New to refinishing wood kitchen cabinets


Michelle

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We just purchased a home that has and older custom oak kitchen.  So, I decided to take on the task of redoing it myself.  Needless to say that there is ALOT of wood.  They are oak cabinets with Fruitwood stain.  I have stripped and sanded and sanded and sanded.  It is taking me forever just to do one cabinet door and they still have an orange tone to them, just can't get it out.  I am burned out and haven't even gotten thru half of the cabinets.

 

So, I would like to use Minwax Blue Hawaii water based stain on them.  Bought a can to try and it is more blue than what it looked like in the store. 

 

Question is I guess do I have to get the wood down to almost white to stain?  And, I was hoping for a bit more purple in the color (looked more purplish blue in Home Depot), can I layer the stain colors somehow to get the color I want.

 

Never redid a kitchen before....shoot me now :)

 

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Water based stain may not behave well on previously finished wood. I would practice on the back of a base cabinet door to see how it comes out. Tape of the front of the door to protect it from stain & finish. A wall cabinet door is much more visible when open so practice on base cabinet doors.

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Is the color you like available as a 'gel' type stain? Those are often used as a 'glaze' to add color over an existing clear coat. Of course, some of the original color will show through, altering the appearance of the new stain.

In your shoes, I would probably just clean the surface with denatured alcohol to remove grease & grime, then lightly sand it with a fine paper to provide a bit of texture for the glaze. Mop on thick and even, wait 10 - 15 minutes, then wipe off the excess with a cotton rag. Allow to dry per the mfg instructions, then coat with shellac as a sealer, followed by the final clearcoat of your choice.

But if you really like blue, paint them.

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