I came across Monica's blog on Pinterest from her detailed post on staining oak cabinets. It seemed easy enough so I thought I'd try it out at my parent's house. Their cabinets are an old honey oak color and I've always felt they were really outdated.
It was an easy project once I figured out what I was doing. At first I was worried about overdoing the stain but it turned out I actually wasn't putting on enough! The first coat was splotchy but the blog post said it would be. When the second coat was still splotchy, I started to panic. It warns you not to put on too much stain but I think I was being a bit overcautious.
I would say don't be afraid to apply the stain generously. I also dug up all the single cotton men's socks I could find in our laundry room (which was a lot), and used those for staining like the blog post suggests. I also bought some foam brushes to use as back up. In the end, I actually switched over to the foam brushes because I felt that it was easier to use and left less streak marks.
Cabinets after the 3rd coat of stain
Three coats of stain and two coats of poly later, here is the finished product. I also replaced the old rusting hardware with new brushed nickle ones. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my work. It was a very simple project and I feel like it made a huge difference in the bathroom. I also replaced the old vanity light, re-caulked the sink, and added some new decor. I'm planning to give the walls a fresh coat of paint soon and I'll post pictures once I get that done. Feel free to ask any questions :)
