DIY How to Update and Refinish a China Cabinet

A customer had a china cabinet she wanted to have refinished. It had an 80s Asian vibe. She wanted it to be stripped and then painted with a more traditional and updated look.

Supplies

For this project I stripped the cabinet, added new trim to the doors, then applied paint and glaze. For this project I used the following:

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Avocado Paint water based

Mocha Glaze

3/4" trim molding

As always practice safety. Stripping furniture causes splattering. Wear safety glasses, rubber gloves and old clothes or a shop apron. Wear hearing protection, a dust mask and heavy gloves for rough edges as needed.

Stripping the Cabinet

I had worked for the customer previously and did a similar update and refinish to her glass top coffee table (click to see that Instructable). She wanted this cabinet to match the table. I started by removing the doors and hardware. I then applied furniture stripper to remove the old finish. I like to work on a flat surface where possible so I laid the cabinet down. Each side I did I would rotate the cabinet so the cabinet was easier to strip. I would apply the stripper, let it sit for a minute or two, then scrape it off with a putty knife. This was repeated as needed. Once the bulk of the finish was stripped, I would switch to coarse steel wool instead of the putty knife, then another pass with fine steel wool. Once it was completely stripped I wiped down the surface with mineral spirits to neutralize the solvent. I then allowed the cabinet to dry over night.

Paint and Finish

The next day I used spackling to fill any small nail holes or cracks. I then sanded the cabinet and all the parts. I used some simple trim to give a raised detail on the front of the bottom doors to help update the look. This trim was cut on the miter saw, then attached with glue and a nail gun. I then painted the cabinet an avocado green paint. I gave it two coats applied with a paint brush. I usually prefer a brush for projects like this. The brush lines help give the piece a little texture for the glaze. I made sure to paint in the direction of the grain. Once the paint was dry, a mocha glaze was applied. I let the glaze sit for a minute or two then wiped off the excess with a clean rag, again in the direction of the grain.

After the paint and glaze cured overnight, I brushed two coats of satin poly finish to help protect it, sanding with #400 in between coats. The cabinet was reassembled and new hardware added.

I hope you have enjoyed this Instructable. Please take a moment to view my other projects. I look forward to your questions and suggestions in the comments section.

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