# Question / Beautifying Cabinets



## sbattisti (Jan 31, 2009)

Hi folks, I'm back.

So far, I'm one-for-one in getting help here. I'm now an official Towel Rack Wizard, and have installed two towel racks and a toilet paper holder. Go me!

I'm not sure whether or not today's question belongs in Interior Decorating, but I guess it's good enough for a start.

My townhouse is about 18 years old, and the cabinets are looking pretty much the worse for wear. They're Merillat wood cabinets, and they're all over the house - in the kitchen and all of the bathrooms. They're functional, and I don't have the budget to replace them at this point, but I'd sure like to clean them up a bit and make them look a little nicer.

I've attached a picture of the cabinets below. I suspect the closest thing in their catalog now is this. 










At this point, I'd rather make the wood look nice than paint them. Is there anything I can do to freshen them up, short of just tackling them with furniture polish? 

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Steve


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

you'd be amazed how much nicer a quick cleaning and fresh coat of poly will look.

DM


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## sbattisti (Jan 31, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> you'd be amazed how much nicer a quick cleaning and fresh coat of poly will look.
> 
> DM


OK, just to make clear my sheer lack of understanding of such things:

1. How does one clean cabinets?

2. What kind of poly does one buy? (And I'm assuming it means "polyurethane"...)


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i'm sorry if i was unclear. most here recommend a mild ammonia solution to remove grease (in kitchen areas mainly) or a mild soap and damp rinse. with the lightly used ones shown below i got for $20 or $30 each, i lightly sanded only as these were in a school teacher's lounge and were in pretty good shape, just a bit of mold and grunge from sitting in the guy's storage shed for a year or more. and yup, poly is polyurethane. the shape yours are in, i'd consider just wiping them down to clean and SPRAY a quick coat of poly on them. of course, you risk the occasional run. if you drop the cabinet doors, lay them flat and brush them, you can still use the spray to touch up the framing. i totally agree with you though, painting beautiful wood is dumb. i just took this shot, and it flashed so you can't see easily how nice and shiny they are, but look at the edges in the background. they're sitting in the new dining room until i get the new entryway/kitchen done and mount them properly.

DM


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## sbattisti (Jan 31, 2009)

Much better, I'll give that a try. 

To be clear, if I use a spray, I don't need to take the doors off? (At the risk of some running...?)

It certainly would be nice to get away with this without taking all of that hardware off!


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

"To be clear, if I use a spray, I don't need to take the doors off? (At the risk of some running...?)"

absolutely correct. however, if you decide to use this approach, you might consider spending a few extra dollars and get spray LACQUER instead of poly. it dries ten times faster and doesn't leave a lot of time to run! be sure to completely clean and /or lightly sand any heavy traffic areas, such as bottom corners or around handles, if any. 
also, in either case, be sure to open the windows/doors, run a fan, etc. to ventilate. stinky stuff that. gives me a headache.....

DM


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## sbattisti (Jan 31, 2009)

What kind of sandpaper, just the super-fine kind?

Any particular lacquers you would recommend? (I'm sure there's a jillion of those on the market, just to make the decision more difficult.  )


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

yup, just a nice fine grit to polish. 
and i'll use any ol' brand of spray lacquer, most seem about the same to me, though rustoleum is a bit more pricey.
i got a 6 pack/box for $6 at a discount place here, so it pays to shop around. if not on sale, expect to pay a few $$$ a can.

DM


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## sbattisti (Jan 31, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> yup, just a nice fine grit to polish.
> and i'll use any ol' brand of spray lacquer, most seem about the same to me, though rustoleum is a bit more pricey.
> i got a 6 pack/box for $6 at a discount place here, so it pays to shop around. if not on sale, expect to pay a few $$$ a can.
> 
> DM


Hey, if I can make these cabinets look nicer for $20 and a little elbow grease, I'm going to be a happy camper. 

Thanks very much for your help!

Steve


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

there ya go! heck, look at what i did with $40 worth of stuff for my dining room ceiling! lol

DM


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

OK, here is what I did to freshen up our 20 year old oak kitchen cabinets.

I went and bought some stuff called "Restore a finish" from a local paint place. I bought Golden Oak. 

http://www.howardproducts.com/restora.htm

All I had to do was wipe the cabinets with TSP, then rinse them off. Then I took a rag with the Restore A Finish and went over the cabinets.

It took me a couple of hours and $15 and my cabinets look fantastic.

So I am sure the experts will have a reason why this Restore A Finish isn't good, but it worked great for me.


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## sbattisti (Jan 31, 2009)

What is "TSP"?


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

Tri Sodium Phosphate -- I think.

It is used to clean walls/cabinets to get the dirt and grease etc off of them. It just ensures any painting (or staining) work you do is not impacted by dirt/grease on the wall/cabinet.

DangerMouse suggested "most here recommend a mild ammonia solution to remove grease (in kitchen areas mainly) or a mild soap and damp rinse".


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

Trisodium Phosphate, strong de-greaser....but i don't think it's a necessity in your case, yours look to be in pretty good shape.
however, for durability and easy cleaning later, i'd still use a fresh coat of lacquer.

DM


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## sbattisti (Jan 31, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> Trisodium Phosphate, strong de-greaser....but i don't think it's a necessity in your case, yours look to be in pretty good shape.
> however, for durability and easy cleaning later, i'd still use a fresh coat of lacquer.
> 
> DM


Yeah, they're not heavily soiled. Mainly they just look a little dry and faded. Perhaps there's a little more grease on the few above the oven range, but I don't think I need to bust out the heavy artillery just yet.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i imagine _restore a finish_ would be an old english type wipe on oil? those work great for some stuff. especially old furniture you don't want to refinish. but i'd sure want clear coat on cupboards if i had kids. (which i do) 
now, you may want to consider a satin finish if you like the 'soft wood' look and it'll protect just the same. me, i like the high glossy look. Po)

DM


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

I believe you may be correct DangerMouse about the Restore a Finish.

And regarding the clear coat, here is a quote from the manufacturer website.

you are simply intent on putting on a "clear coat finish" (ie. lacquer, shellac, or varnish) the *Restor-A-Finish* must be completely dried as any residue will interfere with the new topcoat. So if you know you will be applying a new finish, wipe *Restor-A-Finish* on and wipe off quickly. Do not let it soak. A polyurethane finish should NOT be used over *Restor-A-Finish* as it will not let this type of topcoat finish dry. 

Given the ease of use of this Restore a Finish, I figure if I have to redo it in a couple of years, not a big deal.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

the color he has in the picture looks to be raw oak with a clearcoat, just as mine are. a 'golden oak' product likely has stain too and will not penetrate any areas coated previously with poly or other coating. and where it DOES will likely show up as such. i wouldn't try to stain them , even with 'natural' unless the old finish was completely removed and i don't think he wants to do THAT! lol 

but hey, i'm just rattling now...

DM


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## sbattisti (Jan 31, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> but hey, i'm just rattling now...


Shouldn't that be "prattling"? Listen, Danger, you stick to the DIY, I'll help out with the grammar. We'll be a great team.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

ohhhhhhkay -=chuckle=-
hey drtbk4ever, what was your original finish before you used this product? and i imagine after so much time, any finish would go over it, yes?
also, how shiny does it leave it? did you need to buff it up at all? just curious.....

DM


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

Hey Danger,


Our cabinets were the traditional Oak looking cabinets. Not super glossy. I would say there are very similar to the photos posted by sbattista. They looked very similar being kind of tired and washed out looking.

I didn't need to remove the old finish and had no issues whatsoever with the Restore a finish not being absorbed by the cabinets. I would have expected very little absorbtion by the cabinets if they had some sort of poly top coat. I can't tell you how easy the restore a finish went on and there were no issues. It was as easy as wiping your cabinets. Wipe on wipe off. No buffing required.

Now how to describe how my cabinets look after using the Restore a Finish. They seem to have more depth, a little richer in color and they are definitely shinier than they were before I restored them. I still wouldn't classify them as glossy, but they do have more of a sheen to them. Here is an excerpt from that website regarding use on Kitchen Cabinets.

Yes! *Restor-A-Finish* is ideal for kitchen cabinets. It will restore the original color and luster to your cabinets without having to strip and refinish them. Typically, kitchen cabinets have a thin lacquer finish (especially in newer homes). It is a good idea to protect and maintain the restored cabinets with Feed-N-Wax, to maintain the "restored" look. As always, test *Restor-A-Finish* in an inconspicuous spot and see if you like what the restored finish looks like before restoring the entire kitchen.


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

Let see if this photo works.

Here is a picture of my cabinets before the Restore a Finish.

I don't have an "after" photo. Sorry for the angle.

Now don't get me wrong, I may be coming across as this is the ideal solution. Maybe, maybe not. I just want you to know how happy I am with it.

Now if I have time this week I'll take an "after" photo.

Cheers.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

heck, they looked fine before! hehehe 

i suppose we SHOULD warn people about using EITHER product on any madeinchina crap that only LOOKS like solid wood. some of that junk i've seen isn't even veneer, it's just paper with a wood print! talk about crap..... either product would likely wreak havok with it. lol

so be SURE it's REAL oak, folks!

DM


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## iphaxor (Feb 26, 2009)

sand it,tape it,spray it -preferebly a dark oak color or a light oak to show the true woods grooves/rings.


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## oscarMadison (Dec 28, 2008)

With lacquer finishes on cabinets, are they adding some kind of a top coat. My understanding from woodworking is that lacquer discolors with exposure to water.


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