how do I take the stain off my cabinets and restain them?

Question

I would like my cabinets to be a lot darker. A java color.

I tried to apply stain to my cabinets. I kept it on there for about 30 minutes and most of the stain wiped right off afterwords.

Answer 1

there are many chemical based finish strippers to choose from (I could not recommend one), and that would be the way to go to minimize sanding and ensure even success, especially if your cabinets have any kind of ornate grooves and/or cracks in the faces and especially if you cannot take them out of your kitchen. the alternative to this is just sanding them down, but that requires a major amount of sanding and it's difficult to get an even finish this way. The stripping process is rather messy and needs excellent ventilation because the chemicals are strong and poisonous, and it will be the most unpleasant part of the job, but once its done you will have only a little sanding to even out what the chemicals have done for you and prepare the surface for a new finish. I recommend you get on some furniture finishing websites for more explicit instructions. good luck.

Answer 2

Quick question to you is that are your cabinets in good condition, because if they are and most likely u would have a varnish finish on there u can light sand it and always can go darker on the stain.After u apply the stain u are suppose to put a varnish or a lacquer finish,but make sure the stain is dried completely. If ur spraying the finish then it doesnt have to be completely dried.Lacquer finishes are always the fastest way to finish stain jobs because they dry lot faster then varnishes. Varnishes u can't apply on the same day, but lacquers u can reapply within like 20mins or little bit longer depending on the weather and what u thinned it down with.

Answer 3

I just wanted to share this because we recently did something similar and if it works for you it will save a TON of effort.

Our house was built in 1990 and the previous owners had nice cabinets installed but didn't take care of them. The existing stain we extremely worn in certain areas and so-so in others. Many applications of Murphy's Oil Soap didn't seem to help.

I came across this product called Rejuvinating Oil which is sold at Lowes right next to the Furniture Stripping products. We decided to give it a try. Removed all cabinet doors and removed hardware (hinges and knobs). (As a side note, we were able to recondition the hinges and knobs ulitmately spray painting them with stainless steel colored spray paint.) Anyway, you clean up the wood with various cleaners and use a razor to remove anything that is, well, stuck on. Let dry.

Rub in the Rejuvinating Oil and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then rub out. We found about 90% effectiveness at this point. There were a few areas that I repeated this process on... I left the oil on for a half hour and then rubbed out. We couldn't believe it. It looked like NEW.

If your objective is to change the color of the stain, you may be able to darken it some as there are several different flavors of rejuvinating oil. As for getting it lighter, this approach isn't going to work. (It will lighten ever so slightly after the cleaning phase.)

This whole thing was a fair amount of work, but a SMALL fraction of the effort to strip, sand, and re-stain. Email me with any questions.

Good luck!

Answer 4

You can't actually get the old stain out of the wood as the color goes in quite deep. You can lighten it with wood bleach but this doesn't look very good. My advice is to paint a new base coat on and stain over that with a gel stain using a dry brush and comb technique. Good Luck

Answer 5

it didnt take because there is a sealer on the finish. you should test on the back of a door. use a 200 sandpaper to rough up thr surface and break the seal then try your stain. see if it has a sealer in it also. some are just stains and should be sealed after.

Answer 6

look for the product..Strip it remove the doors,strip them.and re-stain them ..you can take the hard ware and boil it in vinegar water.and remove old stain-dirt-paint........