I am in the process of gel staining my entire kitchen. All builders oak cabinets, 17 years old. I also did the guest bathroom last year.
I used celticmoon's instructions as a start and then adapted it to work better for me. My cabinets are raised panel oak and hers were flat, so there are some differences there. I experimented with spare doors to get the right color for what I wanted.
My cabinets were very clean to begin with (the previous owner's doing, not mine!), but here's what I'm doing. Oh, and I'm doing back and front of each door/drawer.
--Clean with household cleaner. Let dry.
--Scuff sand with sandpaper or green scrubbie.
--Wipe off dust.
--Vacuum dust.
--Mineral spirits.
--Now, I'm doing this over a long period of time, so I did all the sanding/cleaning in the garage and brought them down to the basement to do the staining. Less dust there.
--When I'm ready to start the staining, I do a coat of the liquid sandpaper. Can't hurt, and may help the bond more. The brand I use says to do it within an hour of starting, so it's not something to do and then wait overnight.
--I do the backs first.
--One coat of java, Gel Finishes brand, brushed on with foam brush. (I tried celticmoon's wipeon with a sock method, but it just didn't work well with me.)
--I wait about 2 minutes, then gently wipe off with paper towel or lint-free painters rag. I'm really careful to go with the grain and make sure it doesn't get gunky in the corners of the raised panel area, on the front side. I use a little foam brush or watercolor brush if it looks like it needs a bit touching up.
--At this point, it doesn't look great. Muddy, to me, and not attractive at all. Have faith (and that's why doing a sample door will help you keep motivated!)
--I wait a full overnight to dry. It really does need to dry well, so don't skimp on time.
--I put on another coat of java, let sit 2 minutes and then gently wipe off. It's looking better...
--I wait another full overnight to dry.
--I put a coat of cherry on top, let sit 2 minutes, wipe off. I like the cherry over the dark--gives it depth and doesn't make it look like you painted the cabinets brown/black.
--After another full overnight, I use the gel finishes satin wipe-on and give 3 or more coats.
And then you have to do the front of each door...
By doing a sample door, you will see what colors and technique works the best for you. You might only need 2 coats to get the look you want, or even 1 coat. Plus a topcoat.
I know, this is a long process. I'm not doing it as a temporary re-do; we plan on this being our kitchen for 9-10 years til we retire. So, we want it to last.
The cabinet frames are done in pretty much the same way, but it goes a lot faster because there aren't any nooks and crannies.
I'm not filling in any holes; that would be another few steps you would do before staining, if you're planning on changing the placement of hardware.
I just couldn't justify in my mind spending 8-10K on cabinets and installation for our kitchen when in general the cabinets are fine. We added a lazy susan and swapped a 12-inch for an 18-inch; we bought off-the-rack oak cabinets from Lowe's for this. And we're buying some other accessories, to really add to the "new" kitchen look. We splurged on granite for the countertops and it really looks nice....so far....without the doors up yet.
If you google gel stain kitchen cabinets, you'll find a lot of others who have blogged about their experiences. It's a good way to get ideas and motivation. Also, youtube has some videos on it that might help as well.
If you have the time and patience, this is a worthwhile project. It will be a while before I finish and post pictures....but good luck!!!
bemsue
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