Working from top left to bottom right, the doors are removed and labeled. The hinges are taken off and the door is numbered on the wood where the hinge is removed from. Once it is numbered we take blue masking tape and cover the number, this is to prevent it from being painted over later in the cabinet refinishing process.
Once the hardware is off, we begin the cabinet preparation. The key to a good cabinet refinishing job is the preparation. Grease, waxes, oils, and organic contaminates need to be removed from the surface or the cabinet paint will not stick. The cabinets are washed with Krud Kutter , sometimes a brillow pad is necessary to scrub areas with heavy residue.
Imperfections in the surface are now patched with bondo and other appropriate fillers. Slightly over filling the damaged areas helps insure coverage due to shrinking of some patching agents.
Once a clean surface is achieved and the patches are cured, the sanding process begins. Sanding is necessary to dull hard , shiny surfaces so the bonding primer will have a profile to adhere to. A dual action sander with 180 grit sandpaper is used on all the flat surfaces. All profiled surfaces are hand sanded with 180 grit paper as well. Once the sanding is done it should feel smooth as butter.
All surfaces are vacuumed and the bonding primer is applied. This part of the cabinet painting process is very smelly as the bonding primer is solvent based. If possible windows will be opened to help ventilate the odors.
After the bonding primer is cured, there will be visible dark lines that show. It is necessary to apply a quality acrylic caulk to these joints. Using a damp finger the caulk is modeled and forced into the surface.
Sanding after prime coat, and between finish coats is necessary for a glass like finish. Once the caulk is dry, the surfaces are sanded with 220-280 sandpaper and vacuumed once again.
We use only the best cabinet paints. We do not use paints purchased from any big box store or paint store. Paints specifically formulated for cabinets are very hard, durable and easy to clean. Check our portfolio or Get Quote now.