How to Revitalize Your Old Wooden Cabinets

If your kitchen needs some revitalization, one of the best ways to do that is by updating your cabinets. Buying new cabinets is an option but it’s the more expensive option. It will cost you less money to simply update your own cabinets. While it might seem like a task that is beyond your DIY skills, most people can do it in a weekend. Here’s how to do that.

 

Decide On a Path and Assemble Your Tools

 

There are a few things you’ll need to do before you’re ready to update your cabinets. Are you going to update just the cabinet doors or the interiors as well? Are you going to change your cabinet hardware?

You’ll need a screwdriver to remove the hardware that holds the cabinet doors. You’ll need newspaper or some kind of plastic sheeting. You’ll need paint brushes, paint thinner, and sandpaper ranging from medium to very fine. If you are going to stain your cabinet doors, you’ll need wood stain and wood finish. Polyurethane makes a good wood finish. If you’re going to paint, then you just need paint.

Once you have all of that laid out, you’re ready to work.

 

Get to Work

 

First, you need to strip the original paint or stain. Paint thinner will work for this purpose. A dedicated paint stripper will be much quicker and more intense. Make sure you follow all of the directions on the paint thinner or stripper; do it in a ventilated area and protect your skin. Once it’s been allowed to work, sand off the old paint or finish until you get bare wood. Use some paint thinner to clean it up and wipe off all of the sawdust.

Once all of that is done, you should have bare wooden cabinets. Some people get to the stage of the bare wood and decide that they like the way it looks. If that’s you, then you just need to put the cabinets back on the walls. If you want to make sure they are protected against heat, humidity, and other types of damage, you should seal them with some polyurethane. A satin or matte polyurethane will preserve the bare wood look. A glossy polyurethane will enhance the look of the wood.

If you decide to continue with your update, apply your chosen stain or paint. Apply it in long, smooth brush strokes moving in the direction of the grain. If you’re staining it, apply polyurethane and you’re done. You should have cabinets that look brand new in a few days.