Staining Painted Cabinets

When you start checking out cabinets, you are going to find that a vast majority of them are already painted. At the same time, many people feel that staining painted cabinets is a good idea. The good news for them is that it is not hard to remove the paint from the cabinet and it is equally as easy to stain the painted cabinets. Anyone can do the staining of painted cabinets and all it takes is a little effort and use of plenty of elbow grease.

Things you will need:

Here is a look at how you can go about staining painted cabinets.

1. Sand the surface

To start with, it is important to start off by sanding the cabinet surface. Medium-grit sandpaper will do the job and is worth using. When sanding, it is not necessary to remove the paint from the cabinet. Instead, the focus should be on scratching the cabinet surface to allow the chemical paint remover to sink into the paint.

2. Spread chemical paint remover

The next step involves spreading chemical paint remover over the cabinet surface. It is up to you to choose between liquid chemical paint remover and paste chemical paint remover. Paste will not drip too much and is a better option when you need to hang your cabinet because there is less of a mess made as there won’t be any dripping of the chemical paint remover. When applying the chemical paint remover, make use of a brush. The solution should be applied in just one direction and then allow the solvent to sit on the cabinet according to manufacturer instructions. Generally, it means giving the solution about twenty to thirty minutes to do its job.

3. Gently scrape the paint off the cabinet

After applying the chemical paint remover and allowing twenty to thirty minutes for it to do its job, you must now scrape away the paint from the cabinet in a gentle manner. A scraper should be used to remove as much of the paint as is possible without doing any damage. To remove all the paint, you can also make use of steel wool.

A brush wire can also be used to remove paint from places like a crevice and from corners. You can use the brush wire to apply the paint at these places directly. When rubbing the solution in these places, make use of circular motions. Keep repeating the application of chemicals and scraping till most (if not all) of the paint has been removed. It also makes sense to make use of fine-grit sandpaper to remove paint that has not been removed by other means. Next, sand the surface in a gentle manner. This will keep the surface from being damaged.

Wipe away all traces of dust and chemicals from the surface of the cabinet. Use water and vinegar for this. Water and vinegar should be mixed in equal parts and then after application, allow the cabinet to dry up completely.

4. Apply stain

Now, it is time to apply the stain. A rage or a brush can be used for applying the stain. Be sure to apply a thin layer of stain and you can apply multiple coats of thin stain to achieve desired results. It does not pay to apply one thick coat of paint. Once the stain has dried you will have succeeded in staining painted cabinets.

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Staining Painted Cabinets