Kitchen Cabinet Refresh

Q: How can I freshen up the wood trim on my kitchen cabinets? They’re mostly made of melamine, with an oak grab-strip at the bottom of each door and at the top of each drawer. Over the last decade this wood has gotten dirty and rough, and I’d like to refinish it. Is urethane best for this job?

A: Yes, urethane will work well for you, provided you sand down to bare wood by hand first. All the old finish, grease and dirt must be gone or the new finish will fail. Start with 120-grit garnet paper, then move on to 180, then 220-grit. Apply four coats of urethane to the wood, sanding lightly with 220-grit paper after the second and third coats have dried. You’ll find a satin oil-based formulation easier to succeed with than the quicker drying water based urethanes.