Hello Eareka! If you want to change your white cabinets to a natural color you will have to strip off the finish down to bare wood using a paint stripping product and lots of hard work. Before you start a project like this you should probably know what wood your cabinets are made from. If you are talking about kitchen cabinets, some are made of solid wood and some are not. For example, I know my kitchen cabinets are solid oak and if I removed all the current finish to stain and poly my cabinets to look more natural I know they would look good.
Brown paint could be an option —a true wood finish might be more challenging and problematic. Typically molding, grooves and different levels or planes cause challenges with producing attractive faux finishes.
Alternatively White cabinets could be a lower grade of wood- paint grade wood and not be conducive to pleasing stain application if a stripping was done.
Start with a stripper, CitriStrip is a good one just don't leave it on too long and let it dry. Sand down to bare wood. Make sure you go with a fine grit so that you don't damage the integrity of the wood.
Hi Eareka. Stripping and sanding your cabinets is a lot of very hard work, time and elbow grease. I recently discovered that there is a new paint on the market called "Beyond Paint". It eliminates the need of stripping, sanding, or sealing. But it comes at a very high price. Depending on how many cabinets you have, you may require a little or a lot. I found it on Wal Mart's web site for approx (deep breath) $100 a gallon. It's an alternative to achieve the same result. Good luck Eareka.
Before you dive in and strip, make sure the cabinets are good wood with staining. Also sometimes with white cabinets the frames are if a lesser grade than the doors and won't match. It's really safer to just repaint in another color than to go to the trouble strip just to find the cabinets aren't as nice as you hoped. Good luck. Painted cabinets in fun colors could be very cool. I just did a kitchen for a client in Seafoam Green. Turned out beautiful.
What a job you are giving yourself! Probably better to send them off to a strip shop where they can be dipped. Not cheap but it may be worth you while if they are something like Oak or other hardwood. Alternative might be to paint them in a flat coat or two of the colour wood you are hoping to find under the white paint and then either Dry brush on top with a darker gel varnish or use a graining tool available from DIY's to achieve the look of natural wood. Best wishes.
Hi Eareka, I think you would do best to pick a nice shade that looks like a wood color, and paint them, OR you could try to find a peel and stick that is a wood grain look, it may be easier than trying to strip and sand etc. I have attached a link to show the different peel and sticks
Hi there!I found this piece on Facebook marketplace for 180$. I do love it so much!Do you think it’s a good price and any other input would be greatly appreciated!... See more
Hey folks ... I asked this question previously, but I don't think I provided enough information! Sorry to all those who responded. We are installing a drop in... See more
It has all these coffee cup rings on it that I can't get off. I've tried Zep clean stone plus and a lot of other cleaners. The zip sure brought out the shine in... See more
My partner and I bought this lovely dresser which was covered with a very bad white shiny paint job. He stripped and sanded to bare wood and then painted with a... See more
We have 4 oak dining room chairs and a ceramic tile floor, the chair legs have cracked multiple tiles in spite of having the felt pads under the chair legs. Are there... See more
Have a tempered glass patio table that has paint on the underside. It's began flaking off a year ago. Is there an easy way to remove all of it? Always thought it... See more
I have two nice older wood wall units. I would like to put two shelves between them to put my TV on. I am thinking about putting an upper trim to make it look like... See more
My outdoor foot stool and matching small table are falling apart. I purchased the plastic wire, however, I cannot find instructions even on YouTube. All instructions... See more
I have used this product before and had no issues. But it's been over 40 hours since I painted the last coat of (dark grey) chalk paint, and the paint keeps rubbing... See more
I started sanding down these end tables to get a natural wood look. Just seconds into sanding these weird patches started forming and I’m not sure how to fix it! If I... See more
I have a dresser that has at least 3 coats of paint on it. Would like to redo it and afraid to paint it again. What could I do? Thanks in advance and everyone stay... See more
I found this chair sitting on the street after some neighbors moved out. It had a badly damaged rattan seat so I removed that and had a handyman cut this bottom for... See more
I want to paint each chair different colors, should I sand them ? Also I want to pad the seats red cause they are hard for me to site on how can I do this using big... See more
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... See more
Hello Eareka! If you want to change your white cabinets to a natural color you will have to strip off the finish down to bare wood using a paint stripping product and lots of hard work. Before you start a project like this you should probably know what wood your cabinets are made from. If you are talking about kitchen cabinets, some are made of solid wood and some are not. For example, I know my kitchen cabinets are solid oak and if I removed all the current finish to stain and poly my cabinets to look more natural I know they would look good.
Hello. Thats a tricky question.
Brown paint could be an option —a true wood finish might be more challenging and problematic. Typically molding, grooves and different levels or planes cause challenges with producing attractive faux finishes.
Alternatively White cabinets could be a lower grade of wood- paint grade wood and not be conducive to pleasing stain application if a stripping was done.
Faux finishes may be worth a try- here is a link
https://www.oldhouseonline.com/repairs-and-how-to/create-faux-wood-grain-finish
You'll need to strip and stain them: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/stepbystep-instructions-strip-stain-kitchen-cabinets-99271.html
Here are projects other Hometalkers did a faux wood grain. You can use these as a guide.
https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=wood%20grain
While it will not be an easy job, take the plunge and strip and restain. Use citristrip a safe non-toxic remover.
Start with a stripper, CitriStrip is a good one just don't leave it on too long and let it dry. Sand down to bare wood. Make sure you go with a fine grit so that you don't damage the integrity of the wood.
Eareka: what a huge job!
you may want to consider painting them a color
(in the shade if wood) that you like.
Hi Eareka. Stripping and sanding your cabinets is a lot of very hard work, time and elbow grease. I recently discovered that there is a new paint on the market called "Beyond Paint". It eliminates the need of stripping, sanding, or sealing. But it comes at a very high price. Depending on how many cabinets you have, you may require a little or a lot. I found it on Wal Mart's web site for approx (deep breath) $100 a gallon. It's an alternative to achieve the same result. Good luck Eareka.
Before you dive in and strip, make sure the cabinets are good wood with staining. Also sometimes with white cabinets the frames are if a lesser grade than the doors and won't match. It's really safer to just repaint in another color than to go to the trouble strip just to find the cabinets aren't as nice as you hoped. Good luck. Painted cabinets in fun colors could be very cool. I just did a kitchen for a client in Seafoam Green. Turned out beautiful.
Hello there,
What a job you are giving yourself! Probably better to send them off to a strip shop where they can be dipped. Not cheap but it may be worth you while if they are something like Oak or other hardwood. Alternative might be to paint them in a flat coat or two of the colour wood you are hoping to find under the white paint and then either Dry brush on top with a darker gel varnish or use a graining tool available from DIY's to achieve the look of natural wood. Best wishes.
Are they painted? If there isn't wood underneath, you can't make them wood.
Hi Eareka, I think you would do best to pick a nice shade that looks like a wood color, and paint them, OR you could try to find a peel and stick that is a wood grain look, it may be easier than trying to strip and sand etc. I have attached a link to show the different peel and sticks
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Timberchic-1-8-in-x-3-in-x-12-42-in-Peel-and-Stick-Tan-Wooden-Decorative-Wall-Paneling-40-sq-ft-Box-25340/311946778
You've got some serious sanding in your future! That is a HUGE job. Maybe think about refacing them and getting new cabinet doors instead?
I agree with Jessica. When you paint - you can't go back unless you want to sand it all off!!!