Carpentry and Woodworking - Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets?
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Rook
06-22-04, 02:26 PM
I have those mid-grade kitchen cabinets that have solid oak doors and faces and veneer sides. My wife does not like the light golden oak look of them, but they are structurally in good shape. What can I do???
I don't think I can simply refinish them since the sides are not solid oak. Maybe we could paint them? Can you paint that veneer stuff, and if so how do you remove the urethane coating off the veneer without destroying the sides of the cabinets?
I don't think I can simply refinish them since the sides are not solid oak. Maybe we could paint them? Can you paint that veneer stuff, and if so how do you remove the urethane coating off the veneer without destroying the sides of the cabinets?
chfite
06-22-04, 08:52 PM
You can treat wood veneer just as you would solid wood for finishing purposes. You can strip the finish off and restain and finish the veneer or paint it, as you wish.
Rook
06-23-04, 10:56 AM
Even that really cheep, ultrathin paper-like layer that is glued onto standard plywood?
Randy Mallory
06-24-04, 10:37 AM
Rook,
I'm not sure what you mean by "ultrathin paper-like layer that is glued onto standard plywood." However, in standard cabinet construction, even for top-of-the-line products, cabinet grade plywood is typically used for the actual cabinet "box." Solid wood is used for the face frame, drawer fronts, doors, etc. Plywood is much more stable than solid wood and isn't vulnerable to warping and splitting once assembled in the final product.
That said, if you're cabinets fall into this category, you can refinish without any problem. Sanding should be used sparingly. It doesn't take much to get through the veneer. If you use a chemical stripper, you can lightly sand to clean things up a bit.
Good luck,
I'm not sure what you mean by "ultrathin paper-like layer that is glued onto standard plywood." However, in standard cabinet construction, even for top-of-the-line products, cabinet grade plywood is typically used for the actual cabinet "box." Solid wood is used for the face frame, drawer fronts, doors, etc. Plywood is much more stable than solid wood and isn't vulnerable to warping and splitting once assembled in the final product.
That said, if you're cabinets fall into this category, you can refinish without any problem. Sanding should be used sparingly. It doesn't take much to get through the veneer. If you use a chemical stripper, you can lightly sand to clean things up a bit.
Good luck,
Rook
06-24-04, 11:45 AM
Thank you both,
That is probably what I have. So if I can use a chemical stipper and light sanding to remove the finish, I can restain and finish the cabinets, even the veneer "box", right? Sorry for the seemingly dumb questions. I am very much a rookie at woodwork and home improvement.
That is probably what I have. So if I can use a chemical stipper and light sanding to remove the finish, I can restain and finish the cabinets, even the veneer "box", right? Sorry for the seemingly dumb questions. I am very much a rookie at woodwork and home improvement.
chfite
06-24-04, 12:00 PM
Go lightly on the sanding. Use the power of the chemical stripper to remove the finish and the stain. Sanding is not as effecient and effective in removing finish and stain as is stripper.
Actually, you could probably skip any sanding until after the first coat of finish.
Hope this helps.
Actually, you could probably skip any sanding until after the first coat of finish.
Hope this helps.