How to Refinish Old Bathroom Sink Cabinets

Homeowners want their bathroom cabinets to be attractive. Finished cabinet surfaces are usually stained, and then topped with polyurethane or another form of gloss. Refinishing involves taking off that gloss and stain, getting the wood down to bare grain, then adding new stain and new gloss. The sink and other hardware can complicate the project. Don't try to work around anything that you can easily take out.

Screwdriver
Masking tape
Tarp
Hand-held power pad sander
Sandpaper (heavy and fine abrasion)
Stain
Paint brush
Paper towels
Polyurethane
Extra-fine sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Disassemble as much of the cabinet as you can, removing the wood from non-wood parts. Tape off with masking tape anything you can’t remove. Lay out a tarp around the wood part of the cabinet to protect the floor.
- 2
  Set up the sander with heavy sandpaper. Sand the wood surfaces of the cabinet, removing the existing finish completely. Wipe away the dust.
- 3
  Sand the surface a second time with fine sandpaper, getting the bare wood flat and dull. Wipe off the dust.
- 4
  Brush stain over each section of the cabinet with a paint brush, laying it on as thick as possible. Let it sit for one minute. Wipe up the surface stain with paper towels, leaving the stain that has penetrated the wood.
- 5
  Let the stain set overnight.
- 6
  Apply a light, thin coat of polyurethane over the wood, using your paint brush to brush it in the direction of the wood grain. Do the whole cabinet. Let it dry for eight hours.
- 7
  Dull the shine of the polyurethane with extra-fine sandpaper, lightly sanding it by hand. Wipe off the dust.
- 8
  Apply a second coat of polyurethane. Let it dry. Sand it lightly by hand. Apply a third coat and let it dry for 24 hours. Reassemble the cabinet.

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