How to Stain Kitchen Cabinets Ebony

Ebony stained kitchen cabinets can make a strong design statement, while concealing flaws in the wood if necessary. In order to stain your kitchen cabinets ebony, you must remove the existing finish. For best results, start with light colored wood cabinets, without a hue that will affect the finished color of the stain.

Step 1: Remove any existing stain, wax, or paint. Clean the underlying wood with mineral spirits, then sand the cabinets to remove any imperfections. Before attempting to stain the cabinets, the hardware should be removed, along with any doors or drawers.

TIP: For easy re-installation, place the hardware for each particular door in a separate bag. Label the bag to the corresponding door, as well as the correct opening. Keeping everything in order will prevent the need for drilling new holes, and filling old ones.

Step 2: Open the pores of the wood to ensure that they will accept the ebony stain. To do this, use a slightly damp cloth to wipe over the face of the kitchen cabinets. Go with the direction of the wood.

TIP: Pop only one small section at a time, stain that section with the ebony stain, and then continue by popping another section. This will ensure that you take advantage of popping the wood.

Step 3: While the wood is still damp, use a different cloth to apply a generous coat of ebony stain, always applying it in the direction of the wood grain.

Step 4: Wait 10 minutes, then remove any stain that has not soaked into the wood with a clean cloth.

Step 5: Apply a second coat of stain over the first coat. Although the impact on the color of the wood will be minimal, you can achieve a slight increase in color by applying a second coat.

Step 6: Wait 10 minutes, then remove any stain with a dry cloth that has not already dried on the wood. Wait 2-4 hours for the ebony stain to dry completely on the kitchen cabinets.

Step 7: Apply a single coat of polyurethane over the ebony stain with a high quality paintbrush. Always apply polyurethane with the direction of the grain.