My 20yr old kitchen has cherry cabinets with a clear lacquer finish. Overall the cabinets are in great shape but the finish is worn near the sink and other high wear areas. The cabinets have also faded quite a bit so i would like them darkened a coulple shades so they match the inside of the door. I originally hired someone, who ensured me that he has done lots of this type of work to refinish them, but I am not satisfied with his quality of work on the sample door.
On the sample he lightly sanded and sprayed an oil based stain over the existing finish. He then followed that up with a poly top coat. My biggest complaint is the finish is not smooth and there are some fish eyes and other defects. Also, the areas where the lacquer was worn absorbed much more stain so they are significantly darker. Is he going to be able to get a good finish with this process or is it a lost cause?
After looking into it more, it seems that maybe a clear precat lacquer, or some other way to seal the damage bare wood areas, followed by a couple layers of tinted precat maybe the way to go. Do you guys agree or what do you recommend?
On the sample he lightly sanded and sprayed an oil based stain over the existing finish. He then followed that up with a poly top coat. My biggest complaint is the finish is not smooth and there are some fish eyes and other defects. Also, the areas where the lacquer was worn absorbed much more stain so they are significantly darker. Is he going to be able to get a good finish with this process or is it a lost cause?
After looking into it more, it seems that maybe a clear precat lacquer, or some other way to seal the damage bare wood areas, followed by a couple layers of tinted precat maybe the way to go. Do you guys agree or what do you recommend?