[Nychick]

Hi all! I’m redoing some cabinets for a client now and I want to do right by them but also not waste unnecessary time. How far do you guys go in sanding? Obviously you do the faces and insides of doors and faces of drawers, but how much further is it appropriate to go? Do I need to do all of the insides of everything?

 

[Robie]

Do I need to do all of the insides of everything?

What's the customer expect?

 

[Nychick]

What's the customer expect?

Tbh she has no expectation. When we talked though, she didn’t mention any insides, just that she wanted the faces of everything redone to avoid buying new ones

 

[Robie]

Tbh she has no expectation. When we talked though, she didn’t mention any insides, just that she wanted the faces of everything redone to avoid buying new ones

I'd check to make sure.

 

[Nychick]

I'd check to make sure.

Ok thanks!

 

[MarkJames]

Restaining is not something I would take on, but here are my random thoughts, anyway...

Sanding?? Why not strip.... or clean and paint... or replace all the doors, etc? You have to really have a passion for this, because there's easier work to be had.. every day.

 

[avenge]

I think you should have someone more knowledgeable do the job.

 

[623Carpenter]

I always pitch new doors, then finish however they want. Margins are better.
Except for cabinets with glass doors, I've rarely done the insides.
These are questions you have to ask them and put into the scope. The last thing you want to hear when done is "I thought you were going to..."

 

[rrk]

Never do the insides, usually strip the doors, just let them know beforehand. I had a customer ask about the tops and bottoms already

 

[Ohio painter]

I do the inside of the doors and frames, but not inside the cabinet itself. I have had good results restaining cabinets. Be sure you are clear about what the customer is expecting, could be anything from a freshen up to a color change.

 

[Joe Fairplay]

The only time I would sand a cabinet is to rough them up for better glue adhesion for the refacing material.
I know it can be done correctly with time and experience.
No matter what you do and before you do any work, it should be spelled out, in writing, EXACTLY what you are going to do and NOT do.
Including any disclaimers about what could go wrong such as uneven results in certain areas, blotching, etc...

 

[tgeb]

Once you explain that every single thing must be removed from the cabinets and stored out of the way, the interior is not so much of an option.

 

[Hate Stress]

If she wants to go darker just clean/scuff sand and gel stain them or even use a toner to darken the shade with the poly on top will bring life to them but if she wants to go lighter I would sell her hard on painting them because the veneer that is usually on the sides of cabinets you know that smooth fake wood with fake grains doesn't really take stain otherwise strip sand and be there for a month and with gas prices it would end up being charity work.
If you already committed to stripping and doing inside the skeleton boxes I would tell her you got Covid and take your stuff and RUN!

 

[Nychick]

Restaining is not something I would take on, but here are my random thoughts, anyway...

Sanding?? Why not strip.... or clean and paint... or replace all the doors, etc? You have to really have a passion for this, because there's easier work to be had.. every day.

Well the restaining is what they requested specifically. And we stripped and sanded, wasn’t too crazy. I just wanted to know how much I should do to consider the job done well. Unfortunately, this customer is way too easy going and when I ask a question I get “whatever is easiest for you guys”. So I’m asking some experienced people their thoughts so at the end, everyone is happy

 

[Nychick]

If she wants to go darker gel stain them or even use a toner to darken the shade with the poly on top will bring life to them but if she wants to go lighter I would sell her hard on painting them because the veneer that is usually on the sides of cabinets you know that smooth fake wood with fake grains doesn't really take stain otherwise strip sand and be there for a month and with gas prices it would end up being charity work.

Tried the selling on paint, that she wasn’t budging on. I enjoy the process of staining so it’s not too bad. And her cabinets are legitimate wood, they’re just older. They held up well actually, so she didn’t want to get rid of them, just breathe some life into it.

 

[Nychick]

The only time I would sand a cabinet is to rough them up for better glue adhesion for the refacing material.
I know it can be done correctly with time and experience.
No matter what you do and before you do any work, it should be spelled out, in writing, EXACTLY what you are going to do and NOT do.
Including any disclaimers about what could go wrong such as uneven results in certain areas, blotching, etc...

This is a good thing to remember. I always try to be specific but I’m sure I can be better at it.

 

[Nychick]

I do the inside of the doors and frames, but not inside the cabinet itself. I have had good results restaining cabinets. Be sure you are clear about what the customer is expecting, could be anything from a freshen up to a color change.

Thank you for the reply! This is what usually do but for some reason my brain today said, ask someone if this is expected and you’re just being lazy or if it’s SOP not to do the interior unless specifically asked.

 

[MarkJames]

Got pics? From what stain to what stain?

 

[Nychick]

I think you should have someone more knowledgeable do the job.
[/QUOTE

How would one become more knowledgeable if they never ask? Everyone has to start somewhere. We have a really good client/contractor relationship and so I’d like to do right by her by dotting I’s and crossing T’s.

 

[Robie]

Yup. No guts, no glory.
Good luck!