In July, Daniel started my stairwell and hallway project for me. I decided to thank him by starting the project of refinishing all of my kitchen cabinets!!! One of us was not very pleased with this when they came home from work! Oops!
My initial plan had been to start with one section of cabinets at a time. Minimize the impact of a project in the kitchen and gradually finish the project. So I started with the lower cabinets of what I like to call the coffee bar.
I finished it fairly quickly, and then Daniel convinced me I should just do all of the work at once to get it all over with and in the end, it should be a faster process. This seemed so logical, so of course, I obliged.
First Step: while the doors are hanging, LABEL them. I have heard so many horror stories about people mixing up their doors. If you only have a few, sure not a big deal… I have 35 and at most only 2 are the same size, but they are coordinating sets…Also label the drawers. I would suggest labeling them based on location and perhaps what you store in each cabinet. You could also create a numbered list, but I’d need a cheat sheet to remember the logic for my numbering system and that seemed like more work. A couple of examples are “Spices L” and “Spices R.” Simple and anyone that lives in my house should be able to identify which cabinet that is.
At this point, I realized I should use power tools
Second Step: taking down all of the doors and removing all of the hardware. Use power tools. It will save an immense amount of time. Don’t be like me. I realized my mistake 24 doors into the project, and already had completed 4 of the doors…
Carefully store the hardware. I have 2 hinges and 6 screws for every door. And all of the knobs or pulls (I am not keeping my knobs, which will be donated to my next yard sale, because I am changing to pulls).
Step 3: Sand and Fill and Sand some more. One of the primary reasons I wanted to refinish our cabinets is because of all the scratches, gouges, and dents that have occurred over the years. Yes, they are solid wood cabinets. There was a debate for 2 years about it within our household. I was tired of the horrible imperfections as well as the permanent marker that was in a few places. I also adore white cabinets, and I wanted to have pulls instead of knobs.
Wear a respirator when sanding!!!
This applied to the cabinet doors, the base cabinets and ALL of the trim. I used wood filler to fill the imperfections, but always use thin coats and gradually build as necessary .
Wipe down everything. Perhaps wipe it down a second time. You really don’t want dust mixing into your paint!
Step 4: Prime Time! Unfortunately, my paint spray gun isn’t compatible with oil-based paint/ primer, at least, not the primer that I like to use. The primer also cannot be thinned. Heed the directions. I like to use an oil paintbrush for all of the nooks and crannies and quickly go over it with a foam roller. (If you have a partner, it makes the process go MUCH faster because they can work behind you). Once it is dry, I do a light sanding to smooth the finish. Repeat until you have full coverage.
If you do not properly prime and seal the wood, (especially where you may have sanded through the finish) the tannins of the wood will bleed through and you will have to prime and paint more.
As before, wipe after sanding before painting!
Step 5: Tape off and prepare the surfaces for overspray. When I use a paintbrush alone, I don’t always tape off ahead of time, ESPECIALLY if there is crown molding or chair rail; it’s an easier line to follow. I had already painted the walls in the kitchen, so I used plastic drop cloths to protect them.
Step 6: Spray time! This is certainly my favorite part of the process!!! Actually painting the cabinets. I like to keep it simple with my trim paint and since I want ALL of the trim in my house to be white, I used the same white for my cabinets. Some may say my choice of Behr Premium Pure White in gloss is boring, but I love that I don’t have to color match and it is a beautiful, crisp white. If you prefer a different shade or tone of white, go crazy!
Thin the paint (with water) to the correct viscosity for your paint sprayer (or use a foam roller for smooth surfaces).
Spray thin coats. As soon as you finish, go back to your starting point to look for any drips! Use a clean foam roller for smooth surfaces to tidy up any drips! I like to do 2-3 coats of paint.
As the title of this post implies, this project isn’t finished. I have the base cabinets and all of the trim painted, but the doors are another story. I have them tucked about between different rooms. Eventually, when weather and time permits, I will finish all of the doors. For now, we have open cabinets and several people have remarked that it is “great for entertaining! Guests can see where to find everything!”
I do look forward to the actual finished project.
