Unless you re replacing the hardware cleaning it will help give your cabinets a fresher look.
Cabinet stripping and restaining.
Clean the cabinet hardware.
Next scrape the old surface with a scraper in the direction of the grain.
Apply gel stripper with a paintbrush to one or two cabinet door sets at a time any more and the gel will dry out.
Soak the hardware in a soapy water solution for 30 minutes scrub lightly with a soft brush rinse let dry and apply polish.
Allow cabinets to dry in dust free environment.
This is the same process for prepping cabinets to paint.
And the sanding and stripping are just not fun for me.
Wipe cabinets with deglosser.
To achieve those effects you ll need to commit to a full scale campaign of stripping sanding and refinishing from scratch.
I mean who likes doing that.
If the cabinets have a waxy or thick finish then house beautiful recommends apply a stripping agent such as turpentine over the surfaces.
Paint a light coat of stripper onto the face of one cabinet one drawer and one door at a time.
Lightly scuff the clean dried existing finish with a synthetic sanding pad or 220 grit sandpaper.
Wait 10 minutes and then scrape off the softened lacquer with a putty knife starting at the top and.
Okay so let s talk about how to restain wood without stripping.
Drape drop cloths to prevent drips from staining your floors.
You will need to clean off and remove years worth of residue oils and grime in order to fully prepare the cabinet surface for stain.
Lol i hate sanding and prepping.
If you want to take your cabinets to a lighter tone for example staining oak cabinets gray or giving them a stylish bleached look there is unfortunately no quick and easy option.
Because i m a lazy crafter.
Let the gel sit for 10 minutes or so until you see that the surface has bubbled and softened.
Use a bristle attachment on a vacuum to remove all of the dust.
This can reveal divots and deep scratches which will need to be filled with a wood filler.
I just want to get the fun part painting making beautiful etc.
Clean the existing finish with minwax wood cabinet cleaner to remove dirt and grime.
It s one of my favorite things to do.