March 24th, 2009

Can I restain kitchen cabinets to a darker stain once they have already been stained?

Rose S asked:


I stained my kitchen cabinets with a poly-stain blend. I didn’t stain-test an area and I don’t like the color and now I am paying for it. I would like the color to be darker. Can I lightly sand the cabinet surface and use a wood conditioner to soften the wood in order to restain the cabinets darker?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 1:53 pm and is filed under Kitchen Cabinetry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

One Response to “Can I restain kitchen cabinets to a darker stain once they have already been stained?”

  1. Deblieux Says:
    March 27th, 2009 at 2:54 am

    I have good news, and I have not-so-good news. The good news is that you CAN re-stain your cabinets. The not-so-good news is that you aren’t going to get away with a light sanding. You will need to strip the finish to remove any hint of a sealer coat, then you will need to lightly sand to prepare the wood to receive the stain. Then you can stain with a darker stain, (not a lighter stain) and finally apply the finish coat.
    A wood conditioner does not work like shampoo or fabric softener. It is actually a sealer to “level” the wood’s ability to absorb stain. It is used with soft woods that absorb stains in the spring growth (the white rings) better than in the summer growth (the brown rings) which looks irregular. It is also used on hardwoods such as Birch that “blotch” when stained.
    This time, try your stain on the inside of a little-used cabinet, such as above the range hood, to verify the color.

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