How to Refinish Cabinets

Refinishing cabinets in any room can help add equity and give your home an updated look.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• sandpaper /liquid sandpaper
• primer
• paint
• brushes
• drop cloths
• screwdriver or drill

1. Remove all items from cabinet and remove doors and drawers from the space. There are two options when preparing the cabinets for paint. Sanding by hand is the first. This helps the paint adhere to the surface. The other option is to use a product called Liquid Sandpaper. I saw it used on a television show on HGTV. They said that it saves a ton of time and works just as good as regular sandpaper. The reason for this step is to remove any varnish or sealants from the surface and create a rough surface for the paint to stick to. Sanding and priming are the two most important steps in refurbishing cabinets. Take your time!

2. Next, wipe down all of the surfaces that are going to be painted. You don't want any excess dust or materials to be on the surface when painting as this will show up in the end.

3. Apply one to two coats of primer to all of the surfaces. Allow each coat to fully dry before applying the next. After this step, you may want to lightly sand the surface with a high grit paper to smooth any paint blemishes out.

4. Next, apply 2 coats of your color. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next. Allow paint to dry fully before fastening any hardware. Doing this too early may result in paint chipping off or smudging. Also, be sure that if the hardware you are using has different placement holes that they are filled in during the sanding steps.

Tips & Warnings

• be sure to cover anything you don't want paint to get on
• fill in any holes from hardware that will no longer be used
• practice on an old piece of cabinet before starting the project.
• sanding and primer are the two most important steps. Take you time.