How to Paint Stained Cabinet Doors by The Hacienda Collection, Inc.

Painting over stained cabinet doors can be done fairly easily with a bit of good prep work. A little effort and the right materials can go a long way.

Instructions

1. Take your stained cabinet doors completely off their hinges, remove handles or knobs and bring them all to a good work bench area. Start with the electric sander, and go over all flat areas to take the edge off the stain. You don't have to take all the stain off, just enough so the color fades and the primer can actually penetrate the wood. Use your sanding sponges or individual sheets of sandpaper to get the detailed areas of the cabinet doors that you can't get with the electric sander.
2. Thoroughly dust the cabinet doors off and clean them with a wet rag. Let the doors dry out, and then apply an even coat of primer to all surfaces. A primer/sealer will work best and will provide the best surface for finish paint to completely cover the stain. After the primer dries, sand all the cabinets again with a fine-grit sanding sponge. Use very little pressure, and try not to leave any grain marks in the primer coat. Wait for the primer to dry completely before sanding. Drying should take at least an hour for most primer/sealers. Clean the cabinets again with a damp rag before applying any finish paint.
3. It is very important to get your finish coat right the first time, but you can always use two coats if you have to. If your cabinet doors have lots of detail, use a 2-inch brush, and feather the paint with each stroke. Coat each surface evenly and thoroughly. Do detailed and textured areas first and flat surfaces last. Work from the outside edges in. After the paint dries, you will know whether or not you need two coats. Do not leave any deep brush marks, and remember that most subtle brush marks will dry out with the right paint. If you do decide on two coats, sand between coats and dust off each door before applying your second coat of finish.
4. Wait at least one full day for the finish to dry before reattaching the hardware and hinges. Re-hang your doors, being careful not to scratch the new paint.

How often should I clean Kitchen Cabinets by The Hacienda Collection, LLC.

The cleaning schedule that will be best for your kitchen cabinets depends a lot on how often you cook in your home. If you cook daily, a daily wipe down will go a long way towards maintaining the look of your cabinets. If you only cook once or twice a week, then once or twice a week will be enough.

Build-up on our kitchen cabinets comes from a combination of dust and grease from cooking. Add a little heat and you can have a sticky coating. A daily wipe down prevents a lot of this build-up.

Every few months the interior of your kitchen cabinets should be cleaned. Crumbs can build-up quickly and attract pests. A quarterly cleaning helps keep your interiors clean and free of insects.

For more info go to: http://www.thehaciendacollection.com

How To Clean Kitchen Cabinets by The Hacienda Collection, Inc.

Fingerprints, food smudges, and greasy buildup can leave your kitchen cabinets looking dingy and dull. The longer you wait to clean them, the harder it becomes. Find out how to restore your cabinet's luster in just a few simple steps.

Here's How:

1. Regular Cleaning: Exterior

   Most cabinet types, including metal, plastic laminate, painted wood, and vinyl cabinets, can be cleaned with a solution of dish soap liquid and warm water. This simple and mild solution is enough to get food smudges, dust, and mild grease build-up off of your cabinets. Rinse thoroughly with another clean cloth, before drying with a final cloth.

2. Heavy Duty Cleaning: Exterior

   For heavy build-ups of grease and dust, your best bet is a commercial cleaner designed to be used on wood kitchen cabinets. My favorites are cleaners with orange oil. They have a way of breaking down the thick grime that can accumulate on cabinet surfaces. Be sure to read the instructions before using, and test first in a hidden spot.

3. Interior Cleaning

   Empty each cabinet, beginning with the top most one. Remove shelf lining if necessary. Wash the interior of the cabinets with warm water and a mild detergent. If the interior cabinets have a lot of crumbs and residue, it may be a good idea to vacuum the cabinets out after they've been emptied, before wiping them down. Rinse with another clean damp cloth. Wipe dry with an additional cloth.

4. Cleaning Cabinet Contents

   Wipe down dusty cans and containers with warm water and dish soap on a dampened cloth. Throw out any items that have expired. Leave the cabinets open for a 1-2 hours to fully dry, before replacing the contents of the cabinet.

Tips:

1. An all-purpose cleaner can be used to clean cabinets too, but it's important to test cleaners in a hidden spot to make sure that they won't damage your cabinet's finish.

What You Need:

• Cleaning cloths
• Dish soap
• Commercial cabinet cleaner
• All-purpose cleaner (optional)
• Vacuum cleaner (optional)

For more info please go to: http://www.thehaciendacollection.com/

How do you correctly apply wood stain

Applying stains to most kinds of wood can be done with a fairly simple technique. I would start with a fine haired brush, one that will "suck up" alot of stain, which tends to be much thinner than paints and polyurethanes. Then lightly brush the stain onto the surface. Keep in mind that the harder you push your brush against the surface, the more stain will flow out of the brush. Make sure to apply your stain consistently to avoid variations in color. Then with an absorbent rag, wipe off the extra stain. The longer you leave the stain on the surface, the darker and deeper it will be.
If you are looking to stain and polyurethane your wood, here is a tip for that. If you like the true color of the stain combined with the color of the wood when applied and not wiped off, you can add some stain to your poly if they are the same base. Meaning, if they are both latex or oil based. You can now get the staining and polyeurothaning done in one step. Brush it on evenly and carefully to avoid little bubbles in the poly. Lastly, remember when doing this, what you see when you're applying it, is what you get when it's dry. Good luck! Eric Oberg, Owner, Finishing Touch Painters http:/www.finishingtouchpainters.com
Minwax makes a wonderful product called Polyshades which is a mix of stain and polyurethane in one. Great if you don't want extra steps but bad if you want a variety of color options. If you are looking to apply stain to something vertical like trim or a door, consider using a gel stain which is much thicker then regular stain.

• Fine Finish: Traditional way of preserving a flat smooth surface, conserving the elegance color of the wood.
• Distress Finish (Old World): Another decorative art form created by our craftsmen to produce an appearance of age worn wood, and the variety of colors allow each piece to reflect its own history in the artistic world, making this style of finish popular for art lovers.
• Antique Finish: Our Artisans utilize this technique to combine history and art. Antiquing is is a more laborious form of distressing where the artisan intends not only to age a piece, but also to create a surface with several colors blending into crevice to give the unique collectable and antique look.

The maintenance process is very similar to the re-finishing one but we do it all on-site, begin very careful to cover all the surfaces to avoid stains other places than the door. If the door is free of any crackles, bubbles and there are no signs of pealing we could do maintenance instead of re-finishing.

For more info go to: http://www.thehaciendacollection.com/wood-custom-finishing

Cherry Wood Characteristics

The desirable cherry wood characteristics are rich color, natural luster, moderate hardness, silky texture, closed grains and greater pliability. To know these cherry wood properties in detail, read on...

When it comes to choosing wood for furniture, every homeowner needs to consider certain factors. Right from color to hardness, fiber markings and cost, you need to check each and every aspect of the selected wood. After all, it is a long-term investment for your home. If you are looking for some classic American hardwood flooring, most likely you will come across cherry wood, oak wood and maple wood. The cherry wood characteristics meet nearly all the qualities of a good lumber, which we will discuss in this article. Cherry Wood Characteristics: Explained
So, what is cherry wood? As the name goes, cherry wood is harvested from the popularly grown fruit tree, cherry. Derived from the broad-leaved deciduous trees that shed their foliage periodically, cherry wood is grouped under hardwood. The wood of cherry is employed for making several types of wood products. Cherry wood has been used for carving works by artists since a long time. A traditional bedroom set prepared from cherry wood shows artistic carvings in the head region. It is a preferred wood of choice for making several musical instruments. It is appreciated for laying floors and producing several types of household furniture. Though cherry wood characteristics are impressive for use in home furniture, some common problems do exist with this wood type. Refer to the following cherry wood properties, which will help you know better about this darker hardwood.
Cherry Wood Color
The color of cherry heartwood (older wood present at the center) is pinkish to reddish-brown, while the surrounding sapwood is cream or yellowish color. Immediately after harvesting cherry trees, the wood color has a lighter shade. With time, it darkens its color shade to deep reddish-brown, giving a more elegant look. Cherry Wood Density
In terms of hardness, cherry wood is moderately hard, strong and medium weight. The fine grains along with smooth and sleek texture are remarkable cherry wood characteristics for use in wood works. In short, it takes up any type of wood finishing. Some of the best finishes for cherry wood are natural and light alternatives.
Cherry Wood Machinability
In comparison to oak, maple and other hardwood alternatives, cherry wood is more pliable and flexible. At the same time, this attractive colored wood is strong and possesses resistant property. All these cherry wood characteristics make it an excellent choice for flooring and making home furniture. Cherry Wood in Furniture
Cherry wood is perfect for use in nearly all types of wood works, and the most common usage options are flooring, paneling, high-end furniture, interior millwork, kitchen cabinets, chest of drawers, sleigh beds and the list goes on. These cherry wood furniture look adorable with gum streaks and other attractive markings. Cherry Wood Care
Similar to any solid hardwood furniture or flooring, cherry wood undergoes contraction and expansion in response to the availability of atmospheric moisture. In moist and humid condition, it absorbs moisture and expands a little. On the contrary, it slightly contracts during dry and cold winter months.
Proper treatment and curing approaches are done before using cherry wood lumber. In the market, you will get different types of furniture based on cherry wood. The solid cherry wood furniture is exclusively made from cherry. While faux cherry is devoid of cherry wood, cherry veneers are created with cherry wood on the top layer supported by other wood on the underside. The price tag of cherry wood furniture is lower than other types of hardwood. So, aren't cherry wood characteristics excellent for use in flooring and furniture? As per your personal preference, you can opt for lighter cherry wood color or the darker shade. While lighter shade looks great for personalized furniture, the darker version adds a formal touch to the interior decor. The durability of cherry wood is highest, when proper furniture cleaning is followed, along with keeping it in well-preserved areas.

For more info about Cherry Wood go to: http://www.thehaciendacollection.com/

Sapele ( /s??pi?li?/), also known as Sapelli or Aboudikro, is a large tree, Entandrophragma cylindricum, up to 45 m high (rarely 60 m) and native to tropical Africa. The leaves are deciduous in the dry season, alternately arranged, pinnate, with 5-9 pairs of leaflets, each leaflet about 10 cm long. The flowers are produced in loose inflorescences when the tree is leafless, each flower about 5 mm diameter, with five yellowish petals. The fruit is a pendulous capsule about 10 cm long and 4 cm broad; when mature it splits into five sections to release the 15-20 seeds.
[edit] Uses
The commercially important wood is reminiscent of mahogany, with a distinctive figure, typically applied where figure is important. It is sought after as flooring for its durability and beautiful graining. Among its more exotic uses is that in guitar manufacturing, in the top, back and sides of acoustic guitar bodies as well as the tops of electric guitar bodies, for example by well known guitar manufacturers such as Ibanez (Japan/USA), Taylor (USA), Martin (USA), Larrivée (Canada) and Esteve (Spain). Leading folk harp manufacturer Dusty Strings (in Seattle, WA, USA) also makes very high-quality 26- and 36-string harps of sapele. Sapele is also used for the neck piece of ukuleles due to its pleasant aesthetic quality, by such manufacturers as the Hawaiian companies Kamaka and Koaloha. Late in the 90s, it started to be used as a board for Basque percussion instruments txalaparta on the strength of the livelier quality of the sound. It is also used by American car maker Cadillac for interior wood trim on its vehicles, with advertising for the Cadillac CTS highlighting the phrase "Sapele wood accents." The wood has a density of 640 kg per cubic metre.

For more info go to: http://www.thehaciendacollection.com/

Customer Testimonial
Joseph A. Murphy, Ph.D. and Martha J. Murphy, Ph.D.
601 Weston Pointe Court Longboat Key, Florida 34228-3140
May 10, 2010
Miguel Rosas, President
The Hacienda Collection, Inc.
4487 Ashton road
Sarasota, FL 34233
Dear Miguel: Martha and I want to let you know how absolutely delighted we are with the quality and workmanship presented by your company on our home in Longboat Key, Florida.
What impressed us was the work ethic of your employees and how they took the extra steps in assuring that the property was in pristine condition when their work was completed. This is not a common practice in Florida, and it was most welcomed by us.
We know that the work you did was very tedious and time consuming, but we never saw any frustration or the "give up" attitude by any of the Hacienda Collection employees. You are very fortunate to have such a wonderful crew of craftsmen. We also know these craftsmen would not be able to do the work without Miguel Rosas, the master custom wood finisher.
Please feel free to use us for a reference when needed.
Sincerely,
Joseph A. Murphy, Ph.D.
cc: Mr. Jeffrey Stearns
      WoodVerks of Sarasota, Inc.
      5388 Catalyst Avenue
      Sarasota, Fl 34233