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Should I paint or try to re-stain wooden bathroom cabinets?
My husband and I live in an older house, and we're in the process of doing some cosmetic improvements on it. The cabinets in our bathrooms are wooden (not sure what kind of wood), and they are looking a little old and in need of refinishing. The current stain color is a medium-light brown. It's a good color, but the cabinets are scratched, scuffed, and have a few stains.
We'll be painting the bathrooms soon, and we're trying to figure out whether to refinish the cabinets by sanding, re-staining, and varnishing, or by painting them a color that complements the color we use for the bathroom walls.
How hard/easy is it to sand and re-stain the cabinets as compared to painting them? What do we need to do as far as stripping the existing stain and preparing for the new finish?
Thanks!
This is great! Sounds like re-staining is going to be much easier than I thought...
6 Answers
- eskie loverLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
It really depends on how much work you want to put into them. I have restained vanities and take the lazy way. Rather than stripping and sanding, I use Paseo to de-gloss and remove the shiny finish, then re-stain to the desired color and seal with a non-yellowing UVB/UVA protecting polyurethane for ease of cleaning. I have also used the paseo, used a stain blocking primer, like Zinsser, then applied two coats of paint and then sealed. I prefer the beauty of seeing the wood grain, so I like the re-staining process better than painting in my own home if the wood is generally in good condition. You also have another choice which is to re-furbish the finish. Sometimes you can clean the surface and fix scratches and other imperfections by using a product called Howard's Restore a Finish which you can find on the paint/stain aisle in the home improvement centers. It comes in clear and assorted wood tones. You wipe on the product, allow it to absorb into the wood and then remove the excess. It doesn't damage the finish, but it will fill in scratches, scuffs and worn areas if you like the pre-existing finish.
Source(s): 30 years experience in interior design and have refinished the bathroom vanities in my own home - 1 decade ago
I'll tell you this. When I moved into my house my bathroom cabinets were horrible! Egads! Anyway, years went by and I just kept thinking I was gonna replace them...so I didn't bother with them. Well one day last summer I got the bright idea to rip them out, take 'em outside, sand 'em down and stain them cherry (now, some of my bathroom tile pattern is like a rust/burnt red/cherry color, and part is yellow/mustard). I couldn't be more pleased with the way the bathroom cabinets look now. I sanded the cabinets and stained them Sedona Red (minwax) and took out the door inlays and replaced them with a yellow/mustard colored stained glass. Oh and the walls are now painted "sunshine"...I LOVE it!!
(The "l" shaped counter top is still a horrible blue formica, and I haven't figured out what I will do with that YET!!)
G/l
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- Anonymous1 decade ago
Try the new gel stain in a darker color. One of my clients did this on her cabinets and did not have to varnish them after doing so. They look beautiful! Her cabinets were golden oak, and now are a beautiful rich dark cherry. She replaced the old porcelain knobs with more trendy brushed nickel and totally updated the room.
