01/26/2021
TOP QUESTION I GET:
“What is your process to painting your cabinets?” Truthfully, my furniture process is the same. Some call me crazy because my process is long BUT it lasts.
I don’t even know how many kitchens I have done 😂 If you have questions aside from the following novel, feel free to message me.
Things to ask yourself-
Am I adding hardware? If so, drill before taking them down and painting.
Am I spraying or doing by hand? If by hand, I highly suggest foam rollers and a really nice nylon brush.
Do I want slow close hinges? If so, now is the time.
Do all your boxes FIRST from start to finish so you can use your kitchen again without doors.
•label all your cabinets with sharpie as soon as you take them down where the hinge usually goes. Then cover the number with a piece of tape. Have a numbered piece of paper showing fwhere everything goes.
If you have drawers, hope you have the kind that the drawer face has screws to pop right off. Otherwise, you’ll need to wrap the drawers to keep from over spraying or getting paint on them.
•Always label the top hinge so you know if it’s upside down. Not a huge deal but can save a headache.
•Degrease all your cabinets. I like Krud Kutter. If you have unseen grease, not only will it muck up your sandpaper, it will eventually seep through your paint.
• sand. Yea, there is paint that you don’t have to sand but fact is, paint enhances dings and dents. Take the time to sand. It doesn’t have to be taking off all the previous stain kind of sand. I like to use a 150 and lightly and quickly sand everything. Blow it off entirely (any residue will make it so you are still using a 150 from leftover dust) Then a 220-400. Coarseness depends on your wood.
• clean them off again. Cheesecloth works great to make sure all the dust is gone. I like to use a blower to get most of it off followed by a cheesecloth.
•Use a really good primer. I LOVE zinzer bullseye. The coverage is superior when you buy the actual spray cans. Well worth the time saver. Shake the full minute upside down per can.
•hand sand again with a block sander. Not enough to take off coverage, just enough to take off granular leftovers from the spray.
IF you have oak cabinets, you’ll want to roll the primer into the grains. It’s time consuming but makes a huge difference.
• Paint. There are SO many paints out there. I personally like a latex enamel (has enamel built into the paint) but a lacquer can be good too. It’s just not as forgiving for those who aren’t used to using it.
You can mix a paint conditioner with most latex paints. This will elongate the drying time and allow it to level more.
• usually will need at least two coats. Now, the last step is well worth it. Poly. Some say you don’t need it but it’s yours kitchen. You just did a butt load of work. You might as well take the extra small step and put a WATER based poly on it. (Oil based will yellow over time). I like minwax brand. 1-2 coats is sufficient. It can be sprayed on if you don’t want any brush marks.
•put hinges back on and hang and eat some celebratory chocolate.
