Use 120 grit sandpaper to lightly sand the cabinets.
How to sand kitchen cabinets before staining.
However i would still sand the edge off of the cabinets with a sanding sponge before applying.
Always sand in the direction of the wood grain.
Before you stain the cabinets it s important to remove all the doors and drawers to make sanding and applying the stain easier.
Sand the finish from the cabinets trim and drawers with 120 grit sandpaper.
As you go along you may notice one or another section looking darker than the rest.
You can lighten things.
Sanding the kitchen cabinet doors and frames is hard work but pretty straightforward.
If the cabinets are stained or coated with a single layer of clear finish you may not need to use paint stripper.
I would use that.
Minwax has a 2 in 1 product that is a penetrating stain and it seals all at the same time.
How to sand your kitchen cabinets.
Wipe clean then sand with a finer grit such as 180 or 220.
Once you ve coated every cabinet surface wait for the stain.
I used my ryobi orbital sander on all the flat surfaces basically anything it could reach and used the sanding blocks for the smaller harder to reach moldings and corners.
For the second sanding use 220 grit sandpaper.
In this home below the island was a dark stain and kitchen cabinets were painted a cream color.
Step 5 work in the direction of the grain and aim not only for complete coverage but for a light even coating.
Wipe clean and apply a wood conditioner with a clean rag.
Start with a heavier grit about 100 or 120 grit sandpaper for the first pass and sand with the grain.