Cabinet refinishing and restaining in Naperville

Going darker is the common request and the easier one: the old finish is stripped, the wood sanded to open the grain, and a gel or penetrating stain applied and wiped to the sample we agreed on. Going lighter than the existing stain means stripping fully and sometimes bleaching, so we test a door first and tell you honestly what the wood will do. Either way the new color is locked under two or three coats of sprayed clear so it does not wear off at the handles.

If the color still looks right but the finish is dull, sticky near the stove, or worn through at the pulls, the fix is a topcoat refresh. Doors are cleaned with a degreaser, scuff-sanded, spot-repaired where the stain has worn, and sprayed with a catalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish. It is usually a two to three day job for a normal-sized kitchen in Naperville and the cheapest way to add another decade to solid wood cabinets that are structurally fine.

Honey oak has deep, open grain that shows through any stain and even through paint. If you want a smooth, modern look while keeping a stained finish, we apply a grain filler after stripping, sand it flush, then stain and clear-coat. It roughly doubles the prep time per door but produces a flat surface that reads as a different species. It is also the step that separates a good painted-oak job from a cheap one, so we quote it as an option on every oak kitchen.