Your kitchen serves as the hub of your home, so if you ever decide to sell, make it a “wow”-worthy space. This does not always mean you must redesign your kitchen completely; something as easy as painting your kitchen cabinets might drastically alter the area. Refinishing your kitchen cabinets is one of the best expenditures you can make for your kitchen. We will lead you through painting kitchen cabinets step by step.
Step 1: Remove Doors, Drawers and Hardware
Before painting, cabinet doors, drawers, and hardware must be removed. Put the hardware in a Ziploc bag to keep it safe if you want to reuse it. One tip I have heard is to assign door numbers so you always know where to put them. It could sound like a great idea, but it would be a waste of time because you would just be painting over the numbers anyway. I replaced the golden hinges I had previously removed with new, black ones. Reinstalling the doors was simple since everything was still in place. However, I did have to play a little musical door. It will not matter if you choose to use an utterly other hinge.
Step 2: Clean and Sand the Cabinet Surfaces
It is time to start the power cleaning phase of kitchen cabinet repair once every door, drawer, and piece of hardware has been removed. Scrub the surface initially with a water and Dawn dish soap mixture. After cleaning with a green Scotch Brite pad, After rinsing with water, use paper towels to pat dry. The area should be cleaned again using a green Scotch Brite pad and a 50/50 solution of denatured alcohol and water. Use paper towels to dry it off at the end. After cleaning, use a sponge or sanding pad with a 220 grit to smooth up the surfaces.
Step 3: Mask the Area
This step is the most time-consuming. The floors surrounding the cabinets and window holes should all be covered if you do not want them painted. After everything has been taped off, it is time to begin painting your cabinets.
Step 4: Apply Primer to Your Kitchen Cabinets
Applying a primer with stain-blocking qualities, like General Finishes’ water-borne Stain Blocker, is something I strongly encourage.
Even though a brush might be used for priming, I discovered that an HVLP sprayer outfitted with a 1.3mm air cap set performed best. Your kitchen cabinet doors need more labor than their frames, which can be easily coated. I built a rotating platform out of painter pyramids to paint the doors.
You must also choose a location for the doors to dry. Most cabinet refinishers use drying racks, but I created my own by drilling a small hole at the end of the door, out of sight, adding a tiny hook, and suspending the things from a wire I fashioned across my garage.
It is easy to prime the drawers of your kitchen cabinets. Use regular paper and masking tape to wrap around the drawer boxes, then prime the faces. Apply two light layers of stain-blocking primer, let each coat dry for two hours, and then use 220 grit sandpaper to sand between each application. To speed up drying, an accelerator may be applied to the primer.
Step 5: Apply Cabinet Paint
Use premium cabinet paint, such as General Finishes’ White Poly or Milk Paint. Spray White Poly or Milk Paint cabinet paint in one or two layers, let each coat dry for one to two hours, and then sand with 220 grit paper between coats. At this stage, you can finish or add a clear topcoat like General Finishes Clear Poly. I decided to add a Van Dyke Brown Glaze appearance after completing the Antique White Milk Paint and considering the faded, shabby chic appearance.
Step 6: Apply Clear Coat to Your Cabinets
Clear paint, such as the flat, satin, semi-gloss, or gloss General Finishes water-borne Clear Poly, should be applied in two or three layers. After an hour or two, use 220 to sand between coats. For a speedier turnaround, use General Finishes Accelerator. Install the new hardware about an hour after the final clear coat is applied. Enjoy the stunningly upgraded look of your kitchen straight away.
