Removing Varnish From Cabinet Doors

Brush the stripper on the cabinet face frames and end jambs two at a time.

Removing varnish from cabinet doors.

Some of the stain may linger after scraping. Scrape directly into a trash can if possible. Remove the cabinet doors and drawers from the cabinet base. Scrape the gelled finish off the cabinets using a paint.

If however you don t plan on repainting the object but prefer instead to show off the wood grain underneath or stain it at most then you re going to have to remove every last drop of old paint. Scrape off the varnish with a paint scraper or a putty knife. Better for indoor use because it smells like oranges but still wear a painting mask and puddy knife. You can use a stiff bristled scrub brush to remove varnish from fancy curved details.

Clean rags have them handy to wipe the wood after using the solvent. Allow at least 15 minutes for the stripper to gel the finish. Scouring pads and or steel wool you ll use these with the solvent to remove the stripper residue. Hand sand small spots or leave them and sand it while sanding your door.

Use a screwdriver to remove the hinges and drawer pulls. It can be used to refinish hardwood floors or it can be used to remove varnish from much smaller surfaces a. For cracks in the door scrape or sand off any rough or raised edges. I applied a thicker coat of the paint stripper with a cheap paint brush and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Though labor intensive sandpaper is capable of removing nearly any wood finish. First i tried just using the paint stripper citristrip. Painters tape to protect areas around cabinets and walls if you are working on something installed like a door frame or kitchen cabinets. Step 2 fold a sheet of fine grit sanding paper into a square and sand over the entire surface of the cabinets the cabinet doors and the drawer fronts.

Step 1 remove all doors drawers hinges handles and knobs. The layer of stain remover tends to swell or bubble up when ready for removal. Now back to stripping the paint from the cabinets. Spread the wood filler and allow it to dry.