The Cobbler's Kids Have No Cabinets Part 2

Hope you are all having a Happy Thanksgiving. Here at Casa Slaton, it is a Charlie Brown Menu:

I like my crusts lightly toasted

While I throw a pity party, let's pick up where we left off on the cabinet project.  Everything is now cleaned and sanded.  The finish on our cabinets was almost worn off.  The positive is that my glazes will have no problem to adhering to the surface.  The negative is the wood is dry and will suck up my stains.  I opted to apply a coat of Aquaseal (Clear Setcoat). This will even out the surface, lock down any loose topcoat edges, and give me a well-sealed surface to glaze.

I am using an HVLP with a base coat set-up (a 2.4 for the older guns and a 6 for newer ones).  Aquaseal will always spray or roll out frosty but dries to a clear coat-just don't glop it in the corners.  This layer needs to dry 2 hours. 

My next layer is my base stain which is a mix of Stain & Seal, Concentrates, and other goodies.  It is a nice rich brown walnut shade that I brush and then pounce.  The pouncing is key.  If I brush and wipe the glaze, I will loose the color depth and now I am wiping it into the grain.  By pouncing, I am evenly distributing the color and masking some of the grain.

My real secret is wearing a scarf when I do cabinets

You can use a Neon Leon (pictured) or an Ultimate Stippler.  The Neon Leon is cheaper and doesn't shed.  It is not as flexible and takes longer to dry when washed.  The Stippler is soft, dries faster, and is flexible enough to get in corners and edges-BUT IT SHEDS!!!! The shedding lessens the more you wash it and it can be conditioned with So-Slow.  I like the Neon Leon for the cabinet pieces and the Stippler for the frame where you have tighter moldings.

Use a terry towel to wipe your brushes as you go.  If you don't remove the excess stain, the pieces get darker and darker as you work.  When finished, I use some Latex Liftoff Hand Conditioner on the brushes-it works great to get them clean.  I will let this layer set several hours before applying a toning glaze.