How to Re-stain Cabinets
- 1). Disassemble the cabinet with your screwdriver, taking off all the hinges, knobs and other hardware. Spread out the wood doors and other pieces on newspapers.
- 2). Use your hand-held power sander with rough sandpaper to take off the finish of the cabinet. Move the sander with the direction of each section of the cabinet, forward and back, until it's down to bare wood.
- 3). Sand the cabinet a second time, this time with fine sandpaper, to smooth out the surface.
- 4). Put on rubber gloves. Brush the stain on heavily to each cabinet section, with the surface positioned horizontally when possible. For each section, let the stain sit for about 60 seconds, then used old rags to wipe up the excess stain. Do the same all the sections.
- 5). Let the stain dry overnight. Spray on a light coat of polyurethane. Let it dry for two hours. Spray on a second light coat of polyurethane. Let it dry for two hours. Repeat until you've got the surface look you want. Let the final coat of polyurethane set overnight, then reassemble the cabinet.
Source...