Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing / Stained Cabinets
Stained cabinet refinishing in St. Louis.
The grain in your original oak or cherry cabinets is the point. We make sure it survives the process.
Original wood grain is irreplaceable. Treat it that way.
Stained kitchen cabinets in St. Louis's older homes are almost always solid wood or solid-wood-faced — oak, cherry, maple, walnut. The grain in these materials developed over decades or centuries. It's tight, dense, and visually distinctive in a way that modern cabinet lumber can't replicate.
Dip stripping destroys that. Submerging wood in a caustic chemical tank raises the grain fibers, opens the pores, and permanently changes the surface texture. The stain that goes on afterward looks blotchy and uneven because the wood itself has been damaged.
Hand stripping preserves the grain. We remove the old finish layer by layer with appropriate solvents and detail tools, keeping the surface intact. The new stain penetrates cleanly and evenly. The result looks like the wood it actually is — not like a wood-adjacent surface that's been processed.
Stain matching across your existing woodwork.
One of the most common requests on stained cabinet projects: match the refinished cabinets to the existing hardwood floors, door trim, or other millwork. This is a skill that takes years to develop.
We assess the existing tones — accounting for the fact that original finishes have often shifted color over decades due to UV exposure and oxidation — and work to get as close as possible. When an exact match isn't achievable, we discuss options before we start. You don't get surprised at the end.
EPA Certified for pre-1978 kitchens.
If your home was built before 1978, the finish on your cabinets may contain lead. Stripping those cabinets generates lead dust. Sue Wheeler is an EPA Certified Lead Renovator — every pre-1978 project is handled with proper containment, HEPA filtration, and documented cleanup.
Strip & Refinish or Perk Up & Protect?
Strip & Refinish
Full restoration. Strip to bare wood, stain, finish. For cabinets with worn or failing finish, significant color change, or any surface damage. This is the right choice for most stained cabinets that haven't been properly finished in years.
Perk Up & Protect
Light prep and fresh topcoat over a solid existing finish. For cabinets that are in good structural condition and holding their finish but looking dull. We'll tell you which applies.