# Cabinet refinishing



## Bill4728 (Mar 20, 2013)

My cabinets are/were in need of refinishing. We went to Lowes and were told if they weren't really bad we should try Danish oil (tung oil & varnish) WOW what a difference that made. Areas where the finish had worn significantly were quickly transformed to almost new. And areas were the finish was just OK are as good as new. 

The only downside was that it smells and takes 2+ days to dry. 

Only $8 and 1.5 hours to redo the 3 bathrooms in our house.

Be sure to wear gloves and ventilate the rooms


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## pittle (Mar 20, 2013)

Our "Go To" product years ago was Watco Oil, which is basically what you have described.  Hubby was a "Shop" teacher when we first got married and swore by it.  I did a refinish an old washstand about 30 years ago and never have varnished it  - it still looks great.  

I always have a bottle of the dark Old English oil in my cleaning supply area.  That can work wonders on end tables.  It does take a while to dry, but lasts quite a while.  I keep my stained cloth in a zip-lock bag near my rubber gloves for touch ups.


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## sun&fun (Mar 20, 2013)

My kind of DIY!  I was so inspired by your story of doing 3 bathrooms in 1.5 hours that I'm considering this treatment for my kitchen cabinets. They are natural oak and still in great shape after 35 years. The oak has turned a nice honey color, but a few of the lower cabinet drawers have lost the "gloss" of the original varnish after so many years and so many washings! 

Can I assume you did the cabinet doors and/or drawers in place? Did you use the brush or wipe method? Would really like to know a bit more before I consider tackling what would be a 3 day project for me!


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## Bill4728 (Mar 20, 2013)

I just used a cloth and wiped it on. It was really easy. It was easy to wipe it more for about an hour then it started to get a little sticky.  The next day it was tacky then the next day was basically dry.


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## jannereeves (Apr 1, 2013)

sun&fun said:


> My kind of DIY!  I was so inspired by your story of doing 3 bathrooms in 1.5 hours that I'm considering this treatment for my kitchen cabinets. They are natural oak and still in great shape after 35 years. The oak has turned a nice honey color, but a few of the lower cabinet drawers have lost the "gloss" of the original varnish after so many years and so many washings!
> 
> Can I assume you did the cabinet doors and/or drawers in place? Did you use the brush or wipe method? Would really like to know a bit more before I consider tackling what would be a 3 day project for me!



Even i need to refinish my cherry kitchen cabinets, can you tell me which product to use??


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## GetawaysRus (Apr 1, 2013)

jannereeves said:


> Even i need to refinish my cherry kitchen cabinets, can you tell me which product to use??



Everyone here is talking about Watco Danish Oil.  It comes in a variety of finishes and is quick and easy to use.  Lowes and Home Depot will carry a limited number of finishes, but you will find more with an Internet search.  They are right that it's quite easy to use, but will be "sticky" at first and will take several days to dry.  If you decide to try it, start with a small application in an area that isn't highly visible to see how it looks.  If you're not in a hurry, you might also consider waiting a few days (to see how long it takes to dry) before going hog wild and covering everything.

I have also refinished more badly damaged cabinets with wood stain.  This requires more work, and the trick is to find a stain that is close in color to the original finish.  Depending on the degree of damage, a very light sanding with very fine sandpaper or a fine steel wool in badly damaged areas may be needed first, then application of wood stain to the damaged areas, and finally a coat of polyurethane to seal it.

If you have a woodworking store in your area (such as a Rockler store), the store employees are very good about giving advice.  Usually it's pretty easy to remove a cabinet door, and you could take that to the store with you.  For the beginner, Watco Danish Oil is great.  (Serious woodworkers will also use other products - tung oil, possibly mixed with the Danish oil, is another popular finishing product.)

Replacing kitchen cabinets is costly.  If you like your cabinets but aren't happy with your results in treating a small area, I'd consider hiring a professional.  It ought to be far cheaper to refinish (even if you are paying a professional) than to replace.


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## GetawaysRus (Apr 1, 2013)

sun&fun said:


> My kind of DIY!  I was so inspired by your story of doing 3 bathrooms in 1.5 hours that I'm considering this treatment for my kitchen cabinets. They are natural oak and still in great shape after 35 years. The oak has turned a nice honey color, but a few of the lower cabinet drawers have lost the "gloss" of the original varnish after so many years and so many washings!
> 
> Can I assume you did the cabinet doors and/or drawers in place? Did you use the brush or wipe method? Would really like to know a bit more before I consider tackling what would be a 3 day project for me!



Your project is different.  If I understand, the color of the cabinets is OK but you want more sheen.  You may not need to recolor the wood, but only to put on a good polyurethane.  When I've done this, I have removed the hardware (the drawer pulls) and then applied the new finish with a foam brush (in order to avoid brush marks).  If I were doing the entire cabinet, I'd remove all the doors and drawers before applying the finish.

You could take a drawer with a finish you like and a drawer that needs refinishing into a local woodworking or paint store for advice on what to use.


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## pjrose (Apr 1, 2013)

GetawaysRus said:


> . . .  *You may not need to recolor the wood, but only to put on a good polyurethane.  When I've done this, I have removed the hardware (the drawer pulls) and then applied the new finish with a foam brush (in order to avoid brush marks).  *. . . .



What would you do to first remove buildup from years of cooking, dust, and or polish etc?


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## ScoopKona (Apr 2, 2013)

pjrose said:


> What would you do to first remove buildup from years of cooking, dust, and or polish etc?



Mineral spirits.


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## IngridN (Apr 3, 2013)

ScoopLV said:


> Mineral spirits.



I hate to ask such a stupid question...what are 'mineral spirits?' I have the same issue and am looking to deep clean my oak kitchen cabinets prior to making the replace or reface decision. I have no idea what type of coating and have been reluctant to start. Thanks.

Ingrid


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## sun&fun (Apr 3, 2013)

As we ready the house for sale, agents have almost unanimously advised painting the oak cabinets. Although my cabinets are in very good shape and quite functional, I'm told oak is dated and turns off potential buyers. I am rejecting this advice. Why have quality wood products in your house and cover them with paint? I think I'll have to invest the money in replacing my 1950 Roper gas range (2 ovens 6 burners) that I LOVE because that probably will be a show-stopper!


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## IngridN (Apr 3, 2013)

sun&fun said:


> As we ready the house for sale, agents have almost unanimously advised painting the oak cabinets. Although my cabinets are in very good shape and quite functional, I'm told oak is dated and turns off potential buyers. I am rejecting this advice. Why have quality wood products in your house and cover them with paint? I think I'll have to invest the money in replacing my 1950 Roper gas range (2 ovens 6 burners) that I LOVE because that probably will be a show-stopper!



I agree. Even though oak is not my first choice, they do look much better than painted cabinets, IMHO, of course. I would go to any length to avoid painting...YMMV. In my recent research, it appears white paint-like cabinets are very popular right now, but I'll pass.

Ingrid


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## Bill4728 (Apr 3, 2013)

An update:

It has been several weeks since I used the Danish oil on my oak cabinets.  The finish isn't quite as good as it first looked but a huge improvement. 

As I said before : really easy to use. Just wiped it on over a 30 minute time period and let dry (about 2-3 days) it will be sticky for at least 36 hours then much better.  

We also used it on a oak table with lots of scratches and the finished covered them up pretty well. Again good not great. BUT now the table looks more than good enough to displace without a table cloth when we really couldn't have it out without one before. Also worked on oak chairs. 

For $8 it was a no brainer.


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## jannereeves (Apr 8, 2013)

GetawaysRus said:


> Everyone here is talking about Watco Danish Oil.  It comes in a variety of finishes and is quick and easy to use.  Lowes and Home Depot will carry a limited number of finishes, but you will find more with an Internet search.  They are right that it's quite easy to use, but will be "sticky" at first and will take several days to dry.  If you decide to try it, start with a small application in an area that isn't highly visible to see how it looks.  If you're not in a hurry, you might also consider waiting a few days (to see how long it takes to dry) before going hog wild and covering everything.
> 
> I have also refinished more badly damaged cabinets with wood stain.  This requires more work, and the trick is to find a stain that is close in color to the original finish.  Depending on the degree of damage, a very light sanding with very fine sandpaper or a fine steel wool in badly damaged areas may be needed first, then application of wood stain to the damaged areas, and finally a coat of polyurethane to seal it.
> 
> ...



Thanks for your kind assistance, 

My kitchen cabinets are in a quite bad condition and i think finishing with Watco Danish Oil alone is not gonna work. I guess some more work like staining and sanding is required. I do have a woodworking experience like installing and removing cabinets but refinishing is something new to me.

Replacing the cabinets is costly but would work faster. I am am considering replacing them with RTA kitchen cabinets, they are cheaper than the custom cabinets and are easy to install. Do you have any experience with ready to assemble cabinets?


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## Bill4728 (Apr 8, 2013)

jannereeves said:


> Thanks for your kind assistance,
> 
> My kitchen cabinets are in a quite bad condition and i think finishing with Watco Danish Oil alone is not gonna work. I guess some more work like staining and sanding is required. I do have a woodworking experience like installing and removing cabinets but refinishing is something new to me.
> 
> Replacing the cabinets is costly but would work faster. I am am considering replacing them with RTA kitchen cabinets, they are cheaper than the custom cabinets and are easy to install. Do you have any experience with ready to assemble cabinets?


We also thought that the cabinets were in bad condition but the danish oil really helped. ( as I say very good not great result)   IMHO  try the danish oil and if it doesn't help what have you lost except the $8 for the can.


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