I have some older kitchen cabinets that I want to bring back to life without replacing them entirely. Since I'm juggling two stressful jobs, I'm looking for the easiest and most feasible DIY method to refinish them. I initially considered using a product called restore-a-finish, but after some research, I found out it may not hold up for the long term. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Here are some pictures of my cabinets: https://imgur.com/a/nq8Rmcd
2 Answers
For the best results long-term, you should scuff sand the surfaces, then apply a primer followed by a durable cabinet paint like Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane. If you want to keep the natural wood look, strip the cabinets down to bare wood and then apply a quality stain and finish coat, like poly or conversion varnish. Trust me, restore-a-finish is more of a quick fix you see on TikTok—it's not something that will last. Prepping the surface properly is crucial, so take your time sanding and cleaning first. It’s a bit of work upfront, but the results will last for years!
If your cabinets are made of veneer, a good choice would be Rust-Oleum cabinet refinisher. But if they’re real wood, you’ll need to take the doors off and sand them down well.