Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Sep 17, 2009 02:48am | #1

   It rather difficult to remove dark stains. If a solvent or chemical would put the pigment back in total suspension, it would just spread the stain around. Nicely sanded wood is going to suck it up. There is an oxalic wood bleach but it will have an effect on the surface of the wood, raising grain and sometimes breaking down fibers. It may not work 100%. Kind of messy, especially on vertical surfaces. Will require more sanding.

   Have you thought about veneering the face frames? If you are having new doors and drawer fronts, might as well have new looking frames. It's a fairly easy way to go, you'll not have to worry about color differences. On exposed ends, you can either veneer or maybe use a 1/4"- end skin. That's if these are typical manufactured cabinets, with the face frame proud of the side. You may also be able to order finished end panels from the door maker.

   There are veneer products designed for kitchen face lifts. Some use a peel and stick veneer. It's PSA, pressure sensitive, so you need a J-roller. Same with contact cement. It won't be necessary on the next job to do all that sanding. You can often wash to degrease and use a wipe down with Liquid Sandpaper.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   thieu | Sep 17, 2009 03:20am | #2

   Thanks,I would be happy to veneer the face frames, but it comes down to the clients. Husband and wife at opposite ends: she wanted new cabinets, he wanted to keep the old and install new doors/drawers. I will probably end up doing a patch with the new stain to let them see how the final product will look and then hope they want to add a veneer. I'll look into the oxalic acid too.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Sep 17, 2009 04:26am | #3

   If you still have pigment in the wood, though that doesn't seem too likely with maple, you could be able to remove that with a methylene chloride stripper.  Use LOTS of ventilation.  If there are young kids in the house and the kitchen can't be tightly closed off then a short vacation would be in order. 

   If you were starting over you would first wash down the face frames with TSP and water, rinsing well, and then wash down with naphtha.  Then you can strip.  Sanding is the least successful way of getting wood ready to accept stain again. 

   But, if you have removed the pigment and have dye that has penetrated deeply you want bleach, but this calls for chlorine bleach not oxalic acid. 

   Oxalic acid bleach does a good job of removing metallic stains from wood.  

   Veneering has lots of advantages, and may make your refinishing schedule simple enough that it would cost less to veneer and then finish it and the new parts with all the same schedule, than go through a process to try to make the old and new match.