Staining Kitchen Cabinets
This tutorial is how I DIY stained all the dated golden oak cabinets in my entire house (and later my new house) without spending hours stripping the wood first with harsh chemicals and without adding layer after layer of stain to get them this dark walnut.
I didn't want to just paint the kitchen cabinets as the realtor suggested, and we couldn't afford to make a lot of expensive updates (hence keeping the dated backsplash and baby blue Formica countertops!). Gel staining the cabinets (and a few other changes - mostly painting) allowed us to add $25K to the sale price of our house for less than $200!
I found this great DIY tutorial for staining a bathroom vanity a dark color without stripping the stain first.
http://www.pneumaticaddict.com/2014/06/darken-cabinets-without-stripping.html
I've included her instructions here and added my own comments and changes in red and my updated comments in green (after I completed a few more projects and learned a few tricks!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT4dPDzUvYE Another good tutorial if you prefer video.
SUPPLIES:
- Varathane gel stain (by Rustoleum) in the color Dark Walnut
I had to special order this because my local hardware store only had it available online. I needed ~4 quarts to do the whole kitchen (about 50 cabinets and drawers - my smaller kitchen required less than 2 quarts).
Deft Satin Clear Wood Finish – spray
This would take way too many cans for my project, so I used:- Minwax satin finish polyurethane (poly} – 1 gallon
- 2-4 stir sticks for stirring the gel stain and poly – these are usually free in the paint department.
- Felt pads
I cut my own from 1” Heavy-Duty Felt Pads, Self-Adhesive – designed for keeping furniture from scratching floors that I got at the dollar store. You can get about 4 from each 1" pad. - 150 grit sandpaper
I used 100 grit which is much coarser cause I’m lazy like that. - 220 grit sandpaper
(I used a paper bag which is the cheap equivalent to 220 grit sandpaper) to lightly sand the poly.
- Drawer pulls and handles (50!)
- TONS of blue painter’s tape
- Black sharpie
- ~75 Sandwich bags (fold-down top not Ziploc)
- 1” soft brush* (for stain)
- 2” soft brush* (for poly)
**If you purchase cheap brushes then you can just throw them away when you’re done! No cleanup! But do get ones that are soft for the poly it will go on much smoother - Rubber gloves
I didn’t actually use the rubber gloves, because I don’t care about getting stain on my hands – it does wash off. Plus, when I let the stain dry on the rubber gloves it actually ate through the gloves overnight. - Paint clothes** -
I can’t tell you how many times I brushed up against a cabinet or dripped stain or poly on myself. Don't forget your footwear! - Damp cloth or paper towels to wipe up any drips that land where they shouldn’t.
- Plastic tarp
(that dry cleaning thin plastic stuff won’t work, you need something a little heavier that won't stick to your cabinets).
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Purchase and drill holes for new hardware.
If you are attaching new hardware, make your life easier and build a jig from some scrap wood. It takes only a couple minutes to put together and ensures each hole is drilled in the exact same spot on every door. If you don't feel like putting a jig together, you can purchase a plastic guide.
I recommend D. Lawless Hardware! If you are looking for cabinet hardware, you have got to check them out. Honestly, the best prices and best customer service!
If like me, you’re adding or changing the hardware, I suggest adding the holes for the new hardware BEFORE you do all the stain work. That way, if you mess up you can patch it/ fix it fairly easily. I’d planned to add hardware, but at the thought of messing up my pretty newly stained cabinets and drawers (C&D), I changed my mind. - Remove drawer faces and cabinet doors. I have seen people stain them in place, but don't do it. It takes like 5 minutes to unscrew the old doors. Let’s do it the right way people.Before removal, I used a piece of painter’s tape to number each cabinet and drawer face(C&D). I then took a picture of the labeled C&D so I knew where they went. When I sanded, I just moved the taped number to the side I was not working on. When I stained (Tetris style!) I put the number on the plastic sheet under the C&D.On my next project, I got smarter. I used a piece of painter's tape with the C &/or D's assigned # on it and stuck it unobtrusively inside each C&D's box/base and left it there until the C or D was done and put back in place.
Using a sharpie, I labeled baggies with the C or D's #. When I took the hinges off a C door or removed a D, I put the hinges and screws in the baggie (so the hinges and screws didn’t get all mixed together).
Instead of putting painters tape on the C or D that would then have to be removed everytime I needed to work on it, I did something different.
Using my sharpie, I wrote the C's # inside one of the spaces where the hinges go. This spot isn't painted or stained, so it would stay visible (rather than having to move a piece of painter's tape multiple times). Also, the number wouldn't show when the hinges are on. (When I stained the C door I had to try to keep the stain from covering the number (sometimes I forgot and it was NOT fun trying to find where it went in the kitchen. Next time, I will protect the number by putting a piece of painter's tape over it).
For drawers, I wrote the D's # on the backside of the D’s face where it doesn't get stained.If you’re going to add hardware (Step 9), I would probably drill the holes NOW before you remove the C&Ds. That way if anything goes wrong you can patch/fix it. I'd also put the hardware in the same bag as the hinges.
TIP:
If like me, you’re going to be doing a large number of cabinets (50! C&D), think about doing them in sections and only remove the doors and drawer faces for that one section. I didn’t have enough workspace to do all the C&D at once, so I did as many as I could fit on my workspace (about ½). I just happened to do all the drawers and smaller cabinets in the first “batch.” Since I had removed ALL the doors and drawer faces, my kitchen looked awful for weeks.I didn’t work on the cabinet boxes/ bases right away either so some of the finished doors and faces that were done had nowhere to go. If I had to do it all again, I would probably work on one group of cabinets and leave the other group alone until I was ready to do them. Also, I would do the cabinet boxes/bases first. - Sand lightly, especially if your cabinets are on the newer side. It shouldn't take very long. You aren't looking to remove the finish, just give it some "tooth". I used 150 grit. Make sure to use a damp rag or tack cloth to wipe them clean after.
I used 100 grit and removed all the shiny poly as completely as I could.
After sanding, I covered a work space with a tarp and laid out the C&D “Tetris style.” (I used the pool table which was a comfortable height to work on and not putting it on the floor meant I didn’t have to worry about the pets walking on it. A dining room table or counter top might be ok but moving it if you wanted to use the space would be a pain).
{Plywood or an old door on sawhorses works fine too. I used them out in the garage which helped a lot with fumes.}
I used heavy plastic tarps (the super thin plastic tarps that look like dry cleaning bags wrinkled up and stuck to my C&D – so use something heavier). I took the painter’s tapes labeled with the C&D number and taped it to the tarp underneath the C&D it belonged to.
Make sure you set up in an area where you can open windows or something to vent the fumes! -
- Cover hand and glove in thick sock. As for application, I'll admit, I totally stole this idea. Once again, being a rebel, I tried applying the stain with a high quality brush but still had terrible brush strokes. I finally caved and went with the crowd and used a thick sock over a gloved hand. It really worked great to get a smooth, even application.
This totally didn’t work for me. I couldn’t get it in the corners and it left blotchy spots where I couldn’t get it to smooth in the corners. Plus, by the second day, the stain had broken down the rubber in my rubber gloves! I ended up with stain all over my fingers anyway. The stain I chose was dark and I did multiple layers, so paint brush marks didn’t end up showing anyway.
TIP:
Always have make your strokes go with the grain of the wood! It makes it look more realistic.I used a small 1 inch brush and made smooth strokes with the wood grain. I discovered that I liked the “streaks” left by where the brush strokes overlapped a little. They didn’t really show up by the time I hit the 3rd coat, but it kept the wood grain look.
TIP: This is a long process, so rather than throw away or clean the brushes and rollers every time I stopped for the day, I put them in a plastic baggie or Saran Wrap (getting out as much of the air as possible). Putting the brushes/rollers with stain on them in the fridge made the stay usable longer; however, don't do this with the poly! - Wipe stain with the grain, with long strokes. For an authentic, stained wood look, make sure to wipe with the grain of the wood and be mindful of intersections. Keep the coats even but thin. Warning, the first coat will look like crap. At this point you will totally be second guessing yourself and possibly cursing my name. It will get better, I promise.
VERY IMPORTANT! Let each coat dry for at least 12 hours. Seriously. I don't care if the can says you "can re-coat in 2 hours". Don't do it.Each coat gets better and better. It took me 3 coats till the color looked even and natural.I applied the stain with little strokes (with the grain) to evenly distribute the stain, then, while it was still wet, I made long, smooth strokes (with the grain!) from the top to the bottom of the whole segment of wood. I feathered the edges when I couldn’t get it in one long stroke.
After the stain had dried about 6 hours, I flipped the C&D over and stained the other side. Waited 6 hours, then flipped it again to paint the first side again... This meant each side still had 12 full hours to dry, but it took ½ the time to stain my 50! C&D. - Tape and mask off area around cabinet boxes. If you want professional results, you are going to want to spray your sealant (I'll explain more in a minute). Take the doors to the (open) garage to spray, but the vanity will have to get sprayed in place. Yes, you can spray inside your house. Actually, that's how the pros do it. You can pick up plastic drop cloths at Home Depot for dirt cheap. Cover anything you don't want sprayed and make sure to have as much ventilation as possible!I really should have made sure I had much better ventilation than I did! I got a little loopy!
C&D: I learned the hard way that poly likes to drip to the other side of the C&D you’re working on, leaving drips and patches of mess. I started using Blue Painter’s tape to cover the “back side” while I worked. That way if/when it dripped, it came off when I peeled off the tape. Although it used a lot of tape, it saved me HOURS of resanding, restaining and repolying…Rather than mess with a ton of plastic tarps/ sheeting that was going to get stepped on and torn, I used strips of blue painter’s tape where the cabinet boxes met the floor and/or walls. It takes at least 72 hours to do 3 coats of stain and 1 coat of poly on the base cabinets and that's a long time to have tarps to mess around with.I did about 3 rows of the painter’s tape on the floor. One right at the edge where the cabinet kick plate met the floor, and then another butted up against that one, and another butted up to that one. When done, the tape extended out a little farther than the edge of the cabinet (about 6”). That way when it dripped, the stain landed on the tape, not my floor.
{I have no idea why it didn't occur to me to just tape down a 6"-8" wide strip of heavy paper or plastic instead of rows of overlapping tape. Duh! I guess I got used to the thought of using giant sheets of plastic or little strips of tape. *sigh*}I also put one line of painter's tape inside the cabinet box (where the wood met the inside of the cabinet box, which I didn’t want to stain). This meant I could apply the stain easily around the edges of the wood trim. If I’d cared about the underside of my countertop, I would have done the same thing there.Moving out the dishwasher, vent hood, and stove wasn’t really an option, so to protect them, I taped them up as best I could, and stained as far back as I could reach. When someone replaces these items, they’ll know the cabinets weren’t originally this color, but I don’t care! - Spray vanity and doors with 3-4 coats of satin lacquer. If you read other tutorials, they will all tell you to use a water-based, wipe on top coat. Here's my thoughts: This is a bathroom. These cabinets will be frequently exposed to water. Water-based sealants aren't durable to long term water exposure.
-
Once I decided to refinish my cabinets, I decided to make them look and feel as professional as possible. I started watching dozens of YouTube videos and reading on cabinet maker forums. One thing was universal. Professionals use lacquer to seal cabinets for a variety of reasons. #1- Its dries fast! You can re-coat, without sanding, in 30 minutes. #2- It dries hard as a rock, unlike poly products which are essentially flexible plastic. And #3- It is VERY durable. Once fully cured, a lacquered surface should withstand years of heavy use. I know, DIYers are usually scared of lacquer.
The good news is, I found a clear lacquer in a spray can! I have a couple of paint guns, but I try to avoid running anything but water-based products through them, since I hate the cleanup. Home Depot carries a product by Deft (owned by Minwax) that is perfect! It goes on super even, and gives professional looking results. I sprayed 3 coats on the vanity as well as bothSpray lacquer just wasn’t an option for me. It took her 6 cans to do a bathroom vanity. I was doing an entire kitchen. Waaayyy too many cans.
I didn’t spray anything! I used a soft paint brush to put on the Poly and I didn’t notice any brush marks or anything (although I did have to watch for drips.
On cabinet boxes, I suggest going back about 5 minutes later. You'll be surprised how often there will be some drips you missed.
I used a 2” brush and regular satin polyurethane. Most of the time it only took one coat.
TIP: STIR THE POLY!! Don’t forget to thoroughly STIR THE POLY! I kind of swished it around a little instead of doing a good job EVERY TIME I used it. The result was a too glossy finish at the beginning and toward the end, almost completely matte.
Be careful when stirring the poly not to stir it in a way that will add bubbles into the poly. You want what is on your brush to be clear and bubble free.After I polyed I used a piece of paper bag and lightly “sanded” the finished coat. It took down any slightly rough patches and reminded me to check every surface to make sure it was smooth and even). If it didn’t look perfect, then I fixed it (removed the hair or drip or whatever) and just added another coat of poly.Cabinet Boxes: When polying the sides of the cabinet boxes, I used a similar technique to that mentioned for the stain (horizontal stripes of globbed on poly about every 6 inches so I could smoothly run the brush from top to bottom without having to stop and reload my brush). Watch for drips (especially at the top).TIP: Remove the tape while the poly is still wet. Otherwise when you pull up the tape it might take pieces of the poly drip and the stain with it. 
Add felt or rubber pads. After allowing the lacquer to dry over-night, one more step I highly recommend is using felt or rubber pads on the corners of the drawer and cabinet faces. These little guys are easy to find, cheap, and help your cabinets function better. The small space they provide between the doors and frames keep the fresh stain and lacquer from sticking to itself. They are also a must for painted cabinets! Here's a link to buy them online
I needed so many of these that the cost really added up (2 for every C&D – 3 for especially long C doors). I found some thick felt pads, at the Dollar Store! (originally for keeping furniture legs from scratching the floor), and cut them up. I quartered the one inch circles and trimmed them in to a rough circle the size of those expensive little pads. A couple of sets of 16 1” pads was way more than I needed to do all the C&D.
Bonus: The thicker pads made the C&D stick out a little more. Since we decided not to add hardware, this made it a little easier to grip the edge of C&D to open them.- Install C&D. It’s much easier to add hardware and hinges on each C&D BEFORE putting them back on the cabinet boxes.
BEFORE AND AFTERS:
Master Bath Before
Master Bath After:
Guest Bath After:
1970s Kitchen Before
1970s Kitchen With Drop Ceiling Removed and New Cabinets Planned
1970s Kitchen with Cabinets Done (We were actually building some of the cabinets, so the process took so long that I misplaced one set of hinges. Can you tell which cabinet? They showed up later.)
1970s Kitchen with Wall Removed, Peninsula Added, Granite, and Backsplash - DONE!
(Flooring is photoshopped in this pic. We didn't finish the flooring until later)
UPDATE:
1970s Kitchen with cabinets professionally painted
Would I DIY stain my cabinets again?
At the time, it was what I could afford and I liked the look of the dark walnut.
Now, I prefer the lighter paint color and getting that smooth matte finish was something that worked better with a professional paint sprayer. So if it was an option, I'd have a professional painter do it.
UPDATE UPDATE:
It has nothing to do with painting/staining cabinets, but wanna see the results of my latest kitchen renovation?
I kept all of the existing cabinets (I did add a couple) and countertops. I ripped out a couple of walls, moved the ceiling beams into the attic and changed the configuration.
1970s Kitchen Open Concept
Great post.
ReplyDelete