Dried woodwork

pasusan wrote:

westend wrote:
Oil it and use a wax like Lundmark's that has a carnuba and turpentine base stock.

This is no joke. I always use lemon oil on all my wood. Our kitchen cupboards started showing signs of drying out from water splashed on them. I now use carnuba car wax (Mothers) on them alternating with lemon oil and they have come back to life. Yup - car wax.

Yup, carnauba is from a tree. Silicone is from a vat. If you haven't tried it, Lundmark's is a **** fine paste wax. It is sold at Ace hardware stores. You can even get color-added Lundmark's but I haven't tried it.

For really stressed hardwood and veneers, I now wet sand using fine grit papers and a polymerized tung oil. The oil and sanding tends to fill scratches and eliminate marks in the finish. Two processes of sanding and a final wipe coat of oil leaves a piano gloss finish.

If you have solid wood then use an oil. Wax or 'Pledge'-type products don't penetrate the wood and that's what you want.

Thanks everyone!!

Clean the cabinets with a solvent, light sanding, clean again, color in the dings etc (I used permanent markers and stain) and use Minwax Satin Wipe on Polyurethane (two coats). I also took off the doors and fronts. Did my kitchen cabinets (sister-in-laws also) and they came out great. Did it a few years ago. The poly finish lasts.