditions the wood all at the same time. If you cut and paste this link in your browser, you can see what they have to say about it on their website:   http://www.formbys.com/products/refinisher.cfm

This product is probably most helpful to greasy wood problems, but it's possible that it might work in your situation. Normally, this won't give you the same result as what a deeper stripping and refinishing job would do. But if the spots aren't too bad, this product might work fine for your cabinets. The good news is- you can probably find this at your local Lowes or Home Depot.

The only alternative to this product could be completely stripping and refinishing your cabinets.  I hate to tell you that, since it sounds like the damage isn't too bad. Good luck, if you get a chance and you try this product, I hope you'll write back and let me know if it works for you. I've used this for restoring old antiques, but never for newer stuff, like your cabinets. I'm curious if you find it helpful. You can send an e-mail directly to me at this address:  jamie@wooditis.com.

Good luck, Dwayne... don't you hate dealing with stuff like this!?!


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