Asked on Oct 8, 2018
How do you refinish wood cabinets without painting them?
We are buying a home but I dislike the color of stain on the cupboards. How can I refinish them without a big mess of stripping & no painting them?
chec out old English scratch cover. It is a dark shade and semi penetrates the wood. You could scrub with fine steel wool, clean with TSP, and stain. Perhaps with a product that is stain and finish in one. I used one of those on my laundry room cabinets.
Thank you! That may work!
You can stain over stain with gel stain. Ant good brand will do. You can go darker but not lighter.
https://www.minwax.com/how-to-finish-wood/change-stain-color-with-polyshades/
Thank you! I think I will try restaining!
I used Java gel stain on my oak cupboards. Just clean the cupboards and apply.
This is the best product that I have found. It really works and gives a nice finish. I have used it on cupboards, a desk and a dresser. I got mine at a specialty shop but it is available at Amazon as well. A little goes a long way.
If the wood color is light then restraining darker is probably the easiest way to go. Otherwise I think Behr makes a paint or cover that when out on makes the wood a natural color and then you can pick whatever stain color you want. Applying this cover with a brush creates the wood grain. Talk with someone at home depot in paint dept. They will tell you everything you need. I painted a plaster bust with this and it ended up looking like it was carved from wood.
Awesome! I’ve gotten some great tips especially yours! Thank you!