Carpentry and Woodworking - kitchen cabinet and counter

I want to refinish my kitchen cabinets-take off the old varnish and stain with a lighter color. Do I strip them or sand them down? I have an orbital sander. What grit sandpaper would I use? How do I prepare the wood for restaining? I want to change my tile counters to wither new tile of granite or corian-how do I remove the old tiles? does the sink need to be removed before taking out the tiles?
Thanks...I'm new at this :)

Welcome to the forums

To stain the cabinets a lighter color you would need to both strip and then sand them. How they look after stripping will determine how coarse of a grit you need to start with. You should finish up with 180-220 grit. All directional and hand sanding should be done in the direction of the grain.

To remove the tile you will need to start somewhere possibly by breaking a tile so you can get a stiff blade under it and pry it off. The sink will need to be removed [or at least lifted] to both remove and install new tile.

Thank you for the advise. When I remove the tiles what type of preparation do I have to do to the counter area if I want to put down new tiles? Do I have to remove all the old mortar or mastic? Do I have to put down any new counter boards or use what is already there? If they have to be changed what materials do I use? If I retile do I use thin set mortar or mastic on the counters? I laid my kitchen floor tile-is the counter a similar process?

For the cabinets-what is a good stripper? Can I just sand without stripping? The sander seems to remove the varnish on my test area pretty well.

You can sand without stripping - it may just take longer. I don't use stripper often enough to have any preferences. If you intend to use stain [as opposed to just varnish] you will need to be sure all the varnish/stain is removed before the wood will accept new stain.

Tiling the counter is very similiar to doing the floor. What prep is necesary is determined by what shape they are in. You have to have a good straight surface to lay the tile. I have tile on my countertops. It was all new, cdx plywood top with wonder board applyed with thin set and then the tile installed with thinset.

Personally, I would remove the entire countertop and replace it. It's not expensive and a whole lot easier than trying to smooth out the old thinset after removing the old tile.

Personally, I would remove the entire countertop and replace it. It's not expensive and a whole lot easier than trying to smooth out the old thinset after removing the old tile.

I agree, by the time you have prepped what you need to prep you could already be going with this project. This way you know that the sub system is in good shape. Just make sure you are able to cut the sink opening at the same size and the same area that the old one came out of. Good Luck