Need advice on painting kitchen cabinets

4 years ago

So in the process of redoing our kitchen and in an effort to save money I bought some new (used) cabinets that I decided to paint, because I watch too much HGTV and thought it would be fun and satisfying to do it myself (spoiler alert: it's neither).
I did all the prep work... Cleaning, sanding, 2 coats of primer, and the first coat of paint BEFORE they were installed. That was my first mistake, as they got a little banged up and dirty during installation. Second mistake was we had our friends install a concrete countertop and they must have been in a rush when staining it as they didn't bother to cover ANYTHING and now my cabinets have concrete stain all over them...
(They haven't been asked to help out anymore (: )
I applied a second coat of paint and thought it covered the stain but after it dried I see that it hasn't. So I'm wondering if maybe I should just kind of start over and sand down to the primer, re-prime and go from there? The only reason I'm thinking of doing that is because the paint I bought (Benjamin Moore Advance), I had quite a bit of trouble getting it to the color I wanted (I have no idea why, they had the color sample, mixed it accordingly, but it turned out to be more purpley than gray, and we had to have them add more yellow until it finally looked like the sample), so I don't want to use/waste too much paint and have to try to get more and go through the same ordeal and potentially have it not match.
I should also mention that it's been a couple months since I've applied the last coat, which is another reason I'm thinking sanding and starting over may be best (I'm thinking because of chemical bonding? I caught a lot of flack from people before when I was asking about redoing wood floors, apparently waiting too long between coats of polyurethane is a big no-no, didn't know if it's the same for painting).
Also, does anyone know of a good quality tintable primer that is good for painting cabinets? I haven't even started the doors yet and was hoping to get a darker primer to help hide any future knicks better. I live in a small area and although the local Farm and Fleet sells the BM Advance paint, they don't have the coordinating primer. I used (I think Zinsser?) Cover stain Primer for the cabinets, and although it says "tintable" on the can the lady at Menards said it wasn't tintable? I feel like she probably didn't know what she was doing but I couldn't really argue...
Thanks in advance for any help!!!!

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Comments (2)

herbflavor
4 years ago
What wood and what style are the cabinets to begin with? With raised panel and detail to edges you have a little leeway w imperfect diy. Smooth shaker recessed or slab needs more /almost perfection from your "stages" of prep and thru to completion. With used cabinets I presume you don't have a huge investment. I'd be inclined to strip if you can lay out some plastic and have a wide open space with air movement. It's warm outside and if you are handling the doors removed from the cabinets this is not that hard...just messy ... and you can cut through possibly and get some of the original finish off.. or opened up that surface. I've used Marine stripper....laid on thick w all the right brushes /scrapers and corner tools and was happy as the sanding and so forth is harder if you ask me. how many doors/drawers...what style and what were they originally?
User
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
You’re going to have to 100% start over. Concrete was a very bad idea. You’ll be ripping out that stained and cracked mess very soon. Might as well do that now. Even laminate performs better than concrete.

Here is how I would expect a pro to spray paint kitchen cabinets. An amateur job should follow the same path. A brush painted job would differ slightly in that you wouldn't hang the doors to paint. You'd place them on a work table or easel instead. It's time intensive work, and should take 7-14 days for a Pro to accomplish completely and cost between 8--10K depending on kitchen size and amount of detail in cabinets.

Remove doors and drawer fronts.

Remove hinges and hardware.

Clean with Spic and Span

Rinse and let dry.

Scrape any loose finish.

Fill any damaged spots or hardware holes that won't be reused.

Sand fill smooth.

Scuff sand the rest.

Tack off dust.

Hang in dust free paint booth with wires through hardware points to spray both sides. Or lay on a spinner, and do one side at a time.

Tack off dust again.

Spray with shellac based primer.

Scuff sand again.

Tack off dust.

Spray with second coat of primer.

Spray with first finish coat of a polyurethane enamel (DIY) Or conversion varnish, (Pro product) . NOT house paint. Never house paint.

Spray with second coat.

If glazing is to occur, that is next.

Spray with clear over glaze that is compatible with base coat and glaze.

Add more molding or decorative details to boxes, filling nail holes and sanding smooth.

Repeat prep process with face frames and exposed cabinet sides using plastic to create a spray booth on site. If interiors are to be done, they are done before face frames and sides. Interiors are difficult, and add both time and expense to the job. Most interiors are laminate and don't accept paint well.

Allow everything to fully cure. That's 7-14 days.

Clean hinges and hardware and clear coat if you're keeping the old hardware.

Install new (or old) hinges and hardware.

Re-install doors and drawers and adjust for proper clearances.

If you are receiving or doing a job without this amount of effort, then you are not getting a quality job. You are getting a poor quality job that will not last.
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Need advice on painting kitchen cabinets

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herbflavor

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