Staining wood veneer

[JimGo]

I have a few inexpensive cabinets at home that are basically MDF with a very thin veneer on them. I know one set has beech veneer, and came from Ikea. I can't remember where we got the other set. The cabinets are in decent shape, but no longer match the look we're going for, so I'd like to change them somehow. I know I can't really sand it TOO much, but I thought perhaps a knock-down with some 320-grit or steel wool might help stain soak into the wood. Anyone know whether these kinds of cabinets can be stained?

 

[Fred in NC]

Jim, STAIN mostly sits on top of the wood. Your success will depend on what finish is on the veneer, and how much of it you can take off. In my opinion it is worth a try. I would test a small area first.

 

[Ron in Drums PA]

Fred said
Jim, STAIN mostly sits on top of the wood.

Fred
Depends what type of stain, but if it is from Ikea. I'll bet it is sprayed on stain and not very deep with a **** coat of lacquer on top.

Jim
I'm gonna guess that the veneer is 1/64" to 1/40" thick. It will be real easy to burn right to the MDF while trying to get the stain off completely. It might just be a heck of allot easier to just spray paint it white or some other color.

 

[JimGo]

Thanks Ron and Fred. Ron, you're right about the thickness of the wood. I wasn't sure if I could hit it with some steel wool to break through the laquer (or whatever finish is on top), then simply stain over the stuff that's there, without having to completely remove the old finish.

Fred, I think what I'm going to do is to pick up a scrap piece from them and try it out, this way I won't risk damaging the cabinet. Worth a try, and if it doesn't work, I can always go with Ron's idea of painting the cabinets!