Peter,
My kitchen cabinets need some their finish repaired. Near the knobs and on the top edge of the drawers the finish has become soft and rubber like, probably from skin oils. They are cherry. Fortunately, the color is still consistent in the effected areas.
1. Is it possible to remove the effected finish without stripping the drawer fronts, if so, what is the best way?
2. What kind of solvent is best to remove any possible furniture wax and soil for the fronts before refinishing.
3. Is it possible to just refinish (touch up) the local areas, or should I plan to recoat the entire front?
4. Without knowing what finish is already on the wood, what new finish would you suggest? I do not have a spray set-up.
Thanks for you help.
Rooms
Replies
Rooms,
How old are your cabinets? The finish is almost without question a lacquer or conversion varnish.
My gut feeling (without seeing them) is the softness you see and feel is probably just dirt and grease from your hands.
Try using a little soap and water here. One of the grease cutting dish detergents and warm water could do wonders. Another could be to use Fantastic or something like it. I had the same thing on my cherry cabinets and all it called for was a simple cleaning.
To remove wax a tried and true method is to use mineral spirits (paint thinner). You need good ventilation for this and lots of paper towels.
Try one of the cleaning methods and then let me know how you made out.
Peter
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled