Replies

1. 
   sschefer | Mar 28, 2002 06:05pm | #1

   I just saw a show on TV that was dealing with the same problem. It was one of those Kitchen and Bath shows I think. They tried to do the same thing you are and finaly gave up and painted instead. I know there are several surface cleaners out there but wouldn't have a clue which one is best. Hopefully someone else can give you a product name. As for sand blasting, all you end up doing with oak is opening up the grain further and driving the grime in. It will come back as blotches and spots when you apply your finish. At least thats what happend to me when I tried it.

   Steve - in Northern California

   If the doctor says you have Attention Deficit Disorder, do you pay attention to him?

2. 
   jdbutler999 | Mar 28, 2002 06:24pm | #2

   I would either use cabinet scrapers or some chards of broken glass.  The sharp edges of broken glass work quite well for scraping purposes and the scraping process (if done correctly) leaves a smooth fininsh rendering sanding unnecessary.   To make the glass scrapers, Just take  piece of plate glass or an old mirror or the like, place it in a brown paper bag, lay it on a hard surface and smash it up with a hammer...then sift through to find some pieces which have the shapes you might need.  Be careful when handling the sharp edges!!!....you may want to binding the edge you hold with duct tape or something similar.

1. 
   bill_1010 | Mar 29, 2002 04:31am | #3

   toluene or xylene can be used with a rag and cloth covered toothpicks or picks.  Wear a mask and do it outdoors. get some gloves too those green ones, nitrale.  After that a scraper and lots of time...

3. 
   StanleyNiemiec | Mar 29, 2002 05:52am | #4

   Your question is ambiguous!

   I am uncertain . . .

   if you are attempting to strip off the old finishing (either with chemicals or mechically with abrasives)   

   OR

   if you are attempting to clean the surface prior to putting another coat on top of the existing finish.

   If it is the former, then once you have the finish in solution ( softened with the stripper), you will want to keep it in solution and can thereafter use less viscous solvents to "wash" the surfaces and get into the corners, etc.   This is what someone recommended when they suggested toluene or was it xylene.  You can also use lacquer thinner or even alcohol.  Be very careful with these solvents as they are both explosive and unhealthy/unsafe to inhale.  Basically you want to add these solvents to the stripper therein diluting the mixture but still retaining its solubilizing action.

   When I used to strip, I preferred less viscous stripper than the stuff you buy over the counter.  I had a stripping table with a metal base and a drain (into a metal bucket) and I continued to keep working the old finish until it more or less washed off.  It was called white lightning and it was real nasty on the skin because it was extremely alkaline (about pH 10 if I remember).

   Once I had the 99% of the finish removed and all of it softened, I used a wash solution of TSP, hot water and bleach to finish the job such that I had a very clean surface.  Working with veneers is obviously very tricky so that it does not peel or bubble.

   If you are cleaning in preparation for recoating only, I would use the last mixture and thoroughly wash the units with rags and sponges.  The way that you can generally tell that you need to keep washing is that areas will remain gummy or will not dry as rapidly.  You may have to change the washing mixture several times so that you are not just spreading the gunk.

   For a job like this, I hope you are not attempting to do the stripping with the cabinets on the wall.  You need good ventilation and you need to really work at 'em.  And it is a lot easier if they are off the wall and individual so that you can turn them, etc.  This also allows you to work on the doors and drawers flat and individually.

   I made my stripping table with some heavy sheet metal put over plywood.  I used 5/4 maple about 1.5" wide for the border to keep the solvents and washing solutions from spilling all over.  The table was not much higher than the 5 gallon bucket I used to recapture the solutions.  The trickiest part was soldering a drain pipe into one corner (the lowest corner) so that this part did not leak.

   Aprons, gloves and it still is a dirty messy lousy job.  You have considerable costs for solvents and gloves and whatever; and then you have to worry about what you do with the leftover gunk and solvents.