Hi,
I working on a job of refinishing the face frame and panels of maple kitchen cabinets, then staining and installing new doors and drawer faces. I opted to sand out the face frames, 80 grit graduating on up. The problem I’m having is the original dark stain has penetrated deep into some of the grain, more so than the amount of sanding possible. Are there any solvents to break down and remove the last little bit of stain? I’ve never found any chemical strippers that work better than sanding.
Thanks,
Thieu
Replies
sorry, but if it penetrated, well then it penetrated, you may have to change your plans a little, another stain to mask the previous ..
Hello thieu!
My first thought would be to bleach it. Not clorox, but wood bleach...either oxalic acid or a two-part product like Klean-Strip/Klean-Kutter makes. I have used the Klean-Strip on oak doors I have refinished, and it has performed well for me. Just make sure you follow the directions and all safety precautions.
Mitch
http://www.rdwoodworks.com
Thanks Mitch,I was wondering about bleaching, I will try it on a small inconspicuous patch and see how it works.
maple doesn't stain too deeply--are you sure it's stain and not the gray/black streaks?
Some of it is the grey streaking, but there is walnut stain still in the grain.
>>"maple doesn't stain too deeply..."Depends on the maple IMO. And soft maple sometimes can suck up stain almost as deeply as soft pine or poplar (and sometimes not, and I've never been able to know ahead of time which will be the case).
I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone,
And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone;
I can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone,
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. (Phil Ochs)
You are probably right! It's a little rare for me to run across maple with any kind of stain. After I wrote that it dawned on me that something quite thin like a dye could really get into the wood. :)
I'd be surprised if anything other than sanding a little deeper solves your problem.
If you take this one over to FWW, you'll get more answers than you can handle.
FWIW, I think that you would be better off putting away the sander and refacing the cabs and faceframes. Then get new doors, drawer fronts, and trim/molding and stain/finish the whole thing so it looks good. What you're doing now will almost certainly end up looking a leopard with a bad paint job.
...and the recommendations at Knots will be from people that have no clue what they are talking about. Not all, bust most. That is why I quit going there 3 years ago. Too many based their input on rumors, inexperience and poor internet research.
I pop in there once in a while and haven't seemed to miss much.
Your recommendation on a total reface is right on. All vergin wood on the frames, panels and doors. Makes life(finish) easier.
If the tops are shot, then it's time for a complete redo. . Alot cheaper and quicker in the end
Edited 9/17/2009 11:49 am by migraine
The OP apparently took my advice and posted over there. When I aw his post this morning, there were already 2-3 responses essentially saying to reface v.s. try to sand.There are probably as many posers over there as there are here, BTW. The trick is being able to sort the nutrients from the BS. - lol