Start by sanding and conditioning the wood. After that’s dry, put on two coats of polyurethane and your cabinets will look just as good as any professional could have done for you.

Before you stain the cabinets, it’s important to remove all the doors and drawers to make sanding and applying the stain easier.

Use 120 grit sandpaper to lightly sand the cabinets. Always sand in the direction of the wood grain.

For the second sanding, use 220 grit sandpaper.

After sanding, apply a wood conditioner.

Use a rag to work stain down into the pores of the wood.

Make a final pass working in the grain of the wood.

Use an oil-based polyurethane with an oil-based stain.