Cabinet finish touchup

[FrankAtl]

My wife has been on me to do something about the finish on our kitchen cabinets. Overall they are in pretty good shape but a couple of drawers and doors have some wear and tear on them. I would prefer to touch up the worn places instead of doing a total refinish but matching finish colors isn't one of my strongpoints. 

I figure I can get one of the drawers, probably the one in the picture below since it's the worst, and see if I can match the color adequately. If not, then I guess a total refinish would be in order.

Anyone have any thoughts or experience doing this?

TIA!

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[attachment=53647]

[jteneyck]

If those were just clear coated wood, you might come close by stripping or sanding the damaged sections and applying new finish.  But if it was dyed, stained, etc., it will be very, very, difficult to get a good match without making extensive samples to determine which products and techniques are needed.  Which does it look like?  

John

[FrankAtl]

Thanks for the reply, John. They are stained and I pretty much expected answers like yours but was hoping there was something I hadn't considered. I have never had much luck trying to match a finish on an existing piece much less make a touch up match. This bugs the heck out of my wife and I'd rather take a beating than to try and strip all of the doors and drawer fronts and refinish. I think I'm going to tell her that we need to contact a professional refinisher and to expect sticker shock.

[jteneyck]

Thanks for the reply, John. They are stained and I pretty much expected answers like yours but was hoping there was something I hadn't considered. I have never had much luck trying to match a finish on an existing piece much less make a touch up match. This bugs the heck out of my wife and I'd rather take a beating than to try and strip all of the doors and drawer fronts and refinish. I think I'm going to tell her that we need to contact a professional refinisher and to expect sticker shock.

See if there is a furniture doctor in your area.  I built two dressers for a lady about 15 years ago, with a pretty complicated stain and toner finish.  When she moved, the movers damaged the fronts of several drawers.  She asked me to redo them, but I declined because I knew I wouldn't be able to repair them and didn't think I'd get a perfect match even making new ones.  She found a guy who does on-site furniture finish repairs.  I can't tell which drawers he repaired.  They are perfect, color, sheen, just perfect. 

John

[FrankAtl]

Thank you John. I'll do that.