149 – From Southwest to Contemporary

Video - May 26, 2011

My mom’s house is full of cabinet doors that were made in a Southwestern style and its time for a change. Replacing the cabinets is certainly an option and just replacing the doors alone would work too. But what if we could use our woodworking skills to modify the doors instead. In our situation, this turned out to be the perfect solution. So join me as I show you how to carefully modify and refinish my mom’s hickory doors.

Discussion

Bill Akins May 26, 2011 11:12 pm

Absolutely another great video. My wife and I have been talking about redoing our kitchen cabinet doors since we remodeled our kitchen. I think your video will push us to finish our kitchen. Thanks Marc.

Reply
John Verreault (aka Johnny_Vee) May 26, 2011 11:27 pm

Nice timing Marc. You been reading my wife’s mind or what? Guess, what she just suggested we do? That’s right, “Honey, let’s redo the kitchen cabinet doors…”. Looks like my task will involve actually building a bunch of doors as the ones we now have just ain’t worth refinishing nor do they match the Arts & Craft design of the house (circa 1917). My local Guild has a whole lot of nicely air dried Garry Oak available from our wood recovery program so that might be just the ticket ($2/bf for oak, ya gotta like it).

Got any good suggested references or links on A&C style doors?

John

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 27, 2011 7:39 am
  
  Not off the top of my head John, but I’ll keep my eye out!
  
  Reply
scott May 26, 2011 11:52 pm

What you call raising the grain I call cleaning. I noticed you hit it again with 220 after and called it good. I like to do the same only I will use a new tack cloth (damp) and wipe it down again. For me the finish comes out a lot smoother in less coats. I also use sealer on a lot of things as my base coat. I didn’t hear or see any of this. Is that normal for you? Also with just doing the doors and not the frames, was there a noticable contrast in shades? I know with cherry or maple it is night and day and something like that would not slide so easy. The shop vac in the back sure sucks huh!? Lol. I have the same one and do not regret spending a single dime on it. That thing rocks! Thanks for the free content as always! :)

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 27, 2011 7:21 am
  
  Hey Scott. When doing a clear coat on a simple door like this, I didn’t see any reason to use a separate sealer. And frankly, the first coat of any finish acts as a “sealer”. Now if I suspected issues with this wood, I would have given it a coat of dewaxed shellac just for the sake of sealing off any potential problems. But in this case, the doors cleaned up nicely and there was no need for the shellac.
  
  As for the cabinet frames, there is a very slight color difference. But the doors cover most of the frame and over time I am sure they will even out. We brought the doors inside the other day just to see what my mom thought and she said its not a problem for her and its hardly noticeable. Good enough for me! :) But you’re so right about other species of wood. You definitely couldn’t get away with that if you were using one of the more color-changing woods.
  
  Yes I DO love that vac! I picked it up on the advice of the forum and folks on Twitter and I am very happy I did. Its a great shop companion!
  
  Reply
  - scott May 27, 2011 2:39 pm
    
    Understood! I would like to say that I was taught to always put down sanding sealer first, then your top finish no matter how many coats it took. Your way of just using top coat back to back brings up a question. Obviously you don’t have the mess of switching from product to product, but isn’t sanding more difficult on top coat compared to sanding sealer? I will only complete a project when it is smooth. That being said I don’t own a sprayer, booth, or anything related, only china bristle brushes. So for me, I put on sealer and sand smooth. Next I will top coat 2-3 times and be done. As you know brushes do not hold a candle to sprayers most of the time. Is the fact that you spray your finishes on the reason you just use top coat and not sealer? I guess thats my vice as of now and how I do it, but I am not against trying something else that is faster and or possibly better. Yes its the same result in the end, but the road traveled is more scenic haha Thanks agian!
    
    Reply
    - thewoodwhisperer May 27, 2011 3:00 pm
      
      I would honestly just suggest giving it a shot on your next finishing project. I never find it “difficult” to sand finish and I don’t see a separate sealing product as a necessity in any way. As long as that first coat is cured, it powders up just fine and levels nicely.
      The only sealing product I ever use is dewaxed shellac. But again, not for ease of sanding but to seal off potential contaminants or oily woods. And I really think all the same rules apply whether applying by brush, rag or HVLP. So if it sounds compelling, give it a shot.
Wil May 27, 2011 5:53 am

Thanks for the video! I hope you get those turkey sandwiches!

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Justin May 27, 2011 6:03 am

Looks Great Marc! Would have been a mess if those were glued down instead of just the brads!

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Barry Lam May 27, 2011 6:17 am

Marc, what would you have done if the molding happened to be glued on rather than nailed on? How would you not strip out the plywood?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 27, 2011 7:15 am
  
  Honestly, if they were glued down I might not have taken on the job. It would be nearly impossible to remove them without pulling up a significant amount of the panels veneer face. So during the first part of the inspection, I would have informed my mom that the project is a “no go”. If I were a little more brave, I suppose I could try chiseling up little bits of each piece of molding at a time, and then use a scraper once I got to the glue layer. But again, that would difficult to control and very risky.
  
  Reply
- Raymond May 27, 2011 10:51 am
  
  If the blocks were glued and time involved was not as much of an issue, here are some options I?m thinking of, provided they would work with these doors/cabinets. (1) Perhaps the blocks could have been routed out? (But then there might be a shadow of glue still left in the wood even after sanding.) (2) If the panel had the same hickory face on both sides, but only molding on one side, then route out the panel from the back, making the groove for the panel a rabbet instead. Then remove the panel, flip it over and add trim on the inside to hold the panel in place. (3) Option 2, but replace the panel. (4) Make or buy new doors. (5) Paint the door, or use a gel stain if a darker color would work.
  
  Reply
  - Kris Lauer May 30, 2011 10:50 am
    
    As far as if the blocks were glued on, you could have also tried heating them up. Heat does a great job of easing glues hold on things. Using a putty knife again to release the beasties from the panel. Just an option to keep in mind.
    
    Reply
Kevin May 27, 2011 7:59 am

Awesome vid Marc. I have a house full of cabinets that NEED to be refinished. Now if I can just talk my wife into doing it!!! :)

Reply
Rosie May 27, 2011 8:02 am

Hi Marc,
That?s a sweet and simple new door look. How do you spray your projects? As in do you just spray outside or do you have a Portable Spray Booth? I am trying to figure out how to make a Portable Spray Booth, any ideas on how to make one?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 27, 2011 8:40 am
  
  You can pretty much see what I do right there in the video. I bring the project out into the driveway right at the front of the shop. Someday I’ll cook up a knock-down spray booth. Matt over at UpperCut Woodworks did a video recently on his booth that you might want to check out: http://uppercutwoodworks.com/2.....hed-booth/
  
  Reply
  - Rosie May 27, 2011 8:38 pm
    
    Thanks Marc!!
    
    That’s a great website for how to make a spray booth.
    I think, I will build this spray booth this summer.
    
    Reply
Lori May 27, 2011 9:59 am

Cool functional project Marc. I’ve been thinking about how to give a fresh look to our dated kitchen cabinets. My hubby wants to paint them…but being a wood connoisseur myself, I’d like to keep them wood. It’s expensive to have someone else do a cabinet “face-lift” and frankly I think I could do it myself. This video gave me a few ideas that just might work for my cabinets, as well as saving money and time. Thanks Marc…I always enjoy your videos.

Reply
Jason May 27, 2011 10:29 am

I just completed a similar project on my dining room table that had a shellac finish that started to go soft from lysol wipes. What a difference a real durable finish makes!

I’m thinking of getting into spraying finishes and wondered what unit you are using? Is it regular compressed air or HVLP.

Thanks

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 27, 2011 10:38 am
  
  I was using the Earlex HV7000. Its an HVLP turbine.
  
  Reply
Raymond May 27, 2011 10:53 am

Simple and affordable solutions are the best. Great video.

Reply
TWWMom May 27, 2011 11:19 am

Well….Momma is real happy! So you are on for those “Turkey Sandwiches!” In fact, I am so happy, I may even offer you a drink and chips to go with those sandwiches! Oh, one more thing….don’t you dare start a collection of my cute little coffee cups in your shop…they go IN the dishwasher! xoxox TWWMomma

Reply
- Jesse May 28, 2011 10:17 pm
  
  It’s so fun to see you involved in your sons woodworking. Even if it’s mostly just moral support. My mom is going to start coming over every Tuesday night and we are going to work together on a project of her choosing. She has decided she wants to make a bench out of an old bed frame. Should be fun.
  
  Reply
- MikeM May 29, 2011 9:34 am
  
  You sound JUST like my wife talking to our kids……
  
  Of course, she never EVER talks to me like that because I ALWAYS *cough* put my dishes in the dishwasher. :)
  
  Reply
Hal May 27, 2011 3:45 pm

Very nice looking doors man, I bet your mother really appreciated the new look.

Reply
Ben Goracke May 27, 2011 3:50 pm

Great video! It’s nice to see projects like this every once in a while. Keep up the great work!

Reply
Robert M May 27, 2011 5:20 pm

Great video , like others here I also have this task ahead of me in the near future.

I think the next video segment though will be of TWWMom showing you exactly how to remove a coffee cup from the Work shop and how to properly place it in the dishwasher LOL

I will not bring Mom’s Coffee cups into the shop
I will not bring Mom;s Coffee cups into the shop
…
…

Go Mom!!!

Reply
Lone_Wolf May 27, 2011 8:13 pm

Marc,

Another great video. Keep up the good work. This could be a great cost saver for some people. They could put those savings towards a guild membership and learn even more..

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 27, 2011 9:16 pm
  
  Hey, I like the way you think! :)
  
  Reply
Matthew Hills May 27, 2011 9:16 pm

Love the chihuahua mug.

Do you do anything consciously to make sure your spray coats the inner edges of the rails/stiles, or is this something that gets covered automagically by the spray pattern when you’re going over the top?

Matt

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 28, 2011 7:20 am
  
  In this particular case, the inner edges really aren’t substantial enough to worry about and they do get covered pretty well while hitting the top surface.
  
  Reply
VitalBodies May 28, 2011 1:55 am

You really got of easy on this project using your Wood Whisper knowledge and that magic mug. Any idea roughly how long per door this will take you?

Our cabinets are fairly (medium) dark and we would like them much lighter. I would imagine the process is the same although one would have to do the front and back of the doors and the cabinets faces and frames. once scraped and sanded, do you know of a natural (oil/finish/coating/stain/whatever) wipe on way of doing this that might remove the need of using a sprayer? Spaying seems nice for some things but a hand rubbed approach is also nice for others.

A side note: I bought a mask from your Amazon store and they sent me a box with only the bag the 3M mask came in? An oddity for sure as I shop Amazon quite a bit without issue. I returned the box. Yes it is odd to have to return an empty box but I will keep trying on ordering from your store and hope others do also.

Also, nice video and thanks.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 28, 2011 7:51 am
  
  That one door took about 2 hours, and much of that was waiting for something to dry. Also keep in mind that was with the filming too. Its actually a very quick process and I could probably do quite a few in a single day, assembly line style.
  
  For your situation, that definitely seems like something you can pull off. If you are sure the wood is stained and you like the look of the grain underneath, all you need to do is scrap/sand/strip to remove the stain and finish. Just keep in mind that some woods have grain and pockets that like to pull in stain very deeply. So you may wind up with some dark spots here and there. But this really depends on the species.
  
  As for a natural finish, you might try something like Tried & True Varnish Oil. http://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com/varnish.htm It can be tricky to apply (very thin coats), but it will offer some protection and has no VOC’s.
  
  Yeah that is odd. Problem with Amazon these days is you never really know WHO is sending you the product. There are so many vendors using Amazon as their store front, you have to look pretty closely to see who’s actually providing you the product. Sorry you had that experience. Hopefully it will be quickly remedied. But I do appreciate you shopping in the store.
  
  Reply
  - VitalBodies May 29, 2011 10:51 pm
    
    Amazon was a total fluke, I would not think twice about ordering again and will. Thank you for your awesome answers. Can’t wait to see the new book (by you on finishing). Request: would love to see some video on natural finishing. And, have you ever done any “demographics”? Like a poll where you find out what the bulk of your audience is? Example: Fine wood workers that make high end furniture or new folk that are into wood work because they bought a fixer and are re-doing their house. That kind of info could prove valuable for you and them…
    Thanks again as always…
    
    Reply
stevenh May 28, 2011 3:56 pm

There is many ways of modify the door.
You can use UTC (uniersal tinting color) to tint the GF High Performance.
-Glaze is another.
French polish is another one LOL

Its all if you are willing to do it.

Reply
AndytheAndroid May 28, 2011 9:34 pm

Never thought to use a card scraper. What a great way to get rid of the original finish.

If only there was a way to magically change the width of the rails and stiles.

I am faced with rails and stiles that are just too wide, when compared to the size of the door.

Reply
Jesse May 28, 2011 10:24 pm

My kitchen cabinets are painted. I think when I get ready to tackle the task of redoing them it will require a full new face on them. I’ll put it on my todos for now. Way at the bottom

Reply
Ken F May 30, 2011 1:14 am

Marc,
What have been your second option other than a
card scraper ?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 30, 2011 8:11 am
  
  I think the only other options would be sanding and stripping. I probably would have just sanded them. The finish wasn’t too thick.
  
  Reply
Kris Lauer May 30, 2011 10:52 am

Just a quick thank you for the hours of work that goes into even these short videos! I am sure everyone appreciates any time you give us.

Reply
Stephen May 31, 2011 8:01 am

I like to see projects like this, its good to utilize things that are already there to make something better, they’re cheap and its a form of recycling really. I redid a bunch of tables for my mom by stripping them down with soygel and spraying them with enduro var it was about a day and a half work and it saved my mom a ton of money…like you said if momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy

Reply
Sanford May 31, 2011 8:25 am

Nice. How would you have stripped the old finish had the doors had curved surfaces instead of all flat surfaces?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 31, 2011 8:56 am
  
  I guess it depends on what kind of curved surfaces you’re talking about. But there isn’t much that you can’t scrape away with set of regular and gooseneck card scrapers.
  
  Reply
Mark G May 31, 2011 8:26 am

I redid our kitchen doors but my wife wanted white painted cabinets. So I painted the face frames and made new raised panel doors and installed euro hinges. Paining was a bad idea. I would much preferred making new cabinets out of cherry and sprayed lacquer.

That was about 5-6 years ago so maybe it’s time for new cabinets.

Reply
Ryan May 31, 2011 9:58 am

That turned out nice! I bet you’re glad those corner pieces weren’t glued down. Do you think you could post a picture of all the cabinets finished?

Reply
Russ A. May 31, 2011 10:26 am

Very nice video as always Marc! Is there a reason that you did not simply use a chamfer bit at the router table to remove the finish from the edges?

If you are going to take on a project like this you could consider taking all of the doors to your local woodworking/hardwood store. Many of them have wide belt sanders that can strip the finish, and finish sand in no time at all leaving you to the panels and edges.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 31, 2011 10:34 am
  
  Well that’s definitely a reasonable way to go about it and in some cases I do just that. But the finish on these doors is so thin, its not that big of a deal to scrape off the finish. If I wind up batching out the rest of them, I will most likely resort to the chamfer bit in the router table.
  
  I also have a drum sander that could take care of the sanding portion but I really wanted to show a more “accessible” and low cost way to get the job done. My other concern about sanding is that you will need to do additional sanding when you get the boards home since all of the rails will be sanded across the grain. Depending on the grit they use, this could create a substantial amount of extra work.
  
  Reply
John F May 31, 2011 2:11 pm

Nice straight-forward project Marc. I think you should go for another couple sandwiches though ;)

I like how well the card scraper worked on the old finish. I recently got interested in scrapers after watching a few of your podcasts and I think I almost get the hang of sharpening them – I don’t get quite the curl shavings that I *should* but I a getting some type of shavings (as opposed to sawdust).

I was surprised to see you spraying so close to your lumber rack; I also recall you spraying outside near your house. I have not yet used lacquer; does it really dry that quickly so that overspreay is not as much of a problem?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer May 31, 2011 2:45 pm
  
  Hey John. Glad you’re enjoying scrapers. Once you get them tuned up, they can really save you a lot of hassle. As for the spraying…..its probably best to stay a decent distance from the outer walls of your house. What you don’t see in the videos is the fact that I always consider the direction the wind is blowing. I need to so that the camera isn’t downwind of the spray. So if I get the wind direction just right, I can just about spray right next to my house and not get anything on it. As for the overspray drying by the time it isn’t the ground….pretty much. Its so finely atomized that it usually just creates a fine powder on the concrete, which can be quite slippery. So everyone is going to have to use their judgement when they spray in their driveway. Obviously I need to get off my butt and just make a knockdown spray booth. The less overspray in the air, the better.
  
  Reply
Doug June 1, 2011 1:31 pm

Great job on the cabinets. I hope my wife does not see this. It would take me a lot longer than took you (even with the filming).

Reply
Ned June 3, 2011 4:20 pm

nice job there. quick question on the quick clamps you used. do you find that they raise the wood (slightly) off the table when in use and do that cause you problems when milling?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer June 3, 2011 5:07 pm
  
  I do find that clamps like this can lift the piece a little but its never really problematic for me. I am sure if I put more downward pressure while engaging the clamps that would alleviate it.
  
  Reply
Trevor Kernes June 4, 2011 4:40 pm

Great video. I was thinking of getting new cabinets but now I am rethinking it.

I really liked the Festool workcenter you used for spraying . . . the most expendable thing ever to carry the name.

Reply
John F June 5, 2011 5:47 am

Marc – as with most of your videos, I watched this one several times – a couple for the video itself, and then once or twice to check out what is going on in the background (shop tools, layout, anything else that might be interesting).

I noticed in the opening scene that your lumber rack (excellent job on the video for that btw) has some lumber all a marked up with chalk. Any chance you can elaborate what what your have going on with that?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer June 5, 2011 7:43 am
  
  Hey John. That’s lumber for the upcoming Guild build. I used the chalk to explain some grain direction choices in the video.
  
  Reply
Alvin VanBumble June 5, 2011 3:26 pm

Thanks for the mini video. I am going to refinish my cabinets someday and your video made it pretty simple. Alvin

Reply
Armando June 5, 2011 9:51 pm

Nice video, cool idea on seeing what you have in a different light.

Reply
John June 9, 2011 10:27 pm

Great transformation… another job well done!

Reply
Daniel P. June 14, 2011 1:27 pm

Nice vid Mark. Out with the old look and in with the new…with very little effort. I need to get one of those card scrapers.

Reply
Ross Ekberg June 24, 2011 6:13 am

Very simple. It’s amazing how close many styles really are to each other.

Reply
DTChristensen July 4, 2011 6:26 am

Marc,

Nice vid, as always. Two things I continually chortle about:

1) You always use festool random orbit sanding paper to do all your sanding. Not sure where those come from or how much you spend on them (did Festool accidentally ship a truckful of those instead of their latest and greatest gotta-have-it hand tool widget?) but you make us all jealous.

2) How is it your mom is a chihuahua lover and you end up with dobies? Interesting mix of fur kids in your family…

Okay, now on to the real comment. Are there additional considerations if you wanted to go beyond a clear finish? In other words, if TWWMom wanted a darker tone to the cabinets and you needed a light stain or dye, what process would you use to test the uptake and uniformity? In that project you wouldn’t have scrap wood to try it on, so it could be a dicey prospect.

Thanks again,
Dane

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer July 4, 2011 8:39 am
  
  Honestly, the paper thing is just bad habit. I try to grab the ones that are already worn to some extent so that my machine sanding is always good and fresh.
  
  And the story behind the chihuahua is a long one, lol. Dobies rule and that’s all there is to it. :)
  
  If I were going to color those pieces, the additional work I would have done would have been in the sanding. Clear finishes are more forgiving. But if the finish isn’t completely removed, the stain may take unevenly. Of course I would have also sanding the backs. And the stain would have gone on the back first just to see what I’m up against. On a wood like hickory, it probably would have been just fine. But on other blotch prone woods, you might have to take some steps to prevent blotch just like you would have with raw wood.
  
  Also, its usually a good idea to give a refinished piece a light coat (1/2 lb cut) of shellac. That will help prevent blotching and will also seal off any impurities from the previous finish.
  
  Reply
  - TWWMom July 4, 2011 9:55 am
    
    Dobies are just plain awesome, Labs are wonderful loving, loyal pups but Chihuahuas need love too…..so give it up you wood whispering son of mine!
    
    Reply
Philip Shie August 5, 2011 11:03 am

Great video, as always… I know you have posted your experience with HVLP, but do you have any opinion on airless sprayer, such as Graco X7? Seems like the Graco will no only do what HVLP does, but more (such as spray painting house/room). Would that be a wiser choice to buy? Thanks!

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer August 5, 2011 11:08 am
  
  Hey Philip. Some folks have good luck with airless units. In fact, we have a guest video on that exact topic: http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/airless-sprayers/
  
  The problem with them, though, is that they don’t really atomize the finish so they are not ideal for the standard clear topcoats we typically use in woodworking. Its great for painting though.
  
  Reply
- Russ A. August 5, 2011 11:20 am
  
  Philip, I used to use something similar to the Graco X7 for finishing furniture. I finally upgraded to HVLP about two years ago. The only thing that I miss about the airless sprayer is the ability to turn the spray gun in any direction and still have a good finish. The worst thing is that most of these sprayers use a 25-50′ hose. You have to put about a half of a gallon of finish through it before it will even spray. If you are spraying all day long something like this may be ideal. The shop that I used to work for used air assisted airless which can be expensive. Cleanup on this type of unit is a nightmare!
  
  Reply
  - Philip Shie August 5, 2011 11:37 am
    
    Thanks Marc and Russ…
    
    I was just hoping that the X7 can kill 2 birds with one stone… but I guess HVLP and airless sprayer each has its place and specific use.
    
    Russ, good tips on the hose length… I didn’t even think about that.
    
    Reply
Jeff Shirazi November 28, 2015 3:18 pm

Sorry if I missed this difference. But, you sanded the interior of the door but scraped the frame. Is there a reason for the difference? Was it just that you prefer using the scraper but couldn’t get good access to the interior?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo November 29, 2015 9:31 am
  
  That’s pretty much it. I like the scraper best in most situations, if it’s easy to get access.
  
  Reply

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149 – From Southwest to Contemporary

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