Cabinet refinishing

[Safari 62]

Removed cabinet hinges and hardware last night. Using ryobi mouse sander to remove rippled veneer . Did one door and turned out beautifully. Going to restain a cherry color to match the allure cherry vinyle flooring. Originally bought high gloss, but I am going to return this to Home Depot for a satin finish. I beleive that is what most interior cabinets have. Feed back on this would be appreciated.Linda

[utee94]

Yes, satin is closer to the original finish, but it's really a matter of personal preference.

One trick-- if you want to put on multiple coats and you want a satin finish, use a clear high gloss for the first several coats, and then use satin for the final coat. If you use satin for ALL coats, sometimes it tends to muddy up the wood grain a little bit.

And I definitely recommend using multiple coats-- the temperature and moisture variations in a trailer can be much tougher on wood finishes than they would be in your house, and multiple coats will help preserve the wood.

Be sure to post some pictures of the process, we love pictures around here.

Good luck!
-Marcus

[Wabbiteer]

Just a note: the flat and semi-gloss effect is achieved with microscopic silica glass dust with a side benefit of increased sunlight UV protection as the silica glass absorbs it before it can reach deep in the finish and wood...

Good tip on using a satin, semi-gloss or flat over base coats of clear - I have projects that could've - should've used that on :/

[Safari 62]

Thank you for your replys and I will post pictures soon. I took my camera outside yesterday and forgot to take pictues. I used 2 layers gel stain to prevent drippage. It didn't say if it was sealed or not, so I bought tung oil to finish it off. I haven't applied that yet. Years ago, I had good results using the tung oil on a cherry wood kitchen table.

[Safari 62]

I put the first coat of tung oil on cabinet doors yesterday. Really brings it to life. Second coat goes on the doors today. I used a mahogany color stain gel that matches the allure vinyl flooring that will be put in. The cherry color would have been too light. I am going to paint the walls sage green to contrast the floor and cabinets. Linda

[bwaysteve]

You could put about 3 or 4 coats of Tung Oil (buffing between coats) I do my furniture projects this way.Then just oil now and then to keep new looking.Once there is a finish, the oil won't soak into the surface.

[jwvastine]

Can't wait to see the photos as I'm planning to do the same thing. Just haven't decided on color.
What brand gel stain did you use?

Judy

[tkasten]

We refinished the cabinets in our 65 22' Safari this past fall with Watco Oil in red mahogany. We love the warm feel. Please share your pics.....Tim

[Safari 62]

Nicely done. I love it and it is warm and inviting.

[jwvastine]

Tim, did you sand the old finish off completely? I've never used oil for refinishing, but have used it for new construction. What kind of wood are the cabinets?

The finish is beautiful. Nice job.

Judy

[tkasten]

The wood is Mahogany and had never been varnished just oiled (we were lucky). We lightly sanded everything including water spots etc. and tried to make them blend. Then we applied 4 coats of Watco oil (red Mahogany). We let each coat dry for a day then sanded again very light using steel wool and recoated. After the final coat dried we buffed using very soft cloth. We found that the more effort we put in the greater the results. Best of luck....Tim