What about small areas of wear on wooden oak kitchen cabinets - is it
possible to repaint only about 10% of worn areas without looking too
patchy? There is a lot of 3d on the surface, so I hate to resand it
all, and am not too fussy about looking new.

Or is another shortcut sort of a limewash which might not need sanding
to bare wood? I would like to still see some grain... tks

On Nov 12, 12:49*am, dumbstruck wrote:
What about small areas of wear on wooden oak kitchen cabinets - is it
possible to repaint only about 10% of worn areas without looking too
patchy? There is a lot of 3d on the surface, so I hate to resand it
all, and am not too fussy about looking new.

Or is another shortcut sort of a limewash which might not need sanding
to bare wood? I would like to still see some grain... tks

You say paint, you say you want to see grain and mention limewash so I
dont know what you have.Kitchens often have to be stripped since
cooking covers everything in oils and hands contaminate cabinets,
thats probably where things are worn off. Touchups wont look the same
but you can try it.

On Nov 12, 2:12*am, ransley wrote:
You say paint, you say you want to see grain and mention limewash so I
dont know what you have.Kitchens often have to be stripped since
cooking covers everything in oils and hands contaminate cabinets,
thats probably where things are worn off. Touchups wont look the same
but you can try it.

Right, I meant varnish as a first choice, which is what I assume is on
there. But what kind of varnish normally goes on oak cabinets? It has
that typical honey color of all oak... does that come from something
clear or maybe an amber shellac?

The varieties are so confusing... do I have to decide between alcohol
vs petroleum base, or even water based acrylic (too clear)? I assume
not polyurethane or lacquer. What works easiest and looks most
compatible? Or is something like a translucent limewash a possible
alternate way to avoid sanding down to bare wood?

thanks

"dumbstruck" wrote in message
...
On Nov 12, 2:12 am, ransley wrote:
You say paint, you say you want to see grain and mention limewash so I
dont know what you have.Kitchens often have to be stripped since
cooking covers everything in oils and hands contaminate cabinets,
thats probably where things are worn off. Touchups wont look the same
but you can try it.

Right, I meant varnish as a first choice, which is what I assume is on
there. But what kind of varnish normally goes on oak cabinets? It has
that typical honey color of all oak... does that come from something
clear or maybe an amber shellac?

The varieties are so confusing... do I have to decide between alcohol
vs petroleum base, or even water based acrylic (too clear)? I assume
not polyurethane or lacquer. What works easiest and looks most
compatible? Or is something like a translucent limewash a possible
alternate way to avoid sanding down to bare wood?

thanks

--

in most kitchens, some sort of pre-catalyzed lacquer is sprayed on over a
stain of some sort. a normal DIYer won't be able to duplicate this without a
lot of expensive equipment, and the stuff can kill you pretty quickly if you
don't have the proper ventilation.

shellac doesn't hold up to water. i'd look to doing a lacquer finish if
that's what you have, because that can be done pretty easily. poly has to be
sanded down before being redone.

On Nov 12, 1:59*pm, dumbstruck wrote:
On Nov 12, 2:12*am, ransley wrote:

You say paint, you say you want to see grain and mention limewash so I
dont know what you have.Kitchens often have to be stripped since
cooking covers everything in oils and hands contaminate cabinets,
thats probably where things are worn off. Touchups wont look the same
but you can try it.

Right, I meant varnish as a first choice, which is what I assume is on
there. But what kind of varnish normally goes on oak cabinets? It has
that typical honey color of all oak... does that come from something
clear or maybe an amber shellac?

The varieties are so confusing... do I have to decide between alcohol
vs petroleum base, or even water based acrylic (too clear)? I assume
not polyurethane or lacquer. What works easiest and looks most
compatible? Or is something like a translucent limewash a possible
alternate way to avoid sanding down to bare wood?

thanks

I used to do alot of wood refinishing with varnishes etc but once
tried Tung oil on my cabinets to just help a bit years ago freshen it
up, I had only bare spots where fingers dug in around knobs, I covered
the worn finish with the plates made for knobs. On color, oil finishes
yellow with age and cooking and light helps the process, the Tung oil
has held up realy well, but cant say without a real good photo, to
many variables. To recoat over any imbedded grease will be a bad
thing, often only stripping removes it.

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:33:26 -0800 (PST), ransley
wrote:

On Nov 12, 1:59Â*pm, dumbstruck wrote:
On Nov 12, 2:12Â*am, ransley wrote:

You say paint, you say you want to see grain and mention limewash so I
dont know what you have.Kitchens often have to be stripped since
cooking covers everything in oils and hands contaminate cabinets,
thats probably where things are worn off. Touchups wont look the same
but you can try it.

Right, I meant varnish as a first choice, which is what I assume is on
there. But what kind of varnish normally goes on oak cabinets? It has
that typical honey color of all oak... does that come from something
clear or maybe an amber shellac?

The varieties are so confusing... do I have to decide between alcohol
vs petroleum base, or even water based acrylic (too clear)? I assume
not polyurethane or lacquer. What works easiest and looks most
compatible? Or is something like a translucent limewash a possible
alternate way to avoid sanding down to bare wood?

thanks

I used to do alot of wood refinishing with varnishes etc but once
tried Tung oil on my cabinets to just help a bit years ago freshen it
up, I had only bare spots where fingers dug in around knobs, I covered
the worn finish with the plates made for knobs. On color, oil finishes
yellow with age and cooking and light helps the process, the Tung oil
has held up realy well, but cant say without a real good photo, to
many variables. To recoat over any imbedded grease will be a bad
thing, often only stripping removes it.

Many kitchens are laquered. Many are oiled, and a few are varnished up
here in Ontario.

My kitchen is laquered ash and has darkened considerably from exposure
to ultraviolet light. We has a plaque hanging by the window and when
we removed it the wood was virtually white behind it. About 6 months
of sun darkened it right up to match.

Neighbour's kitchen was done about the same time, by the same
cabinetmaker, in oak. They fry a lot , and some parts of the kitchen
were pretty greasy when I had to do some repairs for them. I washed
the area around down with simple green, skuffed the area with white
scotchbright, and sprayed a light coat of laquer on, and you can't see
whaere the repair is. That's the beauty of laquer. (and, to a certain
extent, oil.

dumbstruck wrote:

On Nov 12, 2:12 am, ransley wrote:


You say paint, you say you want to see grain and mention limewash so I
dont know what you have.Kitchens often have to be stripped since
cooking covers everything in oils and hands contaminate cabinets,
thats probably where things are worn off. Touchups wont look the same
but you can try it.



Right, I meant varnish as a first choice, which is what I assume is on
there. But what kind of varnish normally goes on oak cabinets? It has
that typical honey color of all oak... does that come from something
clear or maybe an amber shellac?

The varieties are so confusing... do I have to decide between alcohol
vs petroleum base, or even water based acrylic (too clear)? I assume
not polyurethane or lacquer. What works easiest and looks most
compatible? Or is something like a translucent limewash a possible
alternate way to avoid sanding down to bare wood?

thanks



As long as the surface is clean, dry and free of grease, you can use
almost any finish. If the
"wear" that you refer to is only scratches on the surface and not worn
through the finish, you
might get away with just a coat of clear finish. "Lime wash" is always
an option, but probably
won't hide badly worn or missing color areas. I've used it by just
mixing semi'gloss alkyd paint
to cover the yellow color and dark grain on some oak in our dining room
that didn't
go with the new paint scheme. I used the same paint used on the doors
and trim, a light taupe.
The paint dried pretty quickly, so didn't leave it on long - wiped
lightly and then did a clear
coat to protect it. It really cut down the yellow color, which many
woods acquire with age.

If your cabinets have a spray lacquer with color in it, you may lose
some of the old finish
in cleaning it, especially if it is gummy or sticky from grease.