Refurbishing Kitchen Cabinets

R. P,

Some stained cabinets are made of woods with lots of grain. Those aren't so easy to refinish and make look "glossy". The grain will show through. Oak is a primary culprit here. Others, maple, for instance, are easier to paint. What type wood are your cabinets?

FYI--I know this stuff because my husband is a builder, and I'm a Realtor. If you ever need a good builder or Realtor, look us up. My website is www.debdunn.com.

Deb D

Be forewarned- I have a mid century modern with glossy white cabinets in the kitchen and I HATE THEM!!! I am not a neat freak by any means, but they always look dirty to me. Every little spot, drip and smudge shows. Good luck with your project, whatever you choose :)!

You have gotten some good advise, but I will offer a little more. Prep work is the key as well as using the right tools. One suggestion was to take the doors off to avoid drips, while this is true, it can be impossible to get the doors back on straight with certain hinges. Make sure you keep the doors in the correct order if you take them off. I would also sand the cabinets and doors, prime, then paint, sand, then paint a second coat. Use only a natural bristle brush to avoid brush strokes, or even use a sponge roller and brush. You might also consider a creamy color instead of a bright white. Just make sure it is going to look good with the countertop and backsplash, and flooring. If you are changing any of these other things, it might be best to do it all at the same time to coordinate the look. If you do it in stages, but the new color scheme doesn't go with the old, the new work still won't look good because of the clash. Just a couple of thoughts...from someone in the industry!
-T.

just one word of caution, once they are painted, you can't go back to having them as wood without a lot of work - this is what my painter told me.
but, if you want to paint them, I would hire a painter, it's a messy, labor intensive job for a diy'er. plus they have all the right equipment and can spray the cabinets so they don't have brush strokes on them.
good luck.

Here is some great info from the experts.

http://design.hgtv.com/kitchen/Video_detail.aspx?id=52

Prep work is the key and this video takes it step by step. We did our 1940's kitchen cabinets to glossy white and it was worth all the prep work. They turned out beautifully. Best of luck.

R.: We too bought an older home and the wood in the kitchen, along with dark paneling half way up just was too depressing for me. A lot of my friends were painting their 'trendy in the 60's' paneled dens. I was encouraged and got brave.

First of all, when you paint the wood white, you get to keep the grain of the wood and that's a plus. You prime with a good quality oil primer then apply your paint. The primer is key and the paint sticks well and the finished product is handsome. I've always done my own painting, and I always take the doors down to lay flat for painting to avoid any runs.

Good luck. You'll love it. J.

Sand,oil paint and oil primer--premium paints have less water--they are more costly, but it is worth the price--Good Luck!!