what sander to use when stripping kitchen cabinets?

7 Comments

1. Woodworkingmenace says:

   July 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm

   Actually I perfer an Orbital sander, because, unlike a palm sander, it leaves little or no streaks or sand marks.

   As one person said, make SURE its not veneer, and to do that, look at the back of the door, if its one solid color, with no graining marks, it usualy means its a veneer on top. Color that goes on the top and the back, will indicate that its solid wood, if you see the grain pattern replicated exactly on the front and back.
   (Though, slight variations will occur, but you can follow the pattern from the front to the back and see how it goes).

   I would start with a high grit of sand paper, like a 140 grit, since your not going to take off a "lot of paint", just probably stain, and work up from there.

   After you have taken off the paint, and stain, then wipe it down in denatured alcohol, and restain it the color of your choice.

   DO ALL THE CABINETS AT THE SAME TIME IF POSSIBLE! This will eliminate color variations, if the stain sits out too long, and gels or other things like dust get into the paint after many uses. Also, get enough for "all" the cabinets, and MIX them all together in a bucket, so that you have an even color scheme!

   (some paints will vary a little, depending on "lots",and it may be enough to notice and drive you nuts!).

   I wish you well..

   Jesse
2. Rich B says:

   July 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm

   We started with the cabinets. Realizing that the dark stain was the primary reason for the outdated appearance we went to work with an electric palm sander and a dozen packages of medium grit sand paper. Kathy discovered that the flat center part of the cabinet doors was actually a very thin piece of the natural wood glued onto plywood.
3. maycie dog says:

   July 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm

   Try a palm sander, I just did floor molding with it and it worked great. You may want to use the orange stripper first because some old finishes get gummy when using sand paper.
4. classicwoodworks2000 says:

   July 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm

   Before you go sanding it, make sure it is not veneer, or you could end up with cabinets that look even worse, then you will be calling someone like me. If the doors and drawers are raised panel, they will be solid wood, as will the face frame of the cabinets. The inside of the cabinet will be veneered plywood. I would look into some kind of chemical finish striper, then sanding what is left. But be careful on the veneer, it does not take much to sand right through.
5. blondie says:

   July 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm

   they have a thing called liquid sander at the hardware store and you can rub it on 6then rub it off with a towel or use a stain stripper/remover. good luck i am trying to get mine finished . hard work and a lot of time
6. Teetyme says:

   July 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm

   If you are stripping to re-stain them, chances are you will not get all the old finish and stain off so best to paint them. To do this you need to remove the doors and hardware off both cabinets and doors/drawers. Sand with 150 grit paper using a random orbital on the flats and by hand elsewhere. Clean and prime both doors and cabinets using Kilz fast dry primer, oil. Make sure it’s the oil or they will crack and peel down the road. Brush 2 coats kilz on then sand again using same grit, or better yet a sanding sponge to smooth out the raised grain. After that apply 2 coats oil eggshell finish in the color of your choice, brushing them out again to make them smooth. I suggest, just because it has worked for me, Benjamin Moore’s oil Satin Impervo. It’s got a nice finish and holds up. Remember to number the doors so they go back in the same place or you could have a nightmare on your hands. Trust me I learned that the hard way.
7. BAD_HAWG says:

   July 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm

   i’ve used an electric palm sander b4 works great