AboutGreg Scholl Expertise Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects,Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings of all kinds.
Experience Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Sold, built, serviced, setup Home,Industrial and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools, and offered instruction on use and care as well.I even have some Trade show Demo experience.
Organizations none at this time.
Publications Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how"), local newspapers as well
Education/Credentials Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field.Seminars by Major tool manufacturers, Delta, Powermatic, Performax, Porter Cable, Skil/Bosch to name a few.
Past/Present Clients Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT.(the Antiques capital of CT.) Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.), local Museums and Historical Societies.
Question QUESTION: I want to refinish pine cabinets that are already stained and in decent shape. Not sure of what may have been applied over the stain originally, ie varnish, poly, etc., but they are a satin finish now and the stain color is a walnut color. I want to redden the color by using a darker cherry stain. Can I clean, lightly sand them, fill in gouges and then over stain with a cherry gel stain, then seal and achieve my objective for color? Or do I need to completley strip them to bare wood (not a consideration at this point) to achieve my color objective?
ANSWER: Hi Roy, are these kitchen cabinets? I would never recommend going over an existing finish this way, really, if you can't tell what it is....the Gel stain will likely not make anything more than a subtle color change at best over an existing clear finish like this, and if this is lacquer, you definitely shouldn't use a poly based stain like this over it. It's always advisable to start with bare wood when trying to effect a color change like this, the one exception is lacquer, where "toning" can be used, which is the spray application of colored topcoats. But even that has to be used sparingly so as not to obscure the wood's character and grain too much. Dye based toners are available in an aerosol, but these techniques are tricky to learn and I would not recommend trying to learn them on your cabinets first.....a smaller project is advisable....hope that helps a little- post back if need be- regards- Greg
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Yes they are kitchen cabinets. I plan to do the alcohol/acetone test to determine what the finish is over the existing stain. I can't imagine the finish being poly or lacquer because they gouge so easily. A subtle change is what I am trying to achieve. Do you have any experience with a product called Restorz-it??
Answer Hi Roy, I have had many complaints about Restorz-it, and heard many horror stories, my advice is stay away. It's basically an Acrylic product, way overpriced and slickly marketed to unsuspecting buyers, and it's easy to make a mess of something with it. They say you can "reverse" it with.....a floor stripper....but that will likely ruin whatever you put the stuff on, leaving you way worse then when you started. I would bet your cabinets are lacquered.....it's the most common for various reasons...early lacquers didn't stand up very well, unlike the new products of conversion and catalyzed lacquers which are superior, and very tough.
