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A Beginner’s Guide to Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing

Although this is an extremely popular question, the actual answer isn’t very simple: Kitchen cabinet refacing just involves stripping old paint/ stain off current cabinets and refinishing them using new paint/ stain. In other words, refinishing your cabinets can be done in two ways: One, by completely replacing the cabinet doors; Two, by adding some hardware. Obviously, kitchen cabinet refacing involves both taking off current cabinet doors and installing new ones in their place. So, if you are planning on doing this yourself, you should know what you’re getting into first.

Refinishing your kitchen cabinets can be a daunting task, to say the least. There are literally thousands of products out there that make claims for how well they can help with kitchen cabinet refinishing. While it’s impossible to evaluate all of them without hands-on experience, there are a few standouts that I’d personally recommend. It’s important to understand what to look for before jumping in. If you start here…

cabinet refinishing

Let’s start at the beginning: What do you need for kitchen cabinet refinishing? Well, you’ll need to get at least a basic set of tools. These would include a tape measure, pencil, and saw. Also be sure to wear protective gloves, an anti-static wrist strap, and some eye protection. This will help you avoid accidentally touching the metal surfaces that will be part of the refinishing process. Let’s go over some of the most important aspects of kitchen cabinet refinishing so that you have a better idea of what you’re getting into.

Wood: As mentioned above, most people will do their kitchen cabinet refinishing with sanding off the existing cabinetry. This is great because it gets rid of all the imperfections in the wood. However, it’s important to realize that not all woods are suitable for this treatment. Cabinets made of softwood such as pine are especially difficult to treat since they need to be treated before they’re painted. Hardwoods like maple and oak on the other hand are easier to work with since they’re more durable and weather resistant.

Painting: For your first kitchen cabinet refinishing project, we highly recommend painting. The reason why painting is always a good idea is that it allows you to do a better job of fixing small imperfections that show up after sanding. However, it’s important to realize that painting should be done in small batches to make sure that you’re getting an even shade. Be sure to let each coat dry thoroughly between coats. Some wood types require that you paint on a primer before painting on the stain, so be sure to do this step before starting.

Cabinet refacing: Replacing your kitchen cabinets isn’t just about refinishing them. In fact, it’s much more involved than simply painting them over. When you reface, you replace the existing hardware, add new drawers or stiles, and if necessary, remove door handles and drawer slides. However, before you start any of these steps, you’ll need to carefully measure where the hardware will go to avoid cutting yourself.

After all that has been done, you’re ready to start your kitchen cabinet refinishing. The first step involves cleaning and sanding the surface to get rid of as much dirt as possible. Then, if you’re using new hardware, you’ll want to apply wood glue to the pieces and screw them on. Then, you’ll take out all of the hardware and wipe or vacuum the surfaces. Finally, you’ll apply the stain and allow it to dry. If you’re using laminate, you can then finish it by using high-gloss paint.

All in all, kitchen cabinet refinishing involved removing old hardware, installing new hardware, sanding and polishing the surfaces, and applying a stain to cover everything. It can be a very involved project, but like anything else that requires skill and experience, it can also be a very enjoyable process. This is especially true if you know what you’re doing. As long as you’re prepared for what you’re getting into and understand how much work goes into the process, it shouldn’t be too difficult. If you think the process is too complicated for you, call a cabinet refinishing company and they will do the job for you.