“A Simple Refinishing” of your Cabinets?
Original Quote from the Indy Post:
Because the kitchen work was such a large project, the Bontragers decided to work with what was already in the master bath to control cost. They kept the cherry cabinets and enhanced their original beauty via a simple refinishing.
What could this mean? Sanding and re-spraying the cabinets in place because the old finish was sorry and peeling? Did they actually change the stain of the cabinets? Staining is considered part of the finishing process.
At the end of the article, it says:
Limited by budget?
There are a lot of things that are lighter on the wallet and can be completed in a shorter amount of time.
Purvis suggests these quick and budget-friendly fixes:
• Paint the walls and ceiling.
• Replace the light fixtures.
• Replace hardware on cabinet doors.
• Paint the existing cabinets if they are structurally in good shape but the finish is worn.
Notice that last line. But why paint if we can just do a “simple refinishing?”
Generally there have been two basic alternatives for refreshing your old cabinets: painting or refacing. This refinishing option is, confusingly, presented as one of the following:
- A wipe-on formula that hides old scratches or bare spots and gives a new shiny gloss.
- Having the cabinets stripped, bleached and refinished (a messy and expensive process with sometimes disappointing results).
- Refinish the cabinets, either by painting or staining. (This seems to always come with a “use a pro” caveat)
A more realistic take on this is:
Seriously though, sanding just won’t work. Get one of the newer types of chemical stripper and do the stuff outdoors as much as you can. Make sure to lay newspaper EVERYWHERE….that stuff is insidious! If you’re using it indoors, make sure to leave windows open and put newspapers on the counters and floors for drips. Small drips won’t soak thru the paper, generally. It’s best to wipe up what does drip onto a surface you don’t want stripped though. Even if it’s on the paper, it could damage the surface below.
Good luck!!!! Get some before and after pics. You’ll want to know all that effort was worth it!
The problem with option #3 is that staining, unlike painting, requires that the finish be removed first, which means all the stripping, etc.
So, that leaves us with only one real option for “a simple refinishing”, and that is option #1, the wipe-on finish.
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:36 pm
What is the name of the wipr on finish that you recommend for cabinets? I am working in an old house with little money. I would love your recommendation. Thanks.
April 3rd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
What is the solution most used for just wiping the cabinets to hide scratches and gives a shiny gloss?
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Josie, sorry about this post. It really rambled and wasn’t very helpful.
My main point in this post was that refinishing cabinets is NOT simple.
If you want to remove the original finish, this requires painstaking sanding of your door profiles (all the curves, angles, etc).
If you want to leave the original finish and just apply something over it, you run a risk of having that finish flake off. In order to prevent this, you need to give them a good cleaning (some suggest Naptha or mild paint thinner) and learn as much as you can about the original finish. Generally you want to apply more of the same type of finish that was already there.
This is where it gets tricky. If you apply polyurethane over lacquer or vice versa, you’ll get the flakes. But how do you determine what’s on it now?
So I’m kinda making fun of this pansy article that I quote at the beginning. They want to make it look easy and they don’t even try to tackle the real issues.
There are solutions if you’re willing to educate yourself. It can be done.
Most folks, however, settle for the following:
1) light sanding
2) apply primer
3) apply paint
Which is why many old kitchens are painted, I guess.
Sorry I can’t help more.