# refinished oak cabinets



## moon_sf (Jun 13, 2010)

I just had my oak cabinets refinished. The honey color was not matching a new counter top, and I wanted darker color cabinets. The cabinet guy sanded the cabinets. Next, he stained them with Minwax English Chestnut (2 coats). I was pleased with the color, but not happy with the way cabinets were stained. The stain is very uneven. It looks like the cabinets were scratched a lot due to the sanding. When i asked the cabinet guy why the staining so uneven, he assured me that, "This is the way oak absorbs the stain. This is the natural wood. This is a quality job. Blah blah blah.

Here is a link to the pictures of the cabinets, before and after
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

I would really appreciate an expert opinion on the job the cabinet guy has done. I would like to know how I can get a dark even color on the cabinets.

thank you


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## ash123 (Mar 14, 2010)

This is where written contracts and written or implied guarantees get really important for both sides. In my experience, refinished cabinets often turn out looking like crap. That's why I never do them. I reface with new doors and drawer fronts. They actually look like new and the clients are happier. 

There are two sides to this deal. The guy who ordered the work and the guy that took the job. I wouldn't be either.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

*WELCOME TO THE FORUM*

Looking at the images marked "before", 1, 2, 3, look OK, and very even. If that's what they looked like before, I would have left them.

As for the rest of the images, 5126 looks much darker than the rest. I don't think you'll get your problem resolved on a forum. What matters is if you like or don't like the work that was done. 

If you don't like the work, you should resolve it with the guy that did the work.


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## moon_sf (Jun 13, 2010)

Cabinetman, thank you for welcoming me to the forum. 
The cabinets were old and needed some upgrade, image 5126 looks darker because of the lighting. I don't like the finished result and I am asking your opinion about the quality of the work. The cabinet guy thinks he did a good job and that I am too picky. I think this is the best he can do and I have to find some one better. But is it possible to get better result (to get even finish)?

thank you


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

moon_sf said:


> I don't like the finished result and I am asking your opinion about the quality of the work.


Seeing it up close and personal is a bit different than looking at a computer screen. What I will say is I couldn't leave a job that the customer was unhappy with.




moon_sf said:


> The cabinet guy thinks he did a good job and that I am too picky. I think this is the best he can do and I have to find some one better. But is it possible to get better result (to get even finish)?
> 
> thank you



You said it all right there. Sounds like a stale mate. If that's the best he can do, and you don't like it, then it's up to someone else. Is it possible to get a more even finish? I don't want to bash someone's work. So to answer that, I'll say it's possible to find a craftsman that can satisfy you.


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## dsm (Jan 6, 2010)

It's pretty difficult to refinish oak cabinets like these, at least for an amateur like me. I'm in the process of refinishing several pieces of oak furniture right now. I had to do a lot of research to feel comfortable with the process. I'm using a grain filler and a sanding sealer/pretreatment before staining. A pretreatment of some sort seems like a good idea to me for oak. It evens out the adsorption of the stain. I agree with ash123. Just replacing the doors and fronts would probably be easier and almost certainly result in a better finished product.


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## cusingeorge (Nov 17, 2007)

This is based on your photos, I'd have to be standing in front of them to give you a more solid opinion, but:

Looking at picture "after 4" it looks like the guy took his DA (orbital sander) and ran it up the center panel, then stained the doors. Look closely and you should see swirl marks that are about 5 inches in diameter in two rows on that corner cabinet door. It appears the stain was smeared on the doors and the sanding scratches caught most of the stain and he left it there to dry.

The doors to the right and left are narrower, and show only one row of swirl marks from a DA sander.

I'm surprised any finish was able to stick to that much Minwax stain.

Your guy should have made you a sample so you could approve the look. If you've already paid him, good luck.


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## Tim Mooney (May 18, 2010)

That may meet his standards, but it probably wouldn't meet mine and most importantly it doesnt meet your standard. It really looks like he sanded with an orbital but couldnt get in the corners with his power sander so he did not sand the corners. you also shouldn't use two coats of pigment stain because it is just layering pigment on the top of the wood, and that could potentially lead to finish failure.


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