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#1
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
This is probably more appropriate for the woodworking group, but I'll cast
my line out and see what happens. The finish on my cabinets is a badly worn varnish. I say varnish because its a flaky yellowish crystaline substance from the 1960's over plywood. After removing the varnish from the cabinet boards I notice that the cabinet isn't a natural wood color so I'm assuming it was stained. My question is what kind of a finish would be best for wood like this? It's not like its raw plywood or something, it has a nice hard smooth finish so being unfamiliar with plywood construction I can only assume its a hardwood laminate or similar material. I guess my question is, if I restain it, do I need to apply varnish to seal or are there better alternatives? What if I like the original color and simply want to seal/complete the finish from weathering (hands, kitchen smoke, traffic, etc..) I'm used to working with linseed oil, I use it to refinish my gunstocks, but something tells me I don't want something that flammable in the kitchen. |
#2
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
"Eigenvector" wrote in message ... This is probably more appropriate for the woodworking group, but I'll cast my line out and see what happens. The finish on my cabinets is a badly worn varnish. I say varnish because its a flaky yellowish crystaline substance from the 1960's over plywood. After removing the varnish from the cabinet boards I notice that the cabinet isn't a natural wood color so I'm assuming it was stained. My question is what kind of a finish would be best for wood like this? It's not like its raw plywood or something, it has a nice hard smooth finish so being unfamiliar with plywood construction I can only assume its a hardwood laminate or similar material. I guess my question is, if I restain it, do I need to apply varnish to seal or are there better alternatives? What if I like the original color and simply want to seal/complete the finish from weathering (hands, kitchen smoke, traffic, etc..) I'm used to working with linseed oil, I use it to refinish my gunstocks, but something tells me I don't want something that flammable in the kitchen. There are many ways to go. Take some photos and go to a good paint store and get some recommendations. Things to consider: 1/ cost 2/ durability 3/ ease of preparation and application (can a DIYer get a good result) 4/ smell (some modern finishes are just awful) |
#3
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
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#4
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
"Eigenvector" wrote in message news:JZOdneGS- I guess my question is, if I restain it, do I need to apply varnish to seal or are there better alternatives? What if I like the original color and simply want to seal/complete the finish from weathering (hands, kitchen smoke, traffic, etc..) I'm used to working with linseed oil, I use it to refinish my gunstocks, but something tells me I don't want something that flammable in the kitchen. Linseed oil would not be flammable once cured,but is still a poor choice for a kitchen. I'd go with a polyurethane as it is easy to clean. |
#5
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
It's probably varnish, as you suspect. So, it's oil based, being of
that vintage. Using any waterbased product over it will likely not be satisfactory. I would remove the doors/drawers, take them out of the kitchen (outside?) and sand them to remove the varnish coat. If you are OK with present stain color, then recoat with an oil based polyurethane. If you want a different shade or color, You may have to resort to stripping it all, then sanding. Even if you apply an oil based paint, you will need to sand away the varnish coat first. Whatever you decide, the face frames will have to have the same treatment, of course. good luck!! Gene On Mar 17, 1:31 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote: This is probably more appropriate for thewoodworkinggroup, but I'll cast my line out and see what happens. The finish on my cabinets is a badly worn varnish. I say varnish because its a flaky yellowish crystaline substance from the 1960's over plywood. After removing the varnish from the cabinet boards I notice that the cabinet isn't a natural wood color so I'm assuming it was stained. My question is what kind of a finish would be best for wood like this? It's not like its raw plywood or something, it has a nice hard smooth finish so being unfamiliar with plywood construction I can only assume its a hardwood laminate or similar material. I guess my question is, if I restain it, do I need to apply varnish to seal or are there better alternatives? What if I like the original color and simply want to seal/complete the finish from weathering (hands, kitchen smoke, traffic, etc..) I'm used to working with linseed oil, I use it to refinish my gunstocks, but something tells me I don't want something that flammable in the kitchen. |
#6
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
"DZIN" wrote in message oups.com... It's probably varnish, as you suspect. So, it's oil based, being of that vintage. Using any waterbased product over it will likely not be satisfactory. I would remove the doors/drawers, take them out of the kitchen (outside?) and sand them to remove the varnish coat. If you are OK with present stain color, then recoat with an oil based polyurethane. If you want a different shade or color, You may have to resort to stripping it all, then sanding. Even if you apply an oil based paint, you will need to sand away the varnish coat first. Whatever you decide, the face frames will have to have the same treatment, of course. good luck!! Gene I've removed the varnish from my test piece (a while back not today), Citrus Strip seemed to do a perfectly adequate job, so whatever's on there can't be too tough. I'll go with a polyeurothane as was suggested and keep the original color. On Mar 17, 1:31 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote: This is probably more appropriate for thewoodworkinggroup, but I'll cast my line out and see what happens. The finish on my cabinets is a badly worn varnish. I say varnish because its a flaky yellowish crystaline substance from the 1960's over plywood. After removing the varnish from the cabinet boards I notice that the cabinet isn't a natural wood color so I'm assuming it was stained. My question is what kind of a finish would be best for wood like this? It's not like its raw plywood or something, it has a nice hard smooth finish so being unfamiliar with plywood construction I can only assume its a hardwood laminate or similar material. I guess my question is, if I restain it, do I need to apply varnish to seal or are there better alternatives? What if I like the original color and simply want to seal/complete the finish from weathering (hands, kitchen smoke, traffic, etc..) I'm used to working with linseed oil, I use it to refinish my gunstocks, but something tells me I don't want something that flammable in the kitchen. |
#7
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
In article , "Eigenvector" wrote:
I've removed the varnish from my test piece (a while back not today), Citrus Strip seemed to do a perfectly adequate job, so whatever's on there can't be too tough. I'll go with a polyeurothane as was suggested and keep the original color. Some suggestions... Use a good quality, full gloss, oil based poly. Apply with a good foam brush -- the Wooster's sold at Lowes are excellent and very inexpensive. Stir (don't shake) the poly and thin it with mineral spirits if that helps. Apply about 4 coats, waiting about 24 hours for each one to dry. Sand *very* lightly between coats with 400 grit. After the final coat wait a few days for a full cure. Then, if you want to knock down the plastic-like look, rub the new finish with 0000 steel wool and some good quality wax. It will make it silky smooth but not glossy. If you're careful and patient, you'll have a really professional looking finish. I used this protocol on some beaten-up kitchen cabinets and the final result was simply wonderful. The striping/sanding is a pain but everything else is pretty quick and easy to do right. -- |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". | | Gary Player. | | http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
#8
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
On Mar 17, 9:43 pm, (Malcolm Hoar) wrote:
In article , "Eigenvector" wrote: I've removed the varnish from my test piece (a while back not today), Citrus Strip seemed to do a perfectly adequate job, so whatever's on there can't be too tough. I'll go with a polyeurothane as was suggested and keep the original color. Some suggestions... Use a good quality, full gloss, oil based poly. Apply with a good foam brush -- the Wooster's sold at Lowes are excellent and very inexpensive. Stir (don't shake) the poly and thin it with mineral spirits if that helps. Apply about 4 coats, waiting about 24 hours for each one to dry. Sand *very* lightly between coats with 400 grit. After the final coat wait a few days for a full cure. Then, if you want to knock down the plastic-like look, rub the new finish with 0000 steel wool and some good quality wax. It will make it silky smooth but not glossy. If you're careful and patient, you'll have a really professional looking finish. I used this protocol on some beaten-up kitchen cabinets and the final result was simply wonderful. The striping/sanding is a pain but everything else is pretty quick and easy to do right. Card scraper did the job for me last set of kitchen cabinet fronts I was paid to strip. Prepare to file the edge every 2 minutes (no hook needed), but even then, it's faster than anything short of a hot lye bath. |
#9
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
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stain for plywood cabinets
On Mar 17, 4:31 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
I'm used to working with linseed oil, I use it to refinish my gunstocks, but something tells me I don't want something that flammable in the kitchen. Use poly or alkyd enamel paint. Prob with linseed is it takes about a year to fully cure, during which time it'll absorb whatever cooking fumes you have floating about your kitchen. |
#10
Posted to alt.home.repair
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stain for plywood cabinets
"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message t... | | "Eigenvector" wrote in message news:JZOdneGS- | I guess my question is, if I restain it, do I need to apply varnish to | seal or are there better alternatives? What if I like the original color | and simply want to seal/complete the finish from weathering (hands, | kitchen smoke, traffic, etc..) | | I'm used to working with linseed oil, I use it to refinish my gunstocks, | but something tells me I don't want something that flammable in the | kitchen. | | Linseed oil would not be flammable once cured,but is still a poor choice for | a kitchen. I'd go with a polyurethane as it is easy to clean. | is that boiled linseed oil? is poly made for food preperation areas? is poly alcohol and chemical resistant? I would reccomend a laquer based clearcoat instead of poly. or a paste wax rubbed on by hand. |
#11
Posted to alt.home.repair
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stain for plywood cabinets
"3G" wrote in message news is that boiled linseed oil? Yes, it is the type used for finishing. The OP is familir with it. is poly made for food preperation areas? Of course it is safe. Any finish sold in the US is considered food safe once cured. Poly is found in millions of kitchens. If yo are talking about commercial food preperation, that is a whole other set of regulations. Most homowners do't put the hamburers on cabiten door when prepping. is poly alcohol and chemical resistant? Any chemical typically found in a kitchen. I would reccomend a laquer based clearcoat instead of poly. or a paste wax rubbed on by hand. It can work, but there are no many good brush on lacquers as compared to polyurethane. The last thing I'd recommend in a kitchen is hand rubbed paste wax. It may look good, but it is not going to hold up well with the grease splatters and splashes that happen in kitchens. |
#12
Posted to alt.home.repair
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stain for plywood cabinets
"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message et... | | "3G" wrote in message news | | | is that boiled linseed oil? | | Yes, it is the type used for finishing. The OP is familir with it. | | | is poly made for food preperation areas? | | Of course it is safe. Any finish sold in the US is considered food safe once | cured. but poly is not KMCA certified for food preperation areas. Poly is found in millions of kitchens. If yo are talking about | commercial food preperation, that is a whole other set of regulations. Most | homowners do't put the hamburers on cabiten door when prepping. what about the glasses that are upside down in the cabinet, on the poly covered shelf? | | | is poly alcohol and chemical resistant? | | Any chemical typically found in a kitchen. poly leaves water stains easily hand rubbed urethane gel is water and alcohol resistant. 10 times better than poly. | | | I would reccomend a laquer based clearcoat instead of poly. | or a paste wax rubbed on by hand. | | It can work, but there are no many good brush on lacquers as compared to | polyurethane. The last thing I'd recommend in a kitchen is hand rubbed | paste wax. It may look good, but it is not going to hold up well with the | grease splatters and splashes that happen in kitchens. and you recommend linseed oil? the best finish by far is a hand rubbed urethane gel after testing different finishes (laquer, poly, water based poly, urethane gel) for 1 year. the urethane gel is the only one that lasted through all the seasons in N.E. the test pcs. were outside all year through sun, rain, snow,etc. and just for the record the poly sample pc. finished last. the water and UV damage was awful. the laquered sample had minor water blisters. and the urethane gel sample was like new still. | | |
#13
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stain for plywood cabinets
"3G" wrote in message | Of course it is safe. Any finish sold in the US is considered food safe once | cured. but poly is not KMCA certified for food preperation areas. So what? This is a residential kitchen and the same rules do not apply. There are many things used every day at home that are not allowed in a commercial kitchen. Start with wood handles on knives. Billions of them in use every day. I don't use my cabinet doors for preparing my food. What cookbook do you follow that does? what about the glasses that are upside down in the cabinet, on the poly covered shelf? What about them? Do you have evidence of cured poly putting chemicals onto the rim of glasses? Have people died from this? If you are worried, put down shelf paper. poly leaves water stains easily hand rubbed urethane gel is water and alcohol resistant. 10 times better than poly. I have no water stains on my cabinets. YMMV., but we dry the dishes before putting them away. WTF is different about your hand rubbed poly anyway? Most all polyurethanes have similar chemical bases so perhaps you can tel us more about this material you use. Brands? Types? and you recommend linseed oil? No, I did not. Problems with reading comprehension? the best finish by far is a hand rubbed urethane gel after testing different finishes (laquer, poly, water based poly, urethane gel) for 1 year. the urethane gel is the only one that lasted through all the seasons in N.E. the test pcs. were outside all year through sun, rain, snow,etc. and just for the record the poly sample pc. finished last. the water and UV damage was awful. I keep my kitchen cabinets inside, not out. They have had polyurethane on them for 29 years now, re-coated about 5 or 6 years ago. Still look pretty good. Is there something better? Perhaps, but 30 years + is good enough for me. Maybe in another few I'll replace the cabinets. So far, they have not been rained on so your testing methods don't mean much to me. If it snowed in my kitchen, my wife would bitch about it. |
#14
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stain for plywood cabinets
Well I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it. I've already refinished
my test piece in Poly and now it's drying for a few days. I'm not planning on eating from these things. I'm sure there are better finishes out there, but my crappy john isn't worth that much effort - maybe after I inherit all that black walnut and basswood my step father has stored in his shop. "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message news:JebMh.12162$zx.2698@trndny05... "3G" wrote in message | Of course it is safe. Any finish sold in the US is considered food safe once | cured. but poly is not KMCA certified for food preperation areas. So what? This is a residential kitchen and the same rules do not apply. There are many things used every day at home that are not allowed in a commercial kitchen. Start with wood handles on knives. Billions of them in use every day. I don't use my cabinet doors for preparing my food. What cookbook do you follow that does? what about the glasses that are upside down in the cabinet, on the poly covered shelf? What about them? Do you have evidence of cured poly putting chemicals onto the rim of glasses? Have people died from this? If you are worried, put down shelf paper. poly leaves water stains easily hand rubbed urethane gel is water and alcohol resistant. 10 times better than poly. I have no water stains on my cabinets. YMMV., but we dry the dishes before putting them away. WTF is different about your hand rubbed poly anyway? Most all polyurethanes have similar chemical bases so perhaps you can tel us more about this material you use. Brands? Types? and you recommend linseed oil? No, I did not. Problems with reading comprehension? the best finish by far is a hand rubbed urethane gel after testing different finishes (laquer, poly, water based poly, urethane gel) for 1 year. the urethane gel is the only one that lasted through all the seasons in N.E. the test pcs. were outside all year through sun, rain, snow,etc. and just for the record the poly sample pc. finished last. the water and UV damage was awful. I keep my kitchen cabinets inside, not out. They have had polyurethane on them for 29 years now, re-coated about 5 or 6 years ago. Still look pretty good. Is there something better? Perhaps, but 30 years + is good enough for me. Maybe in another few I'll replace the cabinets. So far, they have not been rained on so your testing methods don't mean much to me. If it snowed in my kitchen, my wife would bitch about it. |
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