Refinish Kitchen Cabinets

For a little money and work, you can turn an old, outdated kitchen... ...into something a lot more fresh and modern. Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D

As you might expect, custom cabinets are expensive. However, you can give your kitchen a custom look for a lot less money. A typical refinishing job costs about $200--much less than the cost of custom cabinets.

Materials

Phillips- and flat-head screwdrivers
Drill, with drill bits
New hinges and handles
Random-orbit sander and 100-grit sandpaper
Vibrating sander and fine-grit sandpaper
Sanding block and 60-grit sandpaper
Large plastic sheet
Paintbrush
Oil-based primer
Oil-based paint
Wood putty
Safety glasses
Dust mask

Removing the Old Finish

1. Remove the doors, hinges and handles from the cabinets.
2. Sand the doors and cabinet frames. Before you begin, hang plastic sheeting over the doorways to prevent dust from spreading throughout the house (figure A). Use a random-orbit sander with 100-grit paper to remove the old finish and a vibrating sander to give the wood a smooth surface. (Some random-orbit sanders can be attached to a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to minimize dust.) For grooves and other tight areas , use a sanding block or a detail sander with 60-grit paper. Be careful not to round off any square edges while sanding.
3. Fill dents, chips and nicks with wood putty. Allow the putty to dry, and sand it smooth. Wipe the wood with a damp cloth, and let dry.

Painting Cabinets

1. Apply a coat of oil-based primer to the cabinets and doors. Keep the coverage as consistent as possible. The primer will prevent the wood from soaking up too much paint. A primer/sealer does double duty by preventing stains from showing through .
2. Use long, even strokes to apply a coat of oil-based paint to the cabinets and doors. For cabinets, oil-based paint is preferable to latex paint because it dries harder and has less tendency to stick to your dishes. Be sure you have good ventilation when using oil-based paints.

Tips

• Don't pinch pennies when buying paint and equipment. More expensive paints will last longer and be easier to apply. Better brushes allow you to paint more smoothly .
• Paint the backs of the cabinets first (figure B). That way you won't coat your arms with paint.
• For easier cleanup, line your paint bucket with aluminum foil (figure C).

Installing Cabinet Doors

1. Allow the paint to dry for one or two days, then dry-fit hinges to the doors. Consider self-squaring hinges, which are automatically aligned when placed on the edge of the door. If the hinges are not self-squaring, use a square to draw a reference line (figure D), and line each hinge up with the line. The hinges should be placed 2" above the bottom and 2" below the top of the door.
2. Mark and drill pilot holes if necessary, and secure the hinges to the doors with screws.
3. Install the cabinet pulls (handles). In most cases, the pulls will fit into the original mounting holes. If not, fill the old holes and drill new ones. Fit the pulls into the mounting holes, and secure them with screws.