- 1). Lay newspapers out around the cabinet. Remove all hardware from the cabinet using your screwdriver. Place painter’s tape over any non-wood parts that you can’t remove.
- 2). Load your sander with heavy sandpaper. Sand the whole wood surface of the cabinet, taking off the existing finish completely. Brush off the dust.
- 3). Re-sand the surface with fine sandpaper on the sander, smoothing out the exposed wood. Brush off the dust.
- 4). Apply wood stain over the first section of the cabinet with a paintbrush, starting at the top. Spread the stain on as thickly as you can get it to stay.
- 5). Let the stain sit for one minute. Wipe it up with rags, leaving only the stain that has soaked into the wood. Repeat for each section of the cabinet.
- 6). Let the stain set for 24 hours.
- 7). Brush on a coat of polyurethane with the paintbrush, keeping it thin and smooth. Brush it with the direction of the wood grain. Cover the whole cabinet.
- 8). Let the polyurethane set for eight hours. Lightly buff it by hand with extra-fine sandpaper to dull the shine of the polyurethane. Brush off any dust.
- 9). Brush on a second coat of polyurethane. Let it set. Buff it as before. Brush on a third coat of polyurethane. Let it set for 24 hours before reinstalling the cabinet hardware.
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