"Fred" wrote in message
...
I have an existing kitchen cabinet that I wanted to refinish. It has an
existing wood stain and some sort of semi gloss finish that is just too
tough to remove to bare wood. I'm using a palm sander and its taken
forever. At this rate its faster to make new doors and drawer faces than
try to strip it down to bare wood. Could the existing finish and stain be
removed faster with chemical strippers? I don't think I could remove all
the dark stain embedded deep in the pores without taken my belt sander to
it so Plan B is to paint instead of refinish with a lighter stain.

It is likely that if you sand deep enough to get the stain out of the pores
that you will sand through the outer
veneer.


If I go with plan B, paint that is, what is a good primer and tough paint
for kitchen cabinets? In either case, I like to invest in a good HVLP
setup for this and future projects - any suggestions?

If you choose to paint, prime then sand then paint, maybe a second primer
coat. Use the same brand primer as the paint you use. I highly recommend
Sherwin-Williams Alkyd Oil based paint. Get their best for ease of
application and durability.