Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Cabinet Refinishing Question

Hi
I was planning on sanding and refinishing my kitchen cabinets, and after inspecting them I realized the sides are veneer.:mad:
What is the best way to approach this problem?
Can the Veneer be sanded or is my only option is to paint instead of stain to get evrything looking the same.

Using a stripper first and then sanding is the best way to get to raw wood. Veneer can be stripped or sanded but care must be used - you don't want to sand thru the veneer or compromize it's bond to the underlying wood:eek:

What are you looking to achieve with the refinishing? Do you just want them to look new again? or are you going for a lighter stain? if you want it darker, a tinted poly like minwax's polyshades might be an easier alternative.

Thanks for Reply

What I was hoping to achieve is a uniform appearance,
my biggest fear is sanding the veneer and losing the grain of the wood in the process.That stuff is so paper thin it seems if one were to sand it ,the sanding would go right through to the broad underneath.

Again Thanks for the feed-back ;)

If you only want them to look good again [not change color] often a light sanding [touch up any nicks] and applying a coat or two of poly will do wonders.