Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets: Scheduling Your Weekend
By Leslie A.M.RefacingCabinet.com Columnist
Organization is the key to success in most endeavors. Refinishing kitchen cabinets is no exception. Plan your weekend accordingly and you can go to work Monday knowing that your project is completely finished … uh, refinished.
Friday Lunch: Hit the home store to buy your cabinet refacing supplies.
Shopping List:
- Sandpaper
- Stripper (if you are removing paint)
- Wire brush
- Tacky cloths
- Wood fill
- Putty knife
- Stain, or
- Primer and paint
- Brushes
- Glaze (depending on your design)
- Plastic or paper to protect the floor and kitchen counter
- Masking tape
Friday After Work: Take your cabinet doors off the hinges and label which door goes where. Prep your kitchen to keep your floors and kitchen counter safe. Clean all surfaces with a household degreaser or trisodium phosphate (TSP).
Saturday Morning: Sanding or stripping full force. Use the wire brush for detail work. Once you have a nice, clean surface, run a tack cloth over the surfaces. Apply wood fill as needed. Let dry then re-sand to an even finish.
Saturday Afternoon: Apply your first coat of stain if you are staining kitchen cabinets. Apply a coat of primer if you are painting. Let dry and have some lunch.
Saturday Night: Apply a second coat of stain if you want a darker shade or apply your first coat of paint. Let dry overnight.
Sunday Morning: If you are applying a special treatment with glaze, do that now or apply a second coat of paint if you need more coverage. Let dry completely.
Sunday Evening: Re-hang your now custom cabinet doors and put on your new handles. Apply any touch-up paint then carefully remove masking tape and the paper or plastic covering your kitchen counter and floor. Go to bed knowing that you and your crew are full-fledged cabinet refacers.
About The Author
Leslie A.M. Smith is a freelance writer and desperately needs a new kitchen. Until she can afford it, she has her eye on refacing her cabinets.
