What is the easiest way to remove polyurethane stain from a wood cabinet?

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We stained a few cabinets with a polyurethane glossy stain & decided it was too "shiny" for our cabinets. We need to start over but want to remove the glossy stain before repainting a lighter color with a duller look.

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  1. Scott says:
    November 3, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    If all you want to do is dull the finish to a semi-gloss or matt finish, all you really need to do is lightly sand the surface with 220 to 360 grit sandpaper and apply a layer of the polyurethane with the finish you want.

    Stain, by its nature, penetrates the wood. It can be deepened either by sanding off the poly finish and re-staining, or by using a poly with a stain added.

    Lightening the stain would require sanding a significant portion of the woods surface away to get under the previous stain. If you want to paint, you can lighten, but will loose the wood grain and texture.

  2. Whisperer says:
    November 3, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    A few options here. You can strip the poly off with any varnish stripper (quart can) or you can sand with medium grit then fine grit. If you use the stripper, follow up with steel wool (medium/fine). This will prepare the surface for the new, less glossy poly.

  3. kwingary says:
    November 3, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    I assume you have actually used a polyurethane finish which also contains a stain [minwax polyshades is one example] This being the case, if it was done over bare wood, your greatest challenge will be to lighten the wood after removing the coating as it will be stained. It will require a fair bit of sanding and elbow grease to get it to a lighter even texture if you intend to re-stain with a lighter shade.. You can remove the poly with stripper or a paint scraper or use a lot of sandpaper as it tends to clog easily.
    If you decide to paint instead, all you do is sand a bit to rough it up and apply an alkyd primer and paint.

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