How can I restore dull and stained kitchen cabinets?

I have painted mine in the past and did folk art on them.

Hi Darlene,

Start by removing the doors and hardware, then clean everything completely. Be sure to number the doors and put the hardware for each door in it's own bag so they don't get lost or mixed up. Use a cleaner like TSP to make sure every bit of hand oils are removed before you start. Lightly sand the surface to make sure the paint will stick, then apply a good primer. Let that dry, then use a high number sand paper (280 or 300), followed by wiping all of the dust with a tack cloth. Next use a good paint in the color of your choice. Most companies now have a cabinet paint formula. It's best to use 2 thinner coats of paint instead of one thick coat. You can use a roller on flat surfaces, but you'll need a brush to get into groves and/or trim. It is best to start with the trim, then use the roller on the flat parts. That will help blend in any brush marks.

After the first coat dries, again use a high number sandpaper to gently smooth any bumps that appear in the paint then use the tack cloth. Next apply the second coat. With the doors, paint the inside of the door first and watch for side drips. Once the inside is completely dry, flip it over and do the outside. (Tip - raise your doors using hunks of wood or even empty yogurt containers so that paint doesn't stick to your protective covering under the doors. ) Let everything dry, put the hardware back on and hang the doors. Stand back and admire your work. :) Wishing you the best!

Take one of the drawers or door fronts to the paint dept. of your home improvement store and ask for their advice on paints, stains and application tools. They have the best products and know-how to do a great job.

Looks like the finish has been washed off. Just paint them.

https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=paint%20cabinets

We redid the original cabinets from our 1982 mobile.

Disaseble as some others have described above.

We used 000 or 0000 steel wool to clean and "sand" the faces of the doors drawers and cabinet frames. The steel wool helps in the grooves and routered areas of the doors and drawers where sand paper is harder to get into those shapes.

We restrained at that point. We chose Cherry Stain which was not far from the original color, but this could be your chance the color if you want.

After allowing the stain time to "cure" we applied Wipe On Poly which was super easy and fast. Because I wanted a shiny finish we used glossy, personal choice.

Put everything back together.

Our end result was so good that you'd never guess the cabinets aren't new instead of 37 years old.

Trust me when I say some of the pieces once the steel wool part was done looked so bad I just knew it was not going to look even passable once stained. But that drab dry wood sucked up and gave love to that stain.

If you love wood and don't want painted cabinets there is a way to do it.

I just painted my friend's kitchen cabinets. It's something I've done six times before and I love how quickly a kitchen can be updated. I took the door and drawer fronts off, then the hardware. After cleaning them well I used deglosser. I filled the holes from the old hardware, let it dry, then sanded the filling until smooth with a block. I then primed them with a bonding primer. Primer is the most important thing here! I use Killz as it dries in 30 minutes and bonds to EVERYTHING. I then used semi-gloss Sherwin Williams paint--I've also used Ben Moore in the past--and painted two light coats. I primed and painted the cabinet frames so they have enough time to cure. The doors and drawer fronts...the trick here is, after priming, to paint the back first, let dry about two hours, then do the second coat. I let this dry overnight, flipped the doors--the drawer fronts don't need to be painted on the back--and painted the door fronts two coats, with an hour or so in between. Another overnight cure and... done! I used Tricorn Black and selected brushed gold hardware. We also changed the faucet with a brushed gold version and... DONE! One weekend and the kitchen is done. Good luck! The first kitchen I painted, 11 years ago, is still going strong so I highly recommend it.