Woodwork Newbie

[phantom]

Hi

For awhile now, i always wanted to darken my washroom sink cabinet to the darker wood color. Right now it looks like a honey color - yuk.

I got no tools and have no idea what paint or whatever you call it to get my cabinet darker. I know i shouldn't use paint because i want to see the wood grain.

It can't be the hard - could it?

I don't want to spend too much money because that is why i want to do it myself rather than buying a whole new cabinet.

Any tips would help.
I don't know the terminology to use so it is hard to research the exact tools and stuff i need for this project.
thanks

[Terryl]

Well first off you need to know if it is real wood or a composite, real wood you can sand down, composite you can't, also be carful as some cabinets are made with thin veneer plywood, you can sand right through it real easy.

Take a look at a spot that can't seen, test it with a sharp knife, if it is wood then your in luck.

You also need to know what type of finish is on it, if its one of the newer polyurethanes it may be hard to strip and sand, if lacquer you may have to send it out to have it stripped as some lacquers are hard to remove and re-stain.

To remove the finish there are several strippers that can be used, it would be best to go and ask someone at a hardware paint department to see what they would recommend for that finish, you could bring a drawer with you.

Some pre-fabbed cabinets cant be re-finished, you can then use a wood veneer to re-finish the cabinet, it glues on and you can stain and finish like real wood.

[oak]

Terryl is absolutely correct about the first step being finding out the construction of the cabinet. One trick that may tell you what it is made of would be to use a mirror on or near the floor to look at the underside of the face frame at the toe kick. Another would be to remove a hinge on a door. As a last resort the sinktop could be removed to reveal the top of the cabinet. Some plumbing skills will be required to do this. There you should be able to see what the face frame and end panel are made of.