Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Can I darken kitchen cabinet stain
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gwarrington
03-01-05, 02:33 PM
My new kitchen cabinets have come in and they don't look anything like the samples in the stores or what I wanted. And these are replacement doors and drawers - the cabinet company rep didn't think the first batch looked like the samples either. So I give up on the company duplicating the samples in the store, I could/should send the whole mess back but then I'm still without cabinets/kitchen for who knows how much longer. It is only doors and drawer fronts that are too light, the frames are fine. I don't want to sand them down to bare wood. I saw a previous post on a similar vein, but I wonder if there are extra tough (kitchen proof) products out there that would work for me?
Other suggestions? The wood is cherry and the desired color is very dark brown, I have seen it called Truffle or espresso, the current color is medium brown, maybe chestnut. Help. :wall: Also, there are not that many doors and the drawer fronts are slabs so I'm thinking if I found the right product it wouldn't be that bad.
gloria
Other suggestions? The wood is cherry and the desired color is very dark brown, I have seen it called Truffle or espresso, the current color is medium brown, maybe chestnut. Help. :wall: Also, there are not that many doors and the drawer fronts are slabs so I'm thinking if I found the right product it wouldn't be that bad.
gloria
Sawdustguy
03-01-05, 03:06 PM
With any product to darken the color of the wood, you'll need to scuff sand it with 320 and then use an aniline dye "sprayed on process" to darken them to the deep, rich, color you desire to get.
Aniline dyes are not a homeowner/DIY'er friendly thing to try and can mess up your whole kitchen completely if not done correctly.
The two best options would be to either be without a kitchen longer and ask for money off for the hassle or hire a refinishing company to come in and aniline dye it on site to the desired color.
Aniline dyes are not a homeowner/DIY'er friendly thing to try and can mess up your whole kitchen completely if not done correctly.
The two best options would be to either be without a kitchen longer and ask for money off for the hassle or hire a refinishing company to come in and aniline dye it on site to the desired color.
gwarrington
03-01-05, 09:56 PM
what about shellac with color and then a poly top coat or two?
gloria
gloria
twelvepole
03-02-05, 01:31 AM
Cherry is very photosensitive. It will darken as it ages and is exposed to light. The cherry displays you have seen probably had some age on them. Remember, cherry has light sap wood and darker reddish brown heart wood. Face frames on cabinets likely were more heart wood and obviously darker. If you want to expedite the darkening of the cherry, expose them to sunlight. The cabinet rep should have been aware of the characteristics of cherry and explained that color would vary from samples and displays.