Breathe New Life Into Dated Kitchen Cabinets With TikTok's Simple DIY

Kitchen cabinets can be a mixed bag. In an older kitchen or rental you are inheriting whatever was chosen or left behind by the previous inhabitants. In a new home, you are often stuck with boring builder-grade cabinets that may not be in line with your kitchen aesthetic. TikTok, however, has been overflowing with great ideas on making lackluster and outdated wood cabinetry look much in line with modern design tastes. The simplest solution may be on the shelf at your local hardware store in the form of gel stain, which comes in a variety of shades and tones that can instantly make your cabinets beautiful with not a lot of prep and work. 

Gel stain, of which the most popular brands include Minwax, Varathane, and General Finishes, offers the same tinting and coloring abilities of a regular stain, but the gel form makes it much easier to work with, going on more similar to paint than conventional stain. It also requires much less sanding and prep before use and works even on wood veneer and other surfaces. Instead of thoroughly penetrating the wood, the gel stain lays over the top, changing the color while still allowing the wood's texture and pattern to show through. This also means a less messy application process of the gel compared to a liquid stain.

To prepare your cabinets for gel stain, remove them from their hinges and remove any hardware. Thoroughly clean both sides of the cabinet door with a cleaning agent or rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt or debris. Instead of the thorough sanding required of other stains, light sanding will work to give the gel something to attach to. After sanding, apply the gel stain with a brush, making sure to get into any cracks and crevices in the cabinet door (one of the places where gel stain can be more tricky to use.)

Drying times are similar to other wood stains, so allow 8-24 hours between coats. Use the stain on the cabinet casing and allow it to dry before reattaching the doors. This is a great opportunity to replace hinges and hardware to give an entirely new look to your cabinets. You may also want to add a clear polyurethane top coat to further protect your finish if the cabinets see a lot of moisture or wear. In addition to wood and veneer, gel stain can work on composite and fiberglass materials to make them look more like genuine wood. 

TikTok user @sunshinetulipdesign uses the gel stain to give her kitchen island a new look, adding gel in a rich, deep brown over a dated light wood surround, instantly making the island look like an old-world antique piece. @gelstained creates stunning and trendy deep chocolate cabinets from dated walnut ones, while @emdoescoolshit shows off how to cool down those warm tones from 1980s and 1990s honey oak cabinets on a vanity. 

Gel stains can be slightly more expensive than regular wood stains, but often the benefits outweigh the more expensive price tag. You will not be able to lighten wood with a gel stain, which would demand a complete sanding away of the old finish, but you will be able to change, darken, or deepen the tone of most existing finishes. Gel stains are particularly a great alternative on woods like  birch, cherry, maple, and pine, which are known to get splotchy with liquid stain.