How To Sand Kitchen Cabinets Before Staining

Always sand in the direction of the wood grain.

How to sand kitchen cabinets before staining.

You can lighten things. How to sand your kitchen cabinets. However i would still sand the edge off of the cabinets with a sanding sponge before applying. The key here is to sand some of the existing finish off and roughen up the surface so the primer sticks but you don t need to get the whole finish off unless you re staining your cabinets.

To do that you need to sand the kitchen cabinets either by hand or with an electric powered hand sander. I used my ryobi orbital sander on all the flat surfaces basically anything it could reach and used the sanding blocks for the smaller harder to reach moldings and corners. Use 120 grit sandpaper to lightly sand the cabinets. If the cabinets are stained or coated with a single layer of clear finish you may not need to use paint stripper.

I would use that. Start with a heavier grit about 100 or 120 grit sandpaper for the first pass and sand with the grain. Step 5 work in the direction of the grain and aim not only for complete coverage but for a light even coating. Wipe clean then sand with a finer grit such as 180 or 220.

Minwax has a 2 in 1 product that is a penetrating stain and it seals all at the same time. Wipe clean and apply a wood conditioner with a clean rag. For the second sanding use 220 grit sandpaper. Before you stain the cabinets it s important to remove all the doors and drawers to make sanding and applying the stain easier.

As you go along you may notice one or another section looking darker than the rest. In this home below the island was a dark stain and kitchen cabinets were painted a cream color. Once you ve coated every cabinet surface wait for the stain.