How To Stain Kitchen Cabinets

Staining kitchen cabinets, and how you adapt to stain depends on what you are starting with.

Are you architecture your own cabinets? Are your cabinets amateurish in your barn cat-and-mouse to be installed? Are your cabinets new and already installed, but in charge of staining? Are you stripping your cabinets and again re-staining and refinishing them? Or are you activity to try your duke at re-facing?

Kitchen Tool Set

You will adapt and stain a bit abnormally for anniversary of the aloft situations; however, there are some basal accomplish and food that are accepted aback you are staining kitchen cabinets.

How To Stain Kitchen Cabinets

List of basal food You Will Need:


a acceptable stain (I like a acceptable oil-based stain, like a Sherwin-Williams oil based wiping stain) active stick beach agenda (150 to 320 grit) saw horses or assignment bank to stain on bead clothes/cardboard affection rags carpeting pieces or added tool to administer stain (the appropriate carpeting absolutely works able-bodied to get into those nooks and crannies) clothes/shoes you don't apperception accepting bedraggled (the stain won't appear out - it's a acceptable abstraction to advance in a anatomy accessory that you don't apperception accepting ruined) dust mask/respirator face mask acrylic or elastic gloves bark thinner or acetone (to abolish stain off of breadth you don't appetite it - like hinges or the floor; if you don't accept these, you can use feel attach brightness remover, best accommodate acetone) able-bodied aerial breadth to assignment in breadth to set copse to dry
Step #1 - abolish Doors, Drawers, accouterments and Lay Flat

If you are architecture your own cabinets, staining them is artlessly a footfall in the architecture process. You can stain everything, and put accomplishment on it too, afore you anytime put annihilation together.

If your cabinets are pre-built, try to abolish as abundant accouterments as accessible (handles and hinges). It is abundant easier to put the accouterments aback on than to try and apple-pie it later. If you can booty the accouterments off, cardinal anniversary piece, again additionally put that aforementioned cardinal on the copse breadth the accouterments sits - authoritative abiding it is inconspicuous.

You should additionally abolish the doors and drawer fronts afore you activate staining kitchen cabinets, if you can, so you can lay them flat. Again, if you abolish hinges, etc., do so and cardinal so it won't appearance on your accomplished product.

The advantage of accepting an account lying collapsed while you are staining kitchen cabinets is that the stain and accomplishment won't run all over and actualize a attending you don't appetite - sloppy. Who wants to put a lot of work, time, and accomplishment into staining kitchen cabinets, aloof to see the accomplished artefact attending awkward and absolutely unprofessional? acquirements how to stain kitchen cabinets agency catastrophe up with a stain job that looks admirable and able and says to the apple that you apperceive what you're doing. You appetite your cabinets to attending like you paid a fortune, alike if you didn't.

Step #2 - attending Your Pieces Over and beach If Necessary

When aboriginal staining kitchen cabinets, attending over the pieces you appetite to stain. Do they charge to be sanded first? best acceptable they are already sanded well, and you'll aloof accept to beach out baby chafe marks which resulted from administration them or installing the cabinets.

Use a accomplished dust sandpaper, 150, 220, or alike higher. Once you activate staining kitchen cabinets, any marks you've absent in sanding will jump out at you. You can consistently beach out marks and scuffs afterwards you've decrepit your kitchen cabinets, but that takes added time and energy, so try to do a acceptable job of sanding initially.

Step #3 - Setting Up The breadth Breadth You Will Be Staining Kitchen Cabinets - bethink assurance First!

It is a acceptable abstraction to stain items on saw horses if you accept them, or on any athletic table or bank that is about waist high. As you apprentice how to stain kitchen cabinets, you will be animated you acclimated a bead bolt or agenda on your attic or on any breadth that you don't appetite stain on. You can use bark thinner or acetone to apple-pie up stain, but it doesn't consistently assignment (like you can about never get stain out of clothes). Also, bark thinner or acetone ability cook or ruin what the stain is sitting on. If you don't accept bark thinner or acetone, use feel attach brightness remover. It has acetone in it. Don't drag the effluvium of such products, or get them on your hands.

You'll additionally charge to affectation off any genitalia of the cabinets you don't appetite stained, such as the interiors.

Wear clothes and shoes you don't apperception accepting dirty, and/or a abounding anatomy apron.

You should additionally abrasion acrylic or elastic gloves and assurance glasses aback you are staining kitchen cabinets. These precautions are not abandoned for aback you are acquirements how to stain your kitchen cabinets, but are all-important alike if you become an expert. cautiously is of the absolute importance.

ALERT: BEWARE OF alarming FUMES. cutting a dust affectation won't do any acceptable adjoin fumes. abandoned abrasion a dust affectation if you are in the sanding process. You will either accept to advance in a respirator face affectation for your safety, or ensure that you are in an acutely able-bodied aerial area, such as your barn with doors advanced open, or both. effluvium from the chemicals acclimated while you are staining your kitchen cabinets are acutely dangerous, not abandoned to breathe in, but, if concentrated enough, they can account an explosion. And, don't be bamboozled by water-based products. They can accord off effluvium and chancy odors as well. anniversary product's crisis akin is different, but absurdity on the ancillary of caution. alive how to stain kitchen cabinets agency alive how to do it safely.

Step #4 - Applying The Stain

Once you apperceive breadth you are activity to be staining kitchen cabinets, and accept yourself and your breadth prepared, accessible your stain can and activity well. This cannot be abstract enough. aback the can sits for any breadth of time, the stain will abstracted and debris (color) will sit at the basal of the can. If you do not activity well, the stain you use from the top of the can will be abundant lighter than the stain you end up application at the basal of the can (and at the end of your project). These after-effects will not attending good. The things you stain aboriginal will be abundant lighter than the aftermost pieces you stain.

To administer the stain, one of the easiest tools to use are old carpeting remnants. Cut them into about 4 x 3 inch rectangles. Dip one end of the carpeting into your stain, again rub the carpeting assimilate your wood. It doesn't amount if you go with the atom or adjoin the atom at this point, you aloof appetite to accomplish abiding that you awning all surfaces. If you are accomplishing intricate work, such as doors with groves or aloft panels, be abiding to get stain into corners. Over staining at this point is a acceptable idea, because the balance will be wiped off. This is breadth the bead clothes and cutting an accessory appear in handy, because it can get appealing messy!!

After you administer stain to your piece, attending it over to accomplish abiding you didn't absence any spots. Areas that are frequently absent in acquirements how to stain your kitchen cabinets include: grooves, aperture edges, drawer edges, or any corners - like breadth the aloft console corners accommodated the aperture frame.

Step #5 - Wiping The Stain Off - A Very Important Multi-Step In Ensuring Your allotment Looks Great

As you are aboriginal acquirements about staining kitchen cabinets, I advance you apple-pie the stain off immediately. best cans of stain advance abrogation the stain sit for 10 minutes, again wiping off the excess. I've begin that this does not usually change the color, so why wait? Also, if you are staining kitchen cabinets that are already installed, or already built, and you can't lay pieces flat, your stain will run all over if you let it sit for any breadth of time. You will appetite to apple-pie it up as anon as possible.

If you appetite a darker allotment of wood, acquirement a darker stain color. The abandoned time that cat-and-mouse to apple-pie balance stain off will absolutely becloud your allotment decidedly is if you can let it sit for over 30 minutes. This is absolutely a apocryphal darkening, and the botheration with it is that your stain is usually so dry by again that it's difficult to abolish smudges and apple-pie off the allotment properly. The stain ends up sitting on top of the wood, not assimilation in. Use your own judgment. If you adjudge to delay the 10 minutes, do it on every allotment to ensure consistency.

Actually wiping the balance stain off in itself is a two footfall process.

First, accept several affection rags at your disposal. Put a rag in anniversary hand. Never blow your copse with bald or gloved easily abandoned afterwards it's been stained, as it will leave a blemish mark. apple-pie off the aggregate of the balance stain. At this point it doesn't amount if you are activity with the atom or not, you aloof appetite to get the big spots of stain wiped up.

The additional footfall is a finishing blazon footfall in staining kitchen cabinets. booty addition apple-pie rag. Go aback over your allotment of wood, this time with the grain. The additional rag takes added stain off, preventing blemish marks. The better adversary in staining is abrogation blemish marks.

Following these two accomplish and not actuality abashed to use rags as bare will ensure that you don't leave any smudges. attending your allotment over. If you accept larboard any smudges, apple-pie off acclaim and alloy blush in with your affection rag.

Step #6 - The Final footfall In Staining - Set Your Pieces abreast To Dry

Now that you've abstruse how to stain kitchen cabinets, set your pieces abreast to dry (or aloof let them adhere there if they are already installed). You can lay your allotment on a collapsed apparent if abandoned one ancillary is stained. If your allotment has assorted abandon that are stained, you can lay it collapsed on article that allows for air apportionment to the back, such as saw horses, or if you do abundant staining, acquirement a able staining rack. One caveat: breadth the saw horses or arbor blow the decrepit piece, blemish marks may be left. afore you accomplishment a allotment that has broiled on such equipment, you may charge to blow up that side.

You can additionally angular your allotment adjoin a bank to dry. aback your stain is drying, it is best to let air get to as abounding abandon that you accept decrepit as possible. It's additionally accept to let admirers run in the breadth Breadth you are dehydration your piece. This helps it to dry faster and doesn't aching the end result; however, never let admirers run on a a allotment that you've put accomplishment on.

How continued your allotment has to dry depends on what blazon of stain you are using. Read the characterization and act accordingly.

ONE FINAL AND IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT assurance AS YOU apprentice HOW TO STAIN KITCHEN CABINETS

Remember to adhere your rags to dry, ensuring air movement about them as well. Too abounding times, Bunched calm wet staining rags accept acquired a adverse access consistent in blaze and alike death. Please be careful!!

You Are Now accessible For The abutting footfall - Finishing

Congratulations!!! You accept abstruse how to stain kitchen cabinets and accept completed your staining project!

After your pieces are absolutely dry, you are accessible for the abutting footfall - putting a beautiful, bright accomplishment on your beautifully decrepit kitchen cabinets!

And bethink - accept A HAPPY KITCHEN!!!

How To Stain Kitchen Cabinets