A lot depends on what is happening to the finish. If this is a melamine coated particle board which is crazing there is no refinishing.
----- Original Message ----- From: Betsy Whitney To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 5:19 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Kitchen Cabinets Bob, This is a great post. Keith, if the person who told you that finishes in the U.S. can't be expected to last for more than 7 years, I only hope that they are not the person who will be paid to redo the cabinets. That is absurd. Betsy At 11:13 PM 8/3/2009, you wrote: > > >A finish should last more than 7 years. The biggest problem is going >to be finding out what type of finish you have already. > >Here are a few ways you can test the finish. Don't do this in a >highly visible area though. It will be noticeable. So try one of the >lower out of the way areas. > >Get a few pieces of clean cloth, and use a different piece for each >step. Rub a Few Drops of Boiled Linseed Oil Into the Wood - If it >absorbs, the wood has an oil finish. If it beads up, the wood has a >hard finish. > >Rub Acetone Over a Spot in a Gentle, Circular Motion - Polyurethane >finishes shed acetone like water. Lacquer dissolves in 30 seconds >with rubbing. Varnishes and shellacs turn to a sticky, gel-like >substance after a minute or two. > >Try a Few Drops of Denatured Alcohol - Shellac dissolves quickly in >denatured alcohol. Varnish reacts slowly. > >Good luck >----- Original Message ----- >From: Keith Christian >To: Blind Handyman >Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 4:13 PM >Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Kitchen Cabinets > >Hi, > >We moved into our home 7 years ago when the kitchen had just been >redone. We appreciate the previous owners doing all the work! It is a >very nice kitchen. > >One problem that we are having is that the finish is coming off the >cabinets. Someone told me that it is because we are not able to use >finishes in the US that will last a long time. > >Is there anything I can do to repair or improve the finish? I do not >know what kind of stain or finish is on the cabinets. > >I appreciate any suggestions. > >Keith > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
