Kitchen Cabinets Re-stain or Replace?

6 years ago

Hello,

Half of the kitchen cabinets (the four uppers and lowers that are close to the
stove) are having dark discoloration. From
the research online I learned that the dark discoloration possibly caused by
moisture seep into the wood and blackened it.

I am not sure if I can sand them off and re-stain or I
need replace them. I don’t want to
replace them if I don’t have to because the cabinets are still in good shape
and the other half of the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen are fine.

I tried to test it by sanding in the corner but it seem the discoloration
is deep and I am not sure it can be removed or cleaned.

Anyone has any tips on how to remove the dark discoloration
and if re-stain would work?

Thank you in advance!!

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Comments (4)

MaWizz
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I'm sure others will chime in as what to do, but that looks like open grain oak so if you sand it it seems like it would smooth it down, therefore would make those cabinets look different than the rest :/ I wonder if it's from oil/grease? If so maybe something can pull it from wood?
dan1888
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
It looks like the finish film is gone or no longer sealing those areas and oil or grease is darkening the open grain. I don't see that as sanding out. you could sand everything and go darker or use a wood bleak. Pickling with a lighter color can 'fill' the open grain. But this would be a whole kitchen redo. If you want to paint this is one of several videos.
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You can buy new doors inexpensively enough it make trying to repair the existing ones silly. Be aware gel stain is actually a form of paint. It is not a true stain. That has advantages and disadvantages. Easy to apply, relatively easy to remove(strippers/etc.) It does let some of the wood grain show. However, if you buy new doors, the maker should be able to come very close to matching what you have now. If you got unfinished wood, it would be possible to stain to match the existing color---IF. If you have the original stain recipe used on the cabinets. Most manufacturers use a blend of colors and different finishes. To match, you have to do the staining/finishing basically the same as the originals. I have a bit of experience in color matching on trim. I installed some rough cedar trim in a factory built house(not a mobile---this one had a real stone fireplace and two by six inch wall studs). The factory sent extra trim, but did not stain enough. I tried for two days to match the color---got close---but way off. Called the factory and they gave me the recipe---had four colors---of the same brand I was using. I had gotten two right. Would have never even tried one color and then there was the different amounts. So. My advice would be to save some frustration and get new doors. Have them match stain/finish and then even if you use gel stain, the new and old will match well.
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Fori
6 years ago
No door handles? Is the wear and discoloring right where your hands go when you open them? You see this in a lot of kitchens without knobs. If you can get these fixed up, you might want to consider adding knobs or pulls.

Check in at the woodworking forum. I think you will need to do some deep cleaning as well as stripping the affected doors. Then restain and recoat. They are pretty doors, though, so it's worth doing!

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/wood

(It's a slower forum than this one but pretty helpful.)
jhmarie
6 years ago
My mother had just a few of her oak cabinets refinished at a reasonable cost. She lives in the Midwest, and sometimes prices for that type of work are lower here. I cannot tell the older cabinets from the refinished - he matched the stain that well.

I refinished my own cabinets because of wear around the handles and worn finish on the sink base cabinet. Fortunately there are not that many cabinets in my kitchen - and I did not do the island. When I refinished my cabinets, I also added a few new unfinished oak pieces - a wood hood, spice boxes and a plate rail. I had to play around with some stain combinations to get the new oak pieces to match the older ones. Also I have to admit, I did not refinish the two small cabinets over the fridge. They were in fine shape and for the most part, I finished the cabinets to look like they did before.

If I were you I would first look into the cost of refinishing unless you feel comfortable trying it yourself. Be careful of wood stains that accentuate the grain. I am not fond of some Miniwax stains, but their "Pecan" would be a good place to start. Use the back of drawer boxes or cabinet doors to test out stains.

If you can't sand out the darker areas, you may have to get new doors for those cabinets. Many home center stores sell unfinished oak replacement doors. Also, most of the kitchen styles / companies sold in Home Center stores can be ordered unfinished. If you can find a company with a similar door style with solid oak doors - you may be able to order the doors unfinished. I ordered my spice boxes from Shrock through Menards and they are solid oak.

My kitchen:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~93784356

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~93784291

Kitchen Cabinets Re-stain or Replace?

Comments (4)

MaWizz

dan1888

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Fori

jhmarie

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