Ken's Cabinet Restoration Tricks

This article is from the January, 2008 Ken’s Korner.

                I have been wanting to do this subject for some time but did not have the space.  This is my chance.

                A common home maintenance problem is keeping those beautiful stained wood cabinets looking good, especially in the bathroom.  Time and wear through use will damage the finish.  However the worst enemy of the finish is water.  Bathrooms are very humid environments, kitchens to a lesser degree.  Water and wood and wood finishes are just not compatible.  What do you do when the wood color is gone and bare wood is showing through?

                It depends.  If the bare spots are relatively small areas and the greater parts of the cabinets are still O.K., and you want a quick fix and don't want to do much work, there are a couple products available at home improvement stores that are just the ticket.  They are very similar.  The biggest difference is that they have slightly different color matching capability.  They are "Restore" and Old English "Scratch Cover."  They are in liquid form and come in light and dark colors.  You simply wipe them over the bare spots and the dry wood absorbs the color.  Let stand a minute and then wipe off the excess with a clean rag. One or the other of these usually does a good job of color matching in most circumstances.  Try in an inconspicuous corner first though.  If it does not match well, try the other product.  If neither match well, which is unusual, you will need to go to a true wood stain.  More on that later.

                As I said, these are good quick fixes without much work.  You need to remember though, if this is the fix you choose, you will need to periodically re-apply the product.  These products restore the color of the wood but do not protect it from the effects of humidity and ultraviolet light.  The color will still fade away over time.

                If the products mentioned above do not match well enough, you will need to use a true wood stain.  You will want a "wiping stain."  That is a stain that you wipe on just as you would with the products mentioned before.  These stains are available at home improvement and paint stores and come in a wide variety of colors.  You will need to use a little trial and error until you find the color that matches yours the best.

                Again, the stains will restore color but will not actually protect the wood from the elements.  You will need to renew the color from time to time.

                A long term fix is to protect the stained wood with a number of coats of lacquer.  This is a clear coating of different sheens that is applied on top of the stain. When the cabinets are new, they are stained and finished with lacquer by the cabinet maker.  The better the cabinets, the more coats and better quality lacquer are used.  Over time, humidity and ultraviolet light will eventually damage the lacquer as well.  We are talking about years here rather than a few months with unprotected stain however.

                Choosing and applying the lacquer over the stain is the tricky part for most people.  First of all you need to understand about the two most common types of lacquer to decide which way to go.  The type of lacquer still used by the vast majority of cabinet makers is nitrocellulose lacquer.  Here is why they like this product.  It sprays easily and dries really fast.  Typically it can be re-coated within a half an hour.  Also, each time a new coat is applied, the new coat merges chemically with the previous coat and you have one continuous finished coat.  This greatly reduces the risk of the dried lacquer cracking.  This lacquer can be brushed as well, (you must use a brush made for that purpose) which is good to know for the homeowner.  It is also available in spray cans so you don't need expensive spray equipment to apply it that way.

                Each paint store has it's own brand of nitrocellulose lacquer and most home improvement stores have "Deft" which is a nationwide product.

                The other type of lacquer is a water based lacquer.  This lacquer is less popular with professional cabinet makers because being water based, it depends on evaporation to dry, just like water based paint.  That means if it is very humid or cold when applied, it will take longer to dry.  In summer months in a dry area it can be recoated in about an hour.  Other times it can be much longer than that.

                Water based lacquers are applied the same way as nitrocellulose lacquers, either with a brush or spay on.  Each new coat though sticks to the previous coat rather than chemically merging with it.  Years ago this led to real cracking problems but modern formulations have mostly fixed that.  Today these lacquers are no more likely to crack than nitrocellulose lacquers.

                Paint stores have their name brand water base lacquers and home improvement stores carry brands like "Diamond Finish."

                So which to you use?  Nitrocellulose lacquers dry quickly no matter what the conditions.  However, they stink like all get out until they have dried.  You will need a good respirator to protect yourself from the fumes while working with this stuff.   They are highly volatile.  Make sure there are no pilot lights on and don't light any matches, etc. when using this.  Once it has completely dried, the smell will go away.  Clean up of any brushes, etc. must be done with lacquer thinner which is heavy on the fumes too.

                Water based lacquers, though they may take longer to dry, do not have fumes that run you out of the house.  Also, clean up is with water.  Water based lacquers, since they stick to, rather than merge with the previous coats, can be applied on top of previously applied nitrocellulose lacquers.  Do not try to apply nitrocellulose lacquers on top of water based lacquers.  Finally, and this can be important, water based lacquers are much more resistant to humidity and ultraviolet light than nitrocellulose lacquers.  Hence the name "Diamond Finish" for one of the brands.  It holds up better in those humid bathrooms.

                After you have chosen your lacquer comes the task of deciding how you are going to apply it, (spray or brush).  The pros prefer spray because they can cover more area more quickly.  Brush is slower.  However, it can take a bit of practice to be able to spray an area to cover well without causing drips.  Drips are the bane of spray painting.  If you go this route, practice a bit first.  Also, keep the spray moving at all times and go with many light coats as opposed to fewer heavy coats. 

                Spray application will require you to protect all adjacent areas from over spray.  You will need to mask them off well.

                Brushing will be slower but will require less protection of adjacent areas.    You can also apply heavier coats (within reason), without fear of drips than you can spraying,.  I won't go into details of how to each procedure.  I don't have the space here.  However, here are a few more tips that will be helpful.

                Before your first coat of lacquer, lightly sand the stained wood with 220 grit open coat sandpaper.  Lightly means you are just barely touching the wood.  You do not want to sand the color out.  What you are doing is smoothing the surface.  The application of the stain causes some of the wood fibers to rise above the surface.  This is called "raising the grain" in cabinet work jargon.

                After the first sanding, thoroughly wipe the surface with a tack cloth.  This is a tacky cheese cloth you can purchase in any paint department.  Any dust or other loose particles will cling to the tack cloth and not stay on the wood surface to mess up your nice smooth lacquer finish.

                You must sand between each coat of lacquer.  The first couple coats of lacquer will further raise the grain and it will feel very rough.  This is normal.  Just lightly sand it until the surface feels smooth to your hand.  It will no longer be clear.  That is O.K.  Wipe thoroughly with a tack cloth and apply the next coat. Each successive coat will be smoother and smoother after it dries.

                Water based lacquers will be milky when applying.  They will clear up as they dry.

                If you are brushing, it is important to reduce as much as possible the creation of air bubbles.  Little tiny bubbles can become trapped in the coat applied and mess up the nice smooth surface.  They will pop and leave craters.  These are very hard to sand out.  Stir your lacquer in the can slowly.  Fast stirring creates clusters of tiny bubbles.  When you apply with the brush, make slow strokes and brush out any bubbles that you do see.  This is also how you reduce or eliminate brush strokes showing in the dried lacquer.

                How many coats to apply?  At least 3.  More likely 4.  After the final coat, you should have a beautiful, smooth, finish that will protect your cabinet color for some time to come.

                One final note, if you go the nitrocellulose route, look for a product called "sanding sealer" to use for your first coat.  It is specially formulated nitrocellulose product that really covers and raises the grain.  One coat of this is like a couple coats of regular lacquer.  It will not be clear when dry but don't worry about that.  It will merge with successive coats and become clear.  It will reduce the number of coats of lacquer you will need to use.