Painted Cabinets

paintbrushes
painter's tape
paint for cabinets (Ultra White 18E-2)

Steps:

1. Cabinets are usually the main focus in any kitchen. When contemplating a makeover or a remodeling job on your cabinets you need to decide whether to replace, reface or paint. If you are on a budget, painting can be a very good option. Most cabinets can be painted if you follow a few simple preparation steps. First, really decide if you want to paint because once you get started there's no turning back. So if your cabinets have never been painted, give it a good long look, leaf through some magazines and consider whether it is a project you really want to tackle. If your cabinets have already been painted and just need repainted, that's a no brainer.
2. The preparation of the cabinet is the most important step, so spend some time and do a good prep job. If the cabinets have a natural or stained finish, they are sealed with a sealant or a varnish. For the paint to adhere you need to break through that finish and add a primer coat. This doesn't mean the sealer has to be removed completely, just roughed up. So you will need to do some sanding...... but first things first.
3. Wash the cabinets with a mild soap and warm water solution (household dish soap will work great, just make sure you rinse well). This step may sound silly since you will be sanding, but if you have ever tried to sand a wax and oil build up you'll understand, and if you haven't, trust me on this! After you have washed the cabinets, remove all the doors and hardware. The doors can be painted in a separate area, and it will make it much easier to paint them once they are separated from the cabinet.
4. Sand all surfaces with 150-grit sandpaper. The purpose here is to etch the surface, not to sand down to bare wood. You can use a block sander to make the job easier. Now don't forget to sand the doors! Once sanded, wipe the cabinets and doors down with a tack cloth or a damp rag to remove all the dust. Here's a tip--use a shop vacuum prior to this step to help remove the major portion of the dust.
5. After all the dust has been removed, prime the doors and cabinets with an oil based multi-purpose primer/sealer. Primers give the final base coat a sealed surface that will assure proper adhesion. Primers can also be tinted fairly close to the final basecoat which is a big stepsaver, especially if painting with darker colors. Sand the primed surfaces lightly with a 220 grit sandpaper. The primer will raise the grain of the wood causing a fuzzy feeling, and the light sanding will remove the raised grain and give you a velvet smooth surface.
6. Once all the preparation has been completed its time to apply the top coat of paint. You can choose between a latex enamel or a oil based paint. Both provide excellent coverage and good looking appearance. Latex is soap and water clean up and is a little easier to work with, plus it usually has less odor. Oil base paint is thinner clean up, may be a little trickier to work with, and tends to have an odor. On the other hand, oil does level (smoothes out) better and shows less brush marks. Whatever you choose be sure to purchase quality, it really makes a difference.
7. Start painting by doing the inside of the cabinets followed by the sides and then the front facings. The doors can be done at any time, just make sure they are thoroughly dried before reattaching to the cabinets. First cut in the edges of the area to be painted using a 3" paint brush. Then, use a roller to apply the paint on larger surfaces (cabinet fronts, doors). Be sure to use a 1/4" roller cover, the shorter nap will make it easier to work with the paint. Once the paint is rolled on, roll on the paint then lay off the surface with the paint brush. Note: "laying off" is a term that means to pull the brush through the paint in long, even pulls, and it's best to lay off in the direction of the grain of the wood. The inside walls of the cabinet are a great place to practice rolling and laying off.

Wall coverings:
Black stripe: Blonder Roommates Book #YS8452
Cherry print: Brewsters DeMorgan Classics Book #DC06050
Cherry border: Brewsters DeMorgan Classics Book #DC16128