I found this post by Monica and I knew I had to try it! I didn't have much to lose. If they didn't turn out, I was just going to paint them. Mr. Un-Handy wasn't to keen on painting them. He really likes wood cabinets, plus I read that latex paint doesn't cover oak well because of the grain pattern. That made me think twice.
Here is what we were dealing with: (this is from the day of inspection with the contractors things)
The day we closed, I started scrubbing the layers and layers of gunk off of them. It was pretty gross. Previous residents never cleaned them, apparently. Or just had dirty, dirty hands? I'm not really sure. I scrubbed them for two days. First with soap and water, then Simple Green, and I finally went to a commercial grease cutter. Finally that did the trick. I ended up with clean cabinets that still had some gunk in the grain of the wood.
This was after two days of scrubbing in 100 degree heat with no air conditioning yet. It was awful!
This is the supplies you'll need:
General Finishes gel stain (it MUST be GF). I used the color Brown Mahogany, but Monica states it has to be Java. I think Java probably requires less coats, but any dark color should work. It's been my experience that the gold/red tones of the golden oak come through, so I would stay away from anything red.
Fine grit sand paper (optional)
Gloves
Bag of rags- I used the cotton t-shirt rags from Lowes
Chip brushes
Drop cloth
Screw driver
Tape
Wax, Polyurethane, or other sealer
My first step was prep work. I taped off anywhere that I didn't want stain. I taped where the cabinets met the walls, where they met the counter top, where they met the stove hood, and wherever I felt like tape should be. I took off all of the dirty, old hardware.
After that was done, I sanded very, very lightly. I realized that the cabinets that I sanded more looked more streaky. The stain on the sanded areas is lighter than in non-sanded areas. It's only semi-noticeable in pictures, and not at all to the eye. If I did it all over again, I wouldn't sand them. That's why I say it's optional.
I did not remove my cabinet doors (I know, I know bad!) because I didn't have anywhere to put them. If I had a garage to lay them in, I would have. I could have gotten them all done in one shot.
Monica says to use a sock, but I used a chip brush to apply the stain instead. It was just easier for me. I worked on a few techniques first. I tried rubbing it on with the rag, I tried a foam brush, and finally settled on the chip brush. Try a few different approaches. A stain pad would work well too.
I applied very thin coats. I had almost a dry brush. I found that I could control the color much easier that way, and after I perfected my technique, I put it on a bit thicker. After applying my thin coat, I used the rag to move the stain around a bit. Since it sits on top of the wood instead of soaking in, you just lightly move the stain with the rag in the direction of the grain.
Start with the back of the doors first. Learn from my mistakes. See below.
This was about the time I started to panic. It looked terrible! I got scared. Very, very scared. Mr. Un-Handy said it had a 'rustic, farmhouse look.' I think that was a nice way of him saying 'What did you do?!'
I couldn't tell him I was panicked, so I pushed through. I also tried to sand it some to make it more even. I think that made it worse.
Here I put some more thin coats on. Thankfully it was starting to look better.
I put several coats on. I let them dry a few hours in between, some overnight, and I tackled it again the next day, and the day after that. It took three weeks of work, but the payoff was amazing.
I finished them with two coats of SC Johnson wax that I had. They look and feel lovely!
As you can see, they're dressed in fancy new hardware and there is a new laminate floor that the seller put in for us. I didn't take to much care to cover my counter tops because they're getting replaced in the spring. They have some tiny splatters on them. If you are keeping them, cover them well. It was not a mess-free project.
It looks like an entirely new kitchen, though. Sometimes I forget that it's my new kitchen! The walls are painted a light green. We have to figure out a back-splash, but we can't do that until we get the counter tops. We're also going to add more cabinets and a pantry. Eventually I'd love stainless appliances, but it's really not a necessity right now. We're going to change out the sink for a granite composite, and get a new faucet.
Total cost of supplies: $52.19 + tax
Stain: $19.99 for qt (I used 2/3 of the qt)
Brushes: $1.09 each x 10 (I like to be prepared)
Hardware: $.99 each at surplus store x 16
Sanding block: $3.48
Rags: $1.98
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