Cabinet touch-ups

[ChasingRain]

Some of the lower cabinets in my van are showing their age. The finish is looking a little rough in spots, but not everywhere, and things are generally looking a bit "lived in." Short of completely stripping them and re-finishing, I'm wondering what I can do to touch things up a bit? A light sanding and a light coat of polyurethane? any sage advice?

[lowbudget]

I am a cabinetmaker and carpenter by trade so I may be of assistance here. I'm not sure what finish was used on the cabinets but polyurethane can be used over most anything including laquer, so your idea of a light sanding and a coat of poly sounds like it would work. I have used a dozen gallons of Minwax poly over the past few years with excellent results. I prefer a satin finish but a semi-gloss may match better. I often use cheap foam brushes because you can just toss them out rather than trying to clean a brush after. I have thrown away many good brushes because you can't get them clean enough. Most often it takes two coats with a light sanding between coats with 240 grit (or close). Let us know how it turns out.

[skater]

Are our cabinets real wood?

I thought they were particleboard, but now that I think about it, one of mine has split in a manner consistent with real wood (i.e., not chipping or splintering).

[Alaskan]

Pretty much all solid oak RJ....if you look close you can see the lines where the door-fronts are assembled from material that was 4-6 inch wide...unfortunately the separation that you mentioned is a frequent problem and I've had to re-glue several in the rigs I've owned or worked on....bar-clamps & wood glue.

As far as refinishing, I've done some of that also using Kraylon Clear Polyurethane #7005......removed the pieces and give 'em a light sanding and lay them down flat in a well lighted area or outside so you can see the surface well for spraying them.

[skater]

Pretty much all solid oak RJ

Wow.

And that, folks, is why we buy Airstream!

[Alaskan]

ya.....its also one of the reasons our rigs weight so much

Look around, there's a lot of solid oak

[baggydew]

Just got through refinishing cabinets in my '94. Took off the doors and lightly sanded everything with 220 grit until smooth. Didn't have to do a heavy sanding but just knocked down the ridges where the grain was lifted. Lightly used Minwax maple (best match) stain rubbed on, and waited 24 hrs. Finish was two coats of Minwax Antique Oil Finish. (red square can). You just apply it with brush or rag, wait 10 minutes and buff With soft rag. EASY! It matches the original finish beautifully giving a soft satin sheen that's waterproof. Beats the heck out of Poly finishes that show damage when scratched. If you scratch this oil finish you just hit it with a little lemon, olive or linseed oil and you can't see any damage. Poly finishes put what is basically a plastic coating on the wood. The oil finish on the other hand is absorbed into the wood and creates a handrubbed oil finish...Beautiful...... looks like they did originally. This can easily be done with the doors on as it doesn't have to lay flat to dry..it's just a thin rubbed on coat that absorbes, then gets buffed.

[Alaskan]

Sounds good baggy....thanks for your post

[Electraglide]

I also have several split drawer fronts that need repaired. I expect that the problem is that they are fixed in place to the inner drawer front with two screws that don't allow for expansion and contraction of the real wood outer face due to changes in humidity. I plan to drill slots in the drawer backing screw holes (not the front!) to allow the screws to move when needed. The only problem that I see is with the panel in front of the sink. I looks like that panel is screwed directly to the cabinet frame, so it might split again.

[baggydew]

The splits in the cabinets may be happening where two boards are glued together to make a panel. Check the grain carefully. If so, you'll need to remove the panel and re-glue. Very often, the glue will dry out over time and lose its holding power. Wood in these campers are subject to very hot and cold temps and that expansion and contraction over time will dry out old glue. If This is the cause of the splits, after you re-glue, you should be OK for many more years without drilling out the screw holes.