Repair & Improve

Facelift

Revive your kitchen cabinets with paint

By Lauren Barry

If you have a nice looking kitchen but with a few scratches or marks on your cabinets, consider painting them. You can go neutral or pick a color that complements your design. It¹s a fairly easy project that can add life to cabinets that need a pick up in the appearance department, but that work perfectly well.

Materials:

• Screwdriver
• Newspaper
• TSP (trisodium phosphate)
• Sponge
• Bucket
• Sandpaper (a coarse and a fine grit)
• Painter¹s Tape
• Primer (water or oil-based)
• Oil-based Paint (satin,gloss or semi-gloss)
• 2 1/2-inch Natural Bristle Brush
• Paint Tray with Liners
• Thin Roller Sleeves

Step 1:  Remove all drawers ­­ some will just slide out, others will need to be tipped forward or back to be released from any side- or bottom-mounted slides. Also take out any adjustable shelves.

Step 2: Remove door hinges and drawer pulls. Put them and their screws in a small plastic bag. If you¹re installing new hardware, measure the hole spacing so you buy the correct size. As you take off doors and drawers, number them with a permanent marker. On doors, put a number behind the hinge so it won¹t show when you put the hinge back; on drawers, mark the bottom.

Step 3: Wash inside and outside the cabinets with TSP and warm water. Don¹t forget to clean the drawers and shelves you removed earlier. Let the surfaces dry after rinsing. Fill dents and scratches with wood filler, then lightly sand the surfaces. Tape off sections that you do not want painted. Also tape newspaper onto the counters and on the floor.

Step 4: Prime any interior surfaces to be painted first (The insides only show when doors or drawers are open. It¹s only necessary to paint in as far as the trim). A miniroller helps get into corners. Use a brush to get the drawer faces¹ inside surfaces.

Step 5: Use a roller to coat doors, cabinet sides and removable shelves. Paint the edges first and then immediately paint the broad surfaces in the direction of any grain.

Step 6: Paint the cabinet face frames with a brush. Be sure to paint in the direction of any grain. Paint any inside edges first, then the outer surface.

Finish Up: Once priming is done, paint the first coat following the same steps after 24 hours. If a second coat is needed, paint after another 24 hours. When dry, install your hardware, doors and drawers.

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