How do I change the stain color on a display cabinet?

Debbie
by Debbie

I have an oak display cabinet that was stained an ugly orangy, honey brown color. The wood feels semi-rough like it wasn't sealed. Do I have to sand in order to remove the color, or can I stain over it? Thanks.


  8 answers
  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Feb 03, 2020

    If you are confident there is no sealer and you want to go darker, you can rough with fine steel wool instead of sanding. Clean with denatured alcohol. Stain once 💯 Dry.

  • Gk Gk on Feb 03, 2020

    If you don't like the feel of the rough wood you can do a bit of sanding and then restain. You don't have to remove all of the color to go darker but you do want to maintain a consistent color as you sand. Any light/dark areas that appear as you sand will show through when you stain again. If you want tog o lighter you have to remove all the color, but if you plan on going darker you should be ok.

  • Morgan McBride Morgan McBride on Feb 03, 2020

    You need to sand it for stain to adhere evenly.

  • K. Rupp K. Rupp on Feb 03, 2020

    Yes you will want to sand it. Start with lower grit and then go to 220 if you really want to remove stain and start over. Unfortunately a stripper won't remove all stain because of the layers that have seeped into the wood. If you are staining darker then there is no need to sand down as much. You might want to use a pre-conditioner so the wood takes the new stain evenly. Apply the new stain within 3 hours of putting on the pre-conditioner. Then apply new stain and poly.

  • Dee Dee on Feb 03, 2020

    lightly sand the cabinet with a sanding sponge. Nothing drastic, just enough to rough it up. Use a 220 sponge. If you want to go darker it will not be a problem. I like General Finishes stain, better than Minwax. If you want to go lighter, you will have to sand deeper or just paint the cabinet.

  • If you stain it you'll need to sand over it... otherwise, if you paint it you can just prime and paint over it.

  • Sharon Sharon on Feb 05, 2020

    In addition to above advice, if you do want to stain lighter, you can use paint remover that says it removes stain like Kleen-Strip..... it is toxic so be sure to do in a very well ventilated area like the garage or outside and wear rubber gloves and safety glasses. Once the stain is removed, give it a sanding to smooth the oak texture out, and then a wood contioner, and then your stain. Complete with a water-based poly that won't turn that golden yellow.