SFGate

Rockin' Fine Finish Well in my expert opinion I've seen the those transformations I'm not very impressed. They look fake plastic like. Are you doing the stain one or painted?

A Kitchen That Works LLC Remove a drawer front from it's box and experiment on the back side of the drawer front and see what you think.

julie77777 Rockin' - I'm thinking about diong the stain one. A Kitchen - Thank you .... definitely a good idea!!

Rockin' Fine Finish Why don't you have a stain matched to what you want since rustoleum only has stock colors. Then all you need is a topcoat you can do an acrylic or oil base depending on your needs.

julie77777 If I want to re-stain my wood cabinet frames, using a "regular" normal stain like Minwax, I would have to completely sand down the wood frames so there is no trace of the old stain remaining - right?? (Can you tell I've never done any refinishing? LOL) I was thinking that was the beauty of the Rustoleum kit -- not having to sand it all down.

Rockin' Fine Finish You do have to do some sanding with the rustoleum. thats why I said it looks plastic like because in order to cover up your old stain they have to make a solid stain and a lot of the wood character is lost at that point I would just paint them. Yes all the old stain would have to be removed. You could try it but if you don't like it then you are out the money for the rustoleum Isn't the product about $100.

julie77777 Hmmm, more to consider! Thanks, Rockin'

Sharyn I used the product and was very happy with the outcome. I don't feel the finished look, looks plastic. It looks painted. I used it on existing honey oak cabinets and a new unfinished cabinet and you cant tell which one it is. I covered over laminate as well as oak, all looks uniform. I did a few extra steps in addition to the kit directions. I TSP'd them clean and also light sanded to remove dings and wear. I also primed to help the bond coat adhere better as well as hide the grain a bit. I did not use the included glaze, I wanted a pure white finish. I'm not a fan of what others have achieved using the glaze. It looks wiped on and streaky. They just used bad technique. Also, I wish I had rolled on the bond coat instead of brushing it on. It would have gone faster with better uniformity. I had over 30 cabinets and stiles. It took over a week of constant work. So know up front of the time limit. It cost me $55. The hardest part will be deciding on a color. Good Luck.

julie77777 Excellent tips, how-to's, and suggestions, Sharyn! Thank you!! I would love to hear from more people who have used the "stain" version......

julie77777 Other comments?

Rockin' Fine Finish Stay away from the product it turns out looking like paint not stain.

Sharyn The new stain product must be new....I would have liked to have tried that. I have the same cabinets used in my kitchen, in a guest bath - I might try it there!! The cabinets are in great condition, just need a little sprucing up.

julie77777 Some good pros, cons, and tips here re: Rustoleum Transformation kits!

laurakaplandesigns Try a gel stain over the oak. A darker shade than the existing will hide the grainy look. It's super easy and looks much better than the rust oleum or simply painting. I have had better results with a brand called Masters I think over MinWax. You can test on the back side of a door.

julie77777 Thanks, laurakaplan .... that sounds like a great option for me! Someone else had mentioned a gel stain but I didn't know what brand might be good!