Do you have wooden cabinets in your kitchen? Sometimes a complete remodel is just not in the budget, but that doesn’t mean you can’t transform your space! Wooden cabinets offer a wide variety of DIY projects that you can accomplish!
Real authentic wooden cabinets add quite the value to your home as the look begins to regain popularity. However, that might not be the look or vibe you’re trying to create. Restaining the cabinets can give you the versatility you need without ruining the integrity of the cabinet.
Restaining your wooden cabinets may be just the change you need! This update is not only cost-effective but also relatively easy to achieve! And bonus: you can do it all yourself! But before you go buying your stain, there are a few things to consider!
Prep!
Taking off the doors and hardware is the first step! Many people take the upper cabinets out of the kitchen and do this update in a secondary space, but if removing the cabinets from the wall is too much for you- no worries, the cabinets can remain on the wall, just get those pesky doors and knobs off.
If you are leaving the cabinets up, don’t forget to use painter’s tape around the edges to avoid staining the wall and cover those countertops!
Sanding!
These cabinets are going to need to be sanded down. To achieve an even application of color, these bad boys have to be stripped back to the bare wood. This is best and most efficiently achieved with an electric palm sander, but if your biceps allow, you may do it by hand. Just know that it’s a lengthy and time-consuming process! You got this!
Color!
Stain comes in many many colors and shades! One thing to consider before choosing a color is if selling is in your future. If so, then choosing a neutral, easy-to-match stain is best! Avoid stains with significant amounts of yellow, orange, and red. These colors tend to stand out through the stain, and you don’t want to accidentally go back to the ‘90s with your kitchen.
Is the new color stain darker or lighter than the original color? Adding a dark stain over a light stain requires much less sanding to achieve. You absolutely can put a lighter one over the darker one, it just requires a heftier amount of wood stripping, and you run the risk of not being able to fully cover the previous color. Definitely worth considering when making a color choice!
Restaining is a great, cost-effective DIY that can upgrade your space. Keeping the natural wooden look that paint cannot achieve, while also altering the hues of the space, stain can be the perfect change for you. Whether you envision a space that is lighter or darker (or somewhere in between), your dream kitchen can be achieved by you! Are you ready to kick off the new year with a new project?
Any home project can start to feel overwhelming, whether its a new garage addition with built-in storage, or new custom cabinets for your kitchen. But at Latham we are here with you every step of the way! From start to finish our team will walk you through the design, build, and installation processes until project completion.
