Refinishing cabinets??

Question

My husband is refinishing our cabinets by himself and when we removed the old knobs from the doors on the cabinets it left like a diamond shaped mark on the doors. He has sanded and sanded and he can't get rid of them. We want to put new handles on but don't want to see the mark the old ones left behind. Is there any way to get rid of those marks?

I guess I didn't make this clear, there isn't any indentation in the wood just like a darker color than the rest of the wood because the knobs have been there for like 30 years.

Answer 1

The old stain has faded, except in the area underneath the knobs where it was hidden from the daylight. Your options are limited, because the old stain has penetrated the wood. You might try staining the rest of the cabinet to match the diamond shaped mark, after first stripping off the varnish or lacquer. However, this may give you a darker stain than you want. You might also try bleaching the wood in the darker area, using a Q-tip for an applicator. After bleaching you might have to touch up the stain in that area to match the rest of the finish. You may not like the results you'll get with bleaching, so I suggest you try an inconspicuous area first. You could also paint the cabinets an off white. Our neighbors did just that, and it turned out nice.

Answer 2

Use a damp cloth and an iron. It will raise the grain to the level you need and you can then sand the area to blend it in. The indentation will not be deep enough to hold wood filler of any kind but this should work for you.

Be certain the cloth is white cotton and not something with a dye as the dye will bleed into the wood and will not come out. This may take several attempts but should work. Be certain not to hold the iron in one spot for more then a few seconds as it will leave a burn mark in the wood..

Only place the cloth in the area you are working in as it will leave a water spot in where it is not heated.

Answer 3

The easiest (and most cost effective and less timely) way to remedy this is to use a wood filler (found at Home depot or Lowes). Fill in the indentation, wait for it to dry, then sand it down flush with the rest of the wooed. Im in the process of restaing myself, and I had to do this on 2 of the bathroom cabinets already. Very simple. Good luck!

Answer 4

If the cabinets are Oak and the knobs have been there for some time the wood is compressed where the knobs were tightened.
Sounds like you could use a belt sander, the marks will eventually fade.

Answer 5

i ought to assert, as a former living house advancements professional, that you are able to be nicely suggested to refinish the cabinets first. later on, at the same time as the cabinets are being refinished or perhaps if they have been refinished, that is possible you are able to replace your ideas about what coloration and cloth (formica, granite, polished concrete, etc.) you want to apply on your counter correct. the different aspect is, there is way a lot less of a probability of scratches and chips to the counter from workers equipment, if the cabinets are finished first.

Answer 6

You can try steaming the wood a little. It may raise the grain if it isn't too bad. I've used a steam iron.
If that doesn't work, there are wood filler products out there. I've never used them and don't know how they work.
Perhaps the easiest option would be to purchase handles that will cover the depressions.
Good luck!

Answer 7

Some woods, like cherry, darken when they are exposed to sunlight. Other woods lighten when exposed to sun. The only solution that I can think of is to either, selectively stain the areas to obtain similar coloring, or selectively apply light to the area to change the color. If you are trying to darken the wood, either method would work equally as well, but if you are trying to lighten the offending area I think that a high wattage light bulb would likely be the best bet. I don't know if this will work, since I have never tried it, but I think that it might be worth a shot.

Answer 8

SIMPLE SOLUTION
You have hundreds of knob choices. Pick a style that covers the diamond shaped mark.

Answer 9

Use wood filler that will accept color and a putty knife. Let it dry then sand it off and stain.