Any suggestions on how to stain brand-new maple cabinets to a dark chocolate-like color?

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I just bought a new house and it comes with new light maple cabinets. Rather than upgrading to a different color cabinet which can run up to 00, we are thinking about staining the standard cabinets and save ourselves some money for other upgrades. Is it recommended and what is the best way to go about it? Obviously I plan to stain them before we move in.

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  1. devilishblueyes says:
    August 9, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    I agree with Sophie. From the way you are talking, these cabinets are already finished. If so, you would have to remove that finish by sanding, which would be a lot of work. Wood is porous, when you finish it the pores of the wood get filled up. Even with sanding, some of the pores may be still filled up from the original finish and therefore not take stain and then the stain may not take evenly. I would recommed getting the color of cabinet you want and saving some of your other upgrades for later. I had a house built a few years ago and can give you some hits on what you probably should do now and what you can save for later.

    Things to change now:

    Cabinets
    Extra garage space
    Adding phone jacks
    Adding cable outlets
    Adding plug-ins
    Adding wiring to lighting spots
    Adding box support to allow for ceiling fans
    Adding dimmer wiring especially for ceiling fans
    Countertops
    A nicer shower or bathtub
    Nicer garage door
    Extra insulating house (seal cracks as building)
    Fireplace
    Adding extra sinks
    Extra closets
    Moving the laundry room upstairs near the bedrooms where the clothes are

    Things to change later:

    Fancier Mirrors
    Fancier Light fixtures
    Fancier Faucets
    Fancier toilets
    Fancier doors
    Fancier flooring
    Fancier door knobs/locks
    Fancier outlets/switches
    Garage door opener
    Insulating garage
    Fancier bathroom hardware
    Landscaping
    Adding appliances

    The thing you have to think about is how easy or hard it will be to make changes yourself later. Cabinets are not an easy change neither is running new wiring. The other thing to thing about is how expensive it will be to change once you are paying your mortgage. Expensive items are better to get done now. Wiring I’d say is the most important to get done while the house is being built. It is much easier to have it installed where you want while the house is being built. Otherwise you may have to knock a bunch of holes in your drywall and start drilling through studs, etc.

  2. Holly says:
    August 9, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    Maple is a very dense wood that does not take stain well. Hence, you don’t usually see dark maple furniture—at best, it will accept a light to medium light tone.

    While I cannot explain the process to you adequately, you do need to know that you may not be able to get what you want, and that you should research this carefully before you start. A coat of paint may be your best solution.

  3. Sophie B says:
    August 9, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    If they are unfinished , then you choose the color you want, wipe the stain on, wipe it off, wait for it to dry, apply your finish(polyuerthane)
    If they have finish on them ( Varnish, shellac, Poly) you have to completely remove the existing finish before you can re-stain…
    Stain will not penetrate finishes…
    Finish can be removed with a commercial product except Poly which has to be sanded off….
    Considering work hours involved it might be cheaper to pay for the upgrade…..

  4. tooyoungtobethisold says:
    August 9, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    Holly’s answer is correct. The best you can hope for is to sand off the existing poly or varnish thoroughly, tack off, prime, then paint. You have to decide how much your time is worth and if you’ll be satisfied with the final results. If there’s any kind of moulding on the doors and trim or routing on the doors and drawers, it will take forever to get them sanded down. Since you’ll have to paint, you could use a heat gun, but keep the windows open and wear a respirator because of the fumes.

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