How to Stain Cabinets Like a Pro

Even a drop of dark wood stain could ruin those pearly white marble countertops, so take the extra time to protect all the nearby surfaces—it’s what a cabinet professional would do, after all. Use drop cloths or plastic sheets to cover counters, sinks, tubs, toilets, floors, and other nearby objects before you start staining.

You’ll also need to clear out a space to work on staining the doors, drawers, and shelves, whether on the drop cloth-covered kitchen floors or the empty garage. Choose an area with room to move around easily and windows for ventilation. Place a fan near your workspace to help with ventilation.

While you don’t have to remove the cabinet bases from the walls, you should remove the doors, shelves, drawers, and any hardware like kitchen cabinet handles and drawer pulls. This step goes a long way toward obtaining an even stain coating.

1. Use a screwdriver or drill to remove hinges from doors, brackets or plugs from shelves, and any remaining hardware. 

2. Place the wooden elements on the drop clothes in your workspace. 

3. Keep the hardware together in labeled containers to make reinstalling the finished doors, shelves, and drawers easier.

If your cabinets have holes or deep scratches, fill in the areas using a small, flexible putty knife and wood putty. Use wood filler instead of wood putty if you need to fill larger holes from cabinet handles or other damage. 

1. Fill holes or scratches with wood putty or wood filler. 

2. After the hole is full, scrape the excess putty or filler from the cabinet surface with a putty knife

3. Smooth the putty or filler to the cabinet surface with a piece of fine-grit sandpaper.   

For unfinished wood cabinets, you’ll need to clean the surfaces with a damp cloth and mild detergent. You can skip the cleaning step if you plan to strip an existing finish, like paint or an old stain. But if the drawer, shelf, or door interiors are unfinished and you plan to stain them, make sure to clean those surfaces.

1. Wipe down the surfaces with mild soap and water. 

2. Then dip a cloth in plain water and ring it out before wiping down the raw wood surfaces once more to remove any detergent left behind.

Finished Cabinets:

1. You have to remove the old stain before applying new coats. 

2. Use 100- to 120-grit sandpaper to remove the finish; sand following the wood grain. 

3. If you want to work faster, use an electric sander, moving non-stop to avoid damaging the wood surfaces.

Unfinished Cabinets:

1. You can use a low-grit sandpaper to gently sand the surfaces after cleaning for a smooth surface to apply stain.

2. If you’re staining a lot of cabinets, you may consider using a chemical stripper. 

3. You’ll need protective gear, like rubber gloves and goggles, and a well-ventilated work environment. 

4. Apply the chemical stripper following the manufacturer’s instructions; it will need to set into the wood for about 20 to 30 minutes, then you can use a putty knife to scrape away the old finish carefully. 

5. With the old finish scraped off, buff the wood with sandpaper or use an electric sander to prepare the cabinets for conditioner and stain.

Pre-stain wood conditioner helps create the smoothest surface for your stain and helps the stain better adhere to the cabinets.

1. Apply the wood conditioner with a paintbrush in a thin, even layer on all the wood surfaces you plan to stain. 

2. Let the conditioner dry according to the label instructions (about 15 minutes). 

3. Follow up by gently buffing the wood with extra fine steel wool.

It’s time for the exciting part: applying the stain to your wood cabinets. 

1. Use a paint stir stick to stir the wood stain until there are no clumps. With a paintbrush or clean cloth, apply the stain to the intricate parts of the wood surfaces and move along the direction of the wood grain.

2. Move on to coating the flatter surfaces, and apply a thin, even coat. Wipe away the darker areas of stain or excess stain with a clean cloth. Let the first coat dry for eight to 48 hours, depending on the consistency of the stain and coat thickness. Water-based stains tend to dry faster than oil-based or gel stains. Check the instructions on the container of stain.

3. Apply additional coats, and let each layer dry until you reach the desired color. 

4. Use fine-grit sandpaper or extra fine steel wool to lightly buff the wood between each layer of stain.

Sealing is optional but highly recommended to better protect the stained cabinets from wear and tear. You can skip the sealer if you used a two-in-one stain and sealant product.

1. Use a clean paintbrush to apply a thin layer of polyurethane sealer over the stained wood surfaces. 

2. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for drying times. 

3. Then apply a second, thin layer, and allow it to dry.

Once the sealer has dried, you can reinstall the doors, drawers, shelves, and hardware with a screwdriver or drill. Vacuum up sawdust in the room before carefully cleaning up the drop cloths. Finally, admire your handiwork and begin placing dishes and utensils back in the cabinets and drawers.