Laminate cabinets, or those with a painted or waterproof surface treatment like polyurethane, can be dusted and cleaned with a soft cloth and all-purpose cleaner. Older wood cabinets with varnished or lacquered finishes need occasional waxing to maintain their appearance.
Clean With Mild Dish Soap
Like with wood cabinets, you shouldn't need to resort to abrasive cleaning products like vinegar or baking soda to remove dirt and grease from your laminate kitchen cabinets. A bit of dish soap in warm water applied with a good dose of elbow grease should be more than sufficient.
Mix 1 oz. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner with 4 cups warm water in a spray bottle or mix a stronger solution for very greasy cabinets. Apply Simple Green. Spray the solution onto a clean, non-abrasive, damp cloth or microfiber pad and wash until clean.
Furniture-quality paste wax may be used on bare wood cabinets as well as over any shellac or varnish. The wax should barely fill in the minute roughness of the surface, not sit as a layer on top of the wood. For best results, use a hand-rubbed paste wax made for wood furniture (Briwax is one brand), applied sparingly.
A sure way to recognize wood laminate is when the grain does NOT follow through your piece. Wood Veneer is a sheet or thin layer of 'quality-natural-hardwood' that is adhered to a lesser quality wood surface. Wood Veneers give the impression of a more desired quality wood without being as costly.
Squirt a small amount of waterproof adhesive between the substrate and the laminate. Push the laminate into the glue, and apply a heavy-duty masking tape to the repair. Wrap this around the door to the opposite side and secure it in place.
Applying Fresh Wax
Apply a soft paste wax in a thin layer to the cabinet surfaces with a soft cloth or brush. Using more than is needed to coat the surface will not result in a thicker coat of wax, you'll just spend more time buffing off the excess.
Use Pledge® Moisturizing Oil to clean wood kitchen cabinets, windowsills, decorative trim, tables, chairs and more*. Or, get this: You can use it on your leather shoes. Try that on for size. *Safe to use only on finished, sealed surfaces.
A water-based all-purpose cleaner is generally safe to use on laminate cabinets if you need a little more power than plain water. You can also use liquid hand soap or dish detergent to clean the surfaces. After cleaning the laminate with any cleanser, go over it with a clean cloth to remove the remnants.
Wash the laminate with a soft cloth and a solution of mild detergent and warm water. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a clean soft cloth. For minor repair of burns or other stubborn marks, apply a nonabrasive liquid kitchen cleanser with a soft cloth soaked in warm water.
For a streak-free finish, use a solution of 50% distilled white vinegar and 50% water, or a commercial glass cleaner with ammonia.
After sanding the laminate with 120-grit sandpaper, roll or brush on the paint If you're having trouble choosing a paint color, keep it simple. White paint can help brighten your kitchen and give it a fresh look, while a sleek black or dark brown paint gives your laminate cabinets some modern flair.
Do not cut or chop on the laminate surface. Keep waxes and polishes (such as Mr Sheen or Pledge) well away, they merely dull the natural shine.
When you do a deep cleaning to restore the look of your cabinet, it's best to use a natural cleanser product to prevent the varnish from coming off. After a thorough cleaning, it's advised to polish your wooden cabinets to make them shine.
Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water and pour it into a spray bottle. Mist on cabinets, let sit for a minute or two and then wipe clean with a soft cloth. Add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent to the vinegar and water solution to clean extremely grimy cabinets.
Wax on, Wax off
Applying beeswax, a natural product is an Old World method of adding shine to wood products, including kitchen cabinets. After cleaning the wood, dab a bit of wax from the can onto a clean cloth to rub the wax onto the cabinets, working horizontally across the surface for an even coat.
With laminate or wood veneers laid over the existing cabinet boxes, you can change the style, color, wood type—even the associated historical era.
Laminate Cabinets
Thermofoil is a vinyl laminate that is heated and pressurized onto an MDF core. This process leaves a completely smooth surface that does not show any seams. The lack of seams around the door's joints can be a clear indication that your cabinet doors are a laminate material.
Can you stain laminate cabinets? You can stain laminate cabinets using tinted polyurethane stain or gel stain. Since laminate isn't real wood, using ordinary liquid wood stains will leave you with a streaky and splotchy surface: that's because they won't get absorbed.
The main difference is that veneers comprise thin layers of wood that are pressed on a plywood base while laminates are manufactured by pressing together layers of flat paper and plastic resins under high pressure.
Create a cleaning solution with 1-part baking soda, 2 parts warm water and the lemon juice. Add the solution to a spray bottle and spray the liquid onto the kitchen cabinets. Leave for 2-3 minutes, allowing the baking soda to work its magic. Use the soft sponge to gently scrub the grease away.