Painting Cabinets Part 1

 When making my list of  “To Do’s” refinishing the cabinets was on the very top.  I knew it would make the biggest impact on the house, but I was terrified to do it!  It was a daunting task,  that I was afraid I would mess up and it would end up costing a lot of $$$ fix.

Previous Owners Interior

So I researched, and researched, and researched.  I researched until I was so sick of it that I gave up and just got started.

This is what I learned.

This process is about 80% prep work.

Supply List:

Fine Sanding Disks
Foam Sanding Block
Wood Grain Filler (Optional)
Paintable caulk
Primer ( I used Zinsser 123)
Paint ( I used Behr Semi-Gloss)
Good paintbrush
High density 3-4″ roller
Paint Roller
Paint Tray
Rags
Drop Cloth

Prep: I began by taking off all the doors,  ( I made sure to label where they all go), and also removed all hardware.

Sanding:

I  started with the cabinet bases.  I did the majority of the sanding with an electric sander using a “fine” grade sand paper.  This is my strong suggestion… hook up a vacuum to the sander. I was able to get away with leaving the cabinet bases in place (instead of removing them), and my house was not covered in dust!

I sanded  every inch of the cabinet base,  EXCEPT the interior, I DID do the inside lip but not the actual interior.

When sanding you DO NOT need to take it down to natural wood, if you are painting you only need to rough up the surface enough to make it smooth and make sure it is NOT glossy.

 Next… the doors. Ugh.
I took a sanding block and sanded all the crevices really well,  basically any space that I would not be able to  reach with the electric sander.
I used these awesome little foam sanding blocks!  They are awesome.

After you have the crevices done,  move on to the larger surface areas.  I  did both front and back!  I know that there are some tutorials that  don’t .  That would drive me crazy.

After you are finished sanding…your  arm may  feel like it is permanently vibrating. Your  hand  may be deformed to a claw like state,  but,  you are done the with most tedious part!

Wipe down all your cabinet pieces well!  Let dry….

 (EXTRA STEP) I did this because I was afraid the wood grain would show through.  I used  this product  I simply  smeared this on the cabinet panels and used a putty knife to scrape it off.  It then required another once over with the sander, and another wipe down.

It DID  diminish the wood grain,  but it was not eliminated.  If I were to do this over I don’t know that it was worth the effort.  I might do this on your top cabinets where they will have more lighting on them, and the grain may be more visible.

(ANOTHER EXTRA STEP) This was another personal preference.  I  remember  cleaning the crevices on the lower cabinets and having all sorts of gross gunk in them.   I knew I was painting these white and knew that there would inevitably  be dirty.  I took a small bead of caulk and filled the  crevice so that  when food did drip down the front of the cabinets it would  not get stuck in the crack.
This extra step  has been worth it to me,  especially on  the cabinets below the sink and  the cabinets below where I typically stand when I cook.

Simply apply a very SMALL bead (line) of caulk,  then wet your finger, and slide along the surface.  It will smooth it out and you can remove the excess.  Then allow to dry.
( I forgot to take pictures, of this step but the wonderful folks over at “Addicted 2 Decorating” had the same stroke of genius.

Now take a breather and get ready for the REAL fun!

Part 2 of Painting Cabinets HERE