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elizabethcbrown

Quick & dirty cabinet painting in a rental

Elizabeth
7 years ago

I would like to paint my kitchen cabinets, but it only needs to last a few years--when I move out (or potentially even before), the landlord will be gutting the kitchen and replacing the cabinets altogether.

What is least amount I need to do to get a decent paint job? A lot of the tutorials I'm reading about sanding, liquid sanding, TSP, deglossing, priming, wood-grain filling, etc, seems like way overkill. I am hoping I can do like, a spray-on cleaner, and some kind of priming paint.

Second consideration is fumes--there is no ventilation in the kitchen. No windows, non-working ceiling vent. I do have an Austin Air air purifier. If absolutely necessary I can transport the cabinet doors to my dad's apartment which has a terrace, but I will still have to do the boxes in place. I know there is low-VOC paint and primer, but the degreasers, deglossers, etc, all seem very toxic.

I'm not necessarily looking for a bargain. I'm willing to splurge on a product if it will cut out some steps and not give me brain damage. The amount of work and the amount of fumes are more important that the amount of money.

Tips? Advice? Thanks!

(These photos are from the Ugly Duckling House blog, but I have the same cabinets)



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