The next day I took off the 2 cabinet doors to re-finish the frames. I was not going to take apart the doors. I would mask off the hinges and the panels before re-finishing. After looking at the frame of the unfinished door, I decided that half the frame needed to be redone too. I sanded the frames, and they were ready for stain.
I was beginning to hate my decision to use a different stain. Except for the lightness of the stain I used before, I did not have any problems applying the stain. I picked the wrong time to make a change. The kitchen cabinets were far more important to look great. My DIY skills would be on display. I would be looking at them every day and despising the work I did on the cabinet doors.
Before I applied any stain, I did some research to see why the stain was blotchy. Was the stain being lifted off when I was brushing on the poly? Why were some doors worse than they others? After research, it seemed that I needed to wait at least 24 hours to allow the stain to fully dry. Additionally, I decided that no rag or brush would touch the stain. I would use a spray-on poly.
The next day, while I waited for the stain to dry for 24 hours, I went out to buy the spray-on poly. When I returned, I went downstairs and checked the stain with a white towel. I wiped the frames down and I had very little color show up on the towel. I was ready for the poly.
Standing the frames upright, I applied the three coats of poly over the next two days. The finish on the frames looked great. No bumps, no runs. The finish was smooth. I might spray on poly on the rest of the door frames. I would continue to brush on poly on the door panels and drawer fronts. They turned out fine.
The doors were ready for installation. First, I needed to assembly one more door. Once I screwed in the hinges and installed the door pulls, I stepped back to check out my work. I still was not enamored with the finish. There are still light and dark spots especially by the joints. It looks as though I over-sanded in those areas if that makes sense. As I learn new lessons with the staining and finishing, I moved on to Phase 3.
