Transform your outdated cabinets with a touch of magic – liquid wood! Learn how to preserve the natural beauty of wood while keeping the charm and texture intact. Give your cabinets a modern makeover you’ll love for years to come.
Say goodbye to tired and dated cabinets and dive into the transformative world of liquid wood. If you’re craving a fresh look for your kitchen or bathroom but want to retain the look and texture of wood grain, this is the solution you’ve been waiting for. Liquid wood offers a unique way to update cabinets without sacrificing their natural beauty.
When updating cabinets, the goal is often to modernize while preserving the timeless appeal of wood. Liquid wood lets you achieve this delicate balance, allowing the natural wood grain and texture to shine through. This means saying yes to a fresh look while keeping the character that makes wood cabinets so inviting.
The secret to liquid wood’s charm lies in its ability to bond seamlessly with the existing wood surface. Unlike traditional paints, it doesn’t cover up – it enhances. The liquid wood formula penetrates the wood fibers, creating a durable bond that not only changes the color but also enhances the texture. This magical transformation breathes new life into your cabinets when doing a bathroom makeover, making them a stunning focal point in any room.
Supplies Needed for a Liquid Wood Transformation
- Liquid Wood
- Paintbrush
- Sanding block or electric sander
- Stain (you need to use gel stain with Liquid Wood)
- Mineral Spirits (optional, but highly recommended)
- Staining pad (or brush and rag)
- Topcoat
How to Update Cabinets with Liquid Wood
- Prep your cabinets by cleaning them thoroughly. I used a 1:1 water to isopropyl alcohol mixture. KrudKutter is another option. If you’re doing this to cabinets or a bathroom vanity like I am, it’s easiest to remove the doors and drawers first.
- Sand the surfaces to create a smooth base for the liquid wood application. Be sure to scuff up the poly-coating on your cabinets, to give the liquid wood a good surface to bond to. You only need to do a scuff sand though, not a full sand.
- Using a brush or roller, apply the liquid wood evenly on the cabinets. Work in small sections to ensure thorough coverage. I found this product to be runnier than I was expecting, which isn’t a bad thing! Just an observation. Brush on your liquid wood with long strokes going along the grain. Ideally all final strokes should run the full length of the surface.
- Allow the liquid wood to dry on the wood surface. This step is crucial for a deep, lasting bond. Follow the instructions on your liquid wood container. I let mine sit for about 4 hours before I did a second coat of the Liquid Wood.
- Depending on the desired color and effect, repeat the process for additional coats. I did 2 coats of the liquid wood on these cabinets to fully get rid of the orange undertone of our cabinets and to cover up some of the visible grain that is natural in oak wood.
- At this point, Retique It has a tool that you can use to add a faux wood grain if you want lots of grain. I did not use it. I already have a slight natural wood grain since I’m using this on oak, although the liquid wood did cover most of it.
- Once liquid wood has fully dried (minimum 4 hours) it’s time for stain. I like working with gel stain but there are some tricks to it. It’s thicker and a bit different from a liquid stain. (FYI the Liquid Wood brand does have its own gel stain that you can use. It is not thick and is not like a typical get stain. It’s liquid. In this post, I will be sharing tips relevant to a typical thicker gel stain.)
- When ready to stain, wipe your surface down with mineral spirits first. You do not have to apply the mineral spirits, but since gel stain is thicker it just helps smooth it out. Gel stain also dries fast, although it will be tacky for several hours. So you want to work quickly.
- Apply a thin layer of gel stain with a staining pad with the final strokes in the direction of the grain. The staining pad is the best method of application for gel stain in my opinion. I highly recommend using a staining pad. You can use a brush or rag. The brush coats the stain on thicker though, which makes it trickier to work with since gel stain is already thick.
- Let stain sit for 1-3 minutes and then wipe off excess stain in the direction of the grain. I didn’t have too much excess to wipe off because I’m using a thin layer to begin with. I wiped most of my excess off as I was applying it rather than waiting. Don’t wait too long before wiping off the stain; gel stain dries quickly even though it stays tacky for several hours.
- Let your stain dry. Every stain will be different, so follow the directions on your stain. The stain I used recommends 8-10 hour dry time in between coats.
- Apply a second coat of gel stain, if you want another coat, following the same process. You can continue this process applying as many coats as you’d like, depending on how dark you’d like it. I stopped at two coats.
- After your stain is fully dry, apply a topcoat. I used a polycrylic in a matte finish. The polycrylic has a milky color in the can but it does dry clear. Apply with a brush or foam roller in the direction of the grain. Be sure to brush off excess before it dries and watch for buildup around corners and edges.
- Allow to fully dry in between coats and apply 2-3 coats for maximum durability.
- Once your topcoat is totally dry, reattach your doors and you’re done! It’s crazy how I took these dated orange oak cabinets and transformed them into beautiful more timeless and modern walnut look.
Tips For Transforming Your Outdated Cabinets
- Before applying to all cabinets, test the liquid wood and stain of choice in a small, inconspicuous area to ensure you achieve the desired color. The color of the stain in the can is always a bit deceiving; the stain color will look slightly different when applied and dry. I also recommend testing one stain coat compared to two or three. You don’t want to stain your bathroom vanity, let alone your entire kitchen, only to realize you don’t love the stain color. Always test it first on the same wood (like on the back of a cabinet door), using the same process. This is an important step to be sure that you will be happy with the end result!
- Mineral spirits is your best friend when working with gel stain. You can use a small amount of it to help thin and smooth out the gel stain. If you apply the gel stain and it seems too streaky or you don’t like the color, you can remove the stain altogether with mineral spirits and a rag.
- If you end up not liking your result in the end, you can paint the liquid wood back over it and use a different color.
- When working with gel stain do not apply it too thick. It’s harder to work with. Even if you want a darker color, you’re better off doing multiple thin coats of stain.
- Cover countertops and floors to avoid any accidental spills or drips during the application process. You’ll have a hard time getting this product off anything that it drips on.
Can I use Liquid Wood on surfaces other than wood?
Yes! This product is so cool. I used it on wood, but you can use it on other surfaces, like PVC or laminate, to get a wood-like texture. It actually has 60% wood fibers in the product to give it that wood texture. Conducting a small test in an inconspicuous area before the full application is a good idea to ensure compatibility and achieve the desired results.
You can also use the liquid wood on things other than cabinets, like tables, dressers, and other furniture. Lots of possibilities!
Do you have to apply the gel stain? Can you just use the liquid wood?
You definitely could just use the liquid wood. On my oak cabinet, one coat of the liquid wood did look pretty-it covered the orange color and you could still see some of the grain, but I could also see some of the brush strokes. Two coats gave great coverage and you could leave it at that. But it’s just a solid color with no dimension. So it seems more like a solid wood-colored paint than the look of real wood. If you do decide to just use the look of the liquid wood, you’ll still want to add a topcoat, just like described above.
What’s the difference in this process vs just sanding the wood down and applying the stain over the raw wood? Do I have to use the Liquid Wood?
With the Liquid Wood, you don’t have to do a full sand. Applying stain to raw wood typically works best when it’s fully sanded. This saves you from that step. Although, gel stain is not a penetrating stain like liquid stain is, so the wood won’t absorb it as much. And you can use it on wood that is not fully sanded.
Also different woods have different undertones. If I apply the same stain color to raw oak, raw pine, and raw maple, the color will look different on each wood. I actually did apply the gel stain directly to one of my orange oak cabinets without any sanding to demonstrate what it would look like. It’s basically burnt orange. Even if I had fully sanded down my orange oak cabinet, it would still have a natural orange undertone. The Liquid Wood gives you a neutral base.
The Liquid Wood-Gel Stain process also allows you to achieve a wood look and feel on ANY surface, not just wood. The liquid wood acts as a base coat/primer, it’s a wood tone color, and because it has wood fibers in it, once dry the surface feels like wood. Then when you apply the gel stain on top, you add more dimension and color.
That’s it! Check out my Liquid Wood highlight on Instagram to see the whole process. Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you decide to use Liquid Wood in your next DIY project so I can see how amazing it turns out! #howwedoandyoucantoo
You might also be interested in the other projects I’ve done in this bathroom:
Coming Soon: How To Apply Box Moulding To Textured Walls
Coming Soon: How to Apply Peel and Stick Floor Tiles
