Refinishing kitchen cabinets

[Craig Matheny]

We have a kitchen full of cabinets that we want to refinish rather than paying for all new ones. We have been told the best thing to do is sand the varnish off and stain them (we really do not want to paint them). One concern I have is that if we don't get absolutely all the varnish off, the stain wont work properly in places, leaving me with spotted cabinets. Any thoughts on better ways to do this, or helpful tips for moving forward with this project?

[Howard Acheson]

You are right to be concerned with sanding off an old finish. Sanding does not do a good job of getting the finish off that has been absorbed into the pores of the wood. Any residual finish will impede the even absorption of a newly applied stain.

The best way to remove a finish when you intend to re-stain as part of the refinishing process is to use a chemical paint stripper containing methylene chloride. Follow the directions on the label.

The best advice I have is to start with the back of one door or a shelf. Go through the whole refinishing process. Start with finish removal and work right through to the final finish. That way you will learn what's needed as you go along and if you screw up, you only have the one surface to fix.