How can I sand & stain this dark cabinet a similar colour to another?

[LorenClayton]

Hello

This dark leadlight cabinet has been with our family forever. I'd like to sand it and re-stain it to a similar colour as the large cabinet next to it (the first photo). The only problem is that the sides seem to be a thin plywood (last photo) so I'm not sure how these would look stained. Maybe that's why someone painted over it with a darker colour so it wouldn't be that noticeable.

Any suggestions how to go about this? What type of stain should I get? I don't know what the colour of my larger laminate cabinet is - Jarrah or walnut maybe?

Thank you.

large cabinet

[JacobZ]

Hi @LorenClayton,

I'll start by saying it is always going to be difficult to colour-match-stained timber, as the colour is relative to the timber it is being applied to. If one piece of furniture has light timber and the other has dark timber, then you are never going to get them to match perfectly.

Something like a Jarrah stain and varnish, like this Bondall Jarrah Satin Monocel Stain and Varnish, would likely be close, but there are no guarantees it would be a perfect match. Perhaps a trip to your local store to have a look at the displays will help you see what the colour is like and make a more educated choice.

As you've indicated that you believe it has a thin plywood veneer, you would be far better off using a chemical stripping agent such as this Intergrain Liquid 8 Timber Stripper to remove the coating. Ensure you do this in a well-ventilated area, and you wear gloves, long protective clothing, eye protection and a mask. Follow the instructions on the packaging and use a Sharp Edge Paint Scraper to help remove the coating. 

Once the majority of the stain has been removed, you can use a medium-grit sandpaper, such as 120-grit, to remove any remaining stain and prepare the surface for your coating.

At this stage, it would be worth doing a test patch to see what the colour is like and if you are happy with it or not. You can always repeat the stripping process to remove it if needed.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[LorenClayton]

Thank you Jacob, I'll give that a go.

[LorenClayton]

Hello Jacob

The Bondall Jarrah stain worked a treat. I just used 240 sandpaper rather than the stripper, with 2 coats over 2 days. I was very careful with the plywood sides. Thanks so much for your advice.

It looks a lot better than it did. 

[JacobZ]

That looks great @LorenClayton!

I'm so glad to see it turned out so nicely.

Jacob