how do you refinish dark stained oak kitchen cabinets?
Answers:
You can purchase furniture stripper from the hardware store. FYI, it's much, much easier if you remove the doors and drawers to an outside space or garage to work on them. Make sure that windows are open and you have very good ventilation in your kitchen and if there's a gas range, make sure all pilots are out as the fumes are dangerous. Protect your sink, countertops, backsplash, nearby appliances and any flooring you don't want damaged as this stuff tends to splatter. The stripper will remove the top finish on your cabinets and some of the stain although oak wood has it's own color as well. Should you decide you want the finish even lighter, you can bleach the wood with a product from the hardware store designed for that purpose. When lighted to desirable shade, use fine, dry steel wool to sand all surfaces smooth, then wipe clean with damp cloth to remove any particles. This will make a big difference in your finished product. I prefer clear lacquer to seal cabinets with as it leaves a high gloss finish I like. Some like a satin sheen, so it's up to you. Whichever, apply an even coat of sealer and let dry thoroughly. After this, I go back over the entire surface lightly with clean steel wool, wipe it down and apply a second coat. After this has completely dried I go for the third and final round. It sounds (and is) a little labor intensive, but I am very picky and I love beautiful wood. After allowing each coat to dry, you will see differences in the surfaces where your shellac has not covered as well as others. Believe me, when you see the finished cabinets back in place with hardware attached, it's worth the extra trouble. My dad has built custom cabinetry and built-in units for over forty years and he finally taught me not to try to take shortcuts on these things. Do it right the first time and they will look like new for a very long time!
Other answers:
First strip off the finish with some type of Varnish remover. That will leave the dark stain and if you want to get it lighter you could try sanding or bleaching. If bleaching be careful and use proper ventilation. Being that the stain penetrates the wood I don't know how much ligher you can make these cabinets. Try a test on one piece to see how it looks before you try to change everything.
First strip off the finish with some type of Varnish remover. That will leave the dark stain and if you want to get it lighter you could try sanding or bleaching. If bleaching be careful and use proper ventilation. Being that the stain penetrates the wood I don't know how much ligher you can make these cabinets. Try a test on one piece to see how it looks before you try to change everything.
Are you only wanting to put new finish on the cabinets (i.e., polyurethane)? I have built alot of furniture over the years and if so, I would advise using only a very light sandpaper, like 220 grit, and lightly sand down each cabinet. Then, simply reapply new polyurethane with either a brush or spray gun, if available.
If, though, you are wanting to remove the old finish use the advice above, although, again, you will never be able to remove all of the original stain if that's what you're after (it's on forever!). :o)