I repeated each step before moving to the next one. Cleaning and sanding the wood. You can remove gel stains from wood with a whole lot of elbow grease.
Tv stands reclaimed wood
Wooden stable for nativity set
Jotul 602 wood stove
Removing Gel Stain and Reveal Natural Wood Hometalk
Sand with orbital sander using 80 grit sandpaper.
This will help the sander move over the wood better in the next step.
Clean cabinet surfaces with krud kutter.