When refinishing beats painting
Some cabinets deserve to stay wood. Cherry with deep grain. Maple with a warm tone. Oak with character. If you like the wood and only hate the wear, refinishing renews it.
We sand the old finish down to bare wood. We apply stain in the tone you pick. We seal it with a hard clear coat. The grain shows through, richer than before.
When painting is the better call
Refinishing cannot fix a color you dislike — stain only goes so dark, and grain stays visible. If you want white, greige, or a bold color, see kitchen cabinet painting instead.
What it takes
Refinishing is slow, careful work. Sanding to bare wood takes time, and stain needs even application to avoid blotches. Most kitchens take longer than a paint job. The written price at your visit reflects the real hours.
Call (301) 679-9193 to talk through which path fits your cabinets.
Our process for refinishing
Refinishing is slower than painting. Here is the sequence.
- Look and test. We check that the wood is solid and the old finish will sand off cleanly. Veneer that is peeling cannot be refinished.
- Doors come off. Every door and drawer front is labeled and taken to our shop area.
- Strip the old finish. We sand down to bare wood. Chemical strippers are used only where sanding cannot reach, like deep profiles.
- Repair. Dents get filled. Loose joints get re-glued. The wood must be sound before stain goes on.
- Sand smooth. We work through finer grits until the wood feels like glass. Stain shows every scratch, so this step is slow.
- Stain. We apply the tone you picked, evenly, and wipe it back for depth. Sample boards first — you approve the color on your wood.
- Seal. Clear coats go on, sanded lightly between coats. Three coats is typical for kitchens.
- Rehang. Doors go back up. Hinges adjusted. Hardware fitted.
Choosing a stain tone
Stain does not hide grain. It deepens it. Light stains like natural or honey keep the kitchen airy. Medium tones like chestnut add warmth. Dark tones like espresso or walnut add drama but show dust more.
Going darker is easy. Going lighter means sanding deeper, and there is a limit to how light bare wood can go. We show you sample boards made from your actual wood before you decide.
Test in your light. Stain looks different under warm bulbs than in daylight. We leave samples with you for a day if you want.
What refinishing cannot do
It cannot change the door style. An arched 90s door stays arched, just prettier. If you want shaker doors, that is refacing, not refinishing.
It cannot fix water damage. Blackened or swollen wood will not take stain evenly. Those pieces need replacement.
It cannot make wood look painted. If you want white or gray, see kitchen cabinet painting instead. Refinishing is for people who love wood.
How long it takes
Longer than painting. Sanding to bare wood is the slow part, and stain plus three clear coats each need their own time. Most kitchens take one to two weeks. We give you the real schedule at the visit.
You can use the kitchen during the work. The disruption is mostly noise and dust from sanding, and we contain both.
Caring for refinished wood
Use mild soap and water for cleaning. Never use harsh chemicals or abrasive pads — they dull the clear coat. Wipe up water fast, especially near the sink. Wood and standing water are enemies.
Sunlight fades stain over time. If one side of the kitchen gets strong sun, a window film helps. Small wear spots can be touched up without redoing the whole kitchen.
Wood species we refinish
Oak is the most common. Open grain, warm tone, takes stain evenly. Most Orlando refinishing jobs are oak.
Cherry darkens with age and light. Refinishing cherry means deciding whether to keep the aged depth or sand back to the lighter heartwood. We show you both on sample boards.
Maple is tight-grained and pale. It stains evenly but does not go very dark — the wood resists deep tones. Natural and honey tones suit maple best.
Hickory has wild grain variation. Stain evens the color somewhat, but the character stays. If you love rustic grain, hickory refinished is beautiful.
Pine is soft and dents easily. It takes stain blotchily without a conditioner. We use pre-stain conditioner on pine, always.
Not sure what you have? We identify the species at the visit. The wood decides the approach.
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