In our last post and in upcoming posts, we painted cabinets to give rooms completely new looks. Renewing old cabinets with paint can seem like a daunting prospect (especially if you have lots of them) but by following a few steps you can get the kind of finish you want: professional-looking and long lasting. And if you can talk your significant other into doing it, all the better!
If you want to go from this…
To this, follow these simple, but important steps:
Tip: Don’t skimp on the prep steps that follow. They determine how pretty—and how long lasting—your new paint finish will be.
Start with a clean slate. Empty cabinets and drawers. Clean off countertops. Place drop cloths and protective plastic sheeting where needed. Apply painter’s tape where cabinets meet walls.
Remove doors and drawers. Unscrew doors from hinges. Remove drawers. Label doors and drawers with original locations; use areas that won’t be painted (e.g. drawer bottoms). Remove hardware, including hinges and store them with the screws in plastic bags.
Wash cabinet face frames, interiors, doors, and drawers with TSP (trisodium phosphate) or a degreaser to remove grime. Wipe off residue with a damp cloth. Let dry completely.
Smooth all cabinet surfaces. Using a putty knife, fill dings, cracks, and holes with non-shrinking wood filler. When dry, sand the surface until it’s flat. If you are changing hardware, this is the time to make the necessary adjustments—fill in holes and drill new ones if you’re switching from knobs to pulls, from pulls to knobs, or changing to a pull with a wider spread. If you’re replacing hinges, test them now to make sure the cabinet doors will hang correctly if you attach in the existing screw holes.
Sand all surfaces with 120-grit sandpaper to help paint adhere. Vacuum to pick up most of the residue, then wipe with a tack cloth.
Prime all cabinet surfaces with the correct type of product for latex or oil-base paint. Use a roller or a high-quality brush (quality is important here; use a cheap brush and you’ll be picking bristles out of your nice smooth paint application). Brush cabinet interiors with primer if you plan to paint them, too. Start on edges and one side of the doors. Let dry (you can paint drawer fronts while you wait), then prime the backs of doors. When dry, add second coat of primer using the same process, if needed. Let dry completely.
Sand all primed surfaces lightly with 150- or 180-grit sandpaper to remove imperfections and smooth any wood grain raised by the primer.
Paint doors, drawers, cabinet face frames, and cabinet interiors using the same steps as used when priming. Choose a semi-gloss or high-gloss finish that stands up to frequent cleaning or scrubbing: either a latex paint for cabinetry or an oil-base paint. Let dry per manufacturer’s directions before applying a second coat. To prevent sticking later, allow all painted surfaces to cure for 48 hours before replacing doors and drawers.
When cabinets are completely dry, attach hinges to doors and then to cabinet frames. Screw on door and drawer knobs and pulls. Replace drawers.
We’d love to hear your tips, tricks, or ideas for painting or renewing old cabinets, too.
Photography by Horizon(line)Designs and David Kreutz
© Caruth Studio