Thin veneer on panels and end sides
Many 1970s cabinets have solid wood doors but veneered end panels and center panels. Veneer is thin, so we strip it chemically and sand by hand instead of machine sanding.
Serving Bloomingdale & nearby Roselle, Glendale Heights
Cabinet Refinishing & Staining in Bloomingdale, IL
Keep your solid wood cabinets in Bloomingdale and give them a new stain and a hard clear finish, with the grain still showing.
- Serving Bloomingdale ZIP 60108
- A new look without tearing the kitchen out
- Clean, protected work area every day
Wood cabinet problems we refinish in Bloomingdale
Refinishing is for owners who like wood but not the color it is now. In Bloomingdale we take doors to our shop, strip and sand them, re-stain or clear-coat them, and finish the face frames in place while your counters and layout stay untouched.
Cloudy, milky or white-spotted finish
Hazy, whitish areas near steam sources mean the clear coat has taken on moisture. We strip or sand that layer and lay down a fresh one.
Sticky or gummy finish
A finish that feels tacky near the stove is usually old varnish softened by heat and grease. It has to come off; a new coat over it will stay soft.
Honey oak that looks orange
Old oil-based finishes amber with age, so oak that started golden now looks orange. A new stain in a browner or grayer tone, under a clear coat that does not yellow, fixes the cast.
Painted wood you want back to natural
Painted-over wood cabinets can often go back to a stained finish. The test door tells us how much paint is locked in the pores.
Finish worn to bare wood near the handles
Hands and wet dish towels wear through the clear coat around pulls and on the sink base. The bare wood turns gray or dark; we sand those areas back, blend the stain and recoat the whole door.
Cherry that turned too red
Cherry darkens and reddens with light over the years. If it now reads too red, a toner or a browner stain can pull it back toward a neutral tone.
Cabinets too dark for the room
Dark espresso or walnut stain makes a small kitchen feel closed in. Going lighter means stripping to bare wood, and how light you can go depends on the species, so we test a door first.
What we do on the job
- Protection and setupWe mask the counters, cover the floor and set up dust control in the kitchen first.
- Door and drawer removalEvery door and front is labeled to its opening and taken off-site for the heavy work.
- Stripping the old finishOld varnish, lacquer or paint is removed with strippers suited to the coating and the wood.
- Sanding and repairsWe fill gouges with matched filler, re-glue loose parts and sand the surface smooth.
- Sample door and color approvalOne door is finished first in your chosen stain so you approve the color in your own light.
- Face frames on siteThe cabinet boxes stay in your kitchen and are finished on site with ventilation running.
- Reinstall and hardwareWe reinstall every door and drawer front, align the gaps and fit new hardware.
Finishes we offer
Gel stainGel stain colors evenly on tight-grain woods and can deepen a tone without full stripping.
Oil-based and water-based wood stainsPenetrating stains color the wood itself and suit oak and other open-grain species.
Toners and glazesTinted clear coats that shift the color of the whole surface, used to correct red or orange tones.
Waterborne polyurethane topcoatWater-based poly keeps light stains from turning amber and dries quickly between coats.
Catalyzed lacquer and conversion varnishSprayed, cross-linking clear coats that cure harder than standard finishes, for busy kitchens.
Cabinet Refinishing & Staining before and after — Bloomingdale homes
Before
After
DetailA Bloomingdale two-story colonial from the 1990s: before and after
This one is a two-story colonial from the 1990s near Old Town Bloomingdale. Before: solid wood cabinets with a dull, uneven stain worn white near the handles. What bothered the owners most: a stain that had gone patchy and tired. Finished kitchen: wood cabinets stripped and refinished in a deep espresso-brown stain, grain still showing. On site this meant sanding and repairs, face frames on site, plus reinstall and hardware.
Before
AfterBefore and after: a 1970s split-level in Roselle
This one is a 1970s split-level in Roselle. What we started with: solid wood cabinets with a dull, uneven stain worn white near the handles. The reason for the call: bare wood showing where hands touched the doors. The result: wood cabinets stripped and refinished in a rich even medium-brown stain, grain still showing. The job covered door and drawer removal, stripping the old finish, plus sample door and color approval.
Cabinet Refinishing & Staining in Roselle →
Before
AfterGlendale Heights kitchen, 1990s two-story colonial: cabinet refinishing & staining
A 1990s two-story colonial in Glendale Heights, a typical kitchen for Glendale Heights. The kitchen as it was: solid wood cabinets with a dull, uneven stain worn white near the handles. What bothered the owners most: a stain that had gone patchy and tired. After: wood cabinets stripped and refinished in a deep espresso-brown stain, grain still showing. On site this meant door and drawer removal, stripping the old finish, plus sanding and repairs.
Cabinet Refinishing & Staining in Glendale Heights →
Before
AfterBloomingdale kitchen, 1980s two-story: kitchen cabinet painting
The same doors sprayed in creamy white uppers and navy lowers, new satin brass pulls; counters and floor stayed as they were.
Kitchen Cabinet Painting in Bloomingdale →
Before
AfterA Bloomingdale two-story colonial from the 1990s: before and after
New flat slab doors with a thin edge in white uppers and deep green lowers on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls.
Cabinet Refacing in Bloomingdale →Day by day
- Visit and wood checkWe confirm the cabinets are real wood, find any veneer, and look at how the finish is failing.
- Color sampleYou see a finished test door in your own light before we commit to the color.
- Strip and sandOld finish comes off the doors off-site while we prep the frames in your kitchen.
- Stain and clear coatColor first, then several clear layers for a hard, smooth finish.
- Reinstall and walk-throughWe rehang, align, touch up and check every door and drawer with you.
Cabinet Refinishing & Staining questions from Bloomingdale homeowners
Can you re-stain 1970s oak cabinets?
Oak cabinets from those years are some of the best candidates for re-staining. Darker or neutral tones work best.
What affects the price of refinishing?
Size of the kitchen, condition of the finish and the color change you want. After the visit we send a written estimate with each item listed.
Can thermofoil or laminate cabinets be stained?
Stain only works on wood. For thermofoil or laminate, new doors or refacing is the realistic route.
How long does cabinet refinishing take?
Plan on roughly a week or two. Stripping and drying time between coats set the pace, and we schedule the frames so you keep cooking.
Is it worth refinishing kitchen cabinets?
If the boxes are solid wood or good plywood and you like the layout, usually yes. You keep the cabinets, counters and plumbing and change only the finish.
Do I need a Bloomingdale-registered contractor for cabinet refinishing?
No registration application or fee to work as a contractor in Bloomingdale. Permit submittals need a detailed written scope of work. We take care of that before work starts.
Do you work in my part of Bloomingdale?
Yes. Our crews work across Bloomingdale, including Old Town Bloomingdale — ZIP 60108 — and nearby Roselle, Glendale Heights, Carol Stream.
Working in Bloomingdale
- A lot of Bloomingdale kitchens date from the 1970s. We know these layouts well and what is worth keeping.
- Most Bloomingdale homes are single-family. We protect floors and driveways and leave the site clean every day.
Old Town Bloomingdale
ZIP 60108
Cabinet Refinishing & Staining nearby
Other kitchen services in Bloomingdale
Kitchen Cabinet PaintingFactory-smooth painted cabinets without replacing them.
Cabinet RefacingNew doors and fronts on your existing cabinet boxes.
Kitchen Cabinet & Drawer RepairHinges, drawer slides and water-damaged sink bases fixed.
Kitchen RemodelingFull kitchen remodels, from layout to last cabinet pull.
Countertop Fabrication & InstallationQuartz, granite and butcher block, templated and installed.