wrote in message
ps.com...
We have oak kitchen cabinets that are stained to a medium dark color.
I would like to keep those but change the color to a bright birch-like
tone.
What I have tried is applying a refinishing solution (Minwax
refinisher) which removed the varnish and some grease. Next I added
two coats of AB bleach resulting in a pale whitish appearance- texture
looks bland but brightness is okay. Then to finish it I put on some
Minwax Rub-on-poly. This,however, seems to undo 80% of the bleach so I
end up with wood that's just a tiny bit lighter than what I started
out with. Before that I tried some other rub on finish which
completely undid the bleaching. How then can I get lighter wood that
looks nice and has a finish ?

I am assuming your rub-on-poly is oil based. Waterbased will generally look
pretty much the same after as it did before; while oilbased will, depending
on the wood, darken it considerably.

How do you use Minwas refinisher? I have a post a few down from you about
stripping a black coating from bamboo...