How to Refinish Your Kitchen Cabinets

Tap to Read ➤ Vibhuti Gatha

With time, kitchen cabinets become dull and unattractive. Refinishing them is an easy task. Given in this post are directions for accomplishing this task.

Kitchen cabinets play an important role in the kitchen décor. Refinishing them will surely give your kitchen a refined look. Though time-consuming, this process is definitely worth the effort. Here are a few guidelines to help you learn, how to refinish kitchen cabinets.

Things Needed

► Drop Cloth ► Sandpaper ► Paintbrush ► Household Cleaner ► Vanish or Paint

Directions for Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets

► To start with, first remove the kitchenware from the cabinets and drawers. Look carefully for any signs of damage, rot, and wear. Check the cabinets under the dishwasher and the sink for rot.

► If you find rot in the cabinets, then replace the affected part before you start the refinishing work. You will need the help of a carpenter to replace the affected cabinet.

► Once, you have done this, disassemble the doors and drawers of the cabinet. Label the cabinet openings and doors. Put the same label at the back side of the door and the corresponding cabinet opening. ► Mask the kitchen countertop and floor with the drop cloth.

► Take the hangers and hinges off the cabinet door. ► Dust the cabinets, drawers, and doors. Then, clean them with a household cleaning solution and rinse with cool water.

► Use wood glue or putty to fill the holes, if there are any. ► Take sandpaper and rub it over the surface of the door and cabinets to remove the gloss and irregularities. Vacuum off the dust, so that you can easily apply the paint.

► Now, apply paint or varnish using your paintbrush. Lay down the cabinet doors and paint the doors from top to bottom, then paint the drawers and at last the frame. ► Before applying the second coat of paint, wait for the first coat to dry.

► During the time that the paint dries, clean the handles and hinges with a drop cloth and household cleaner solution. You can also replace the handles with new ones. Also, new hinges are a better option. ► After you are done with all these, replace the cabinet doors and drawers carefully, ensuring that they are leveled with the frame.

Additional Tips

There are several important things to keep in mind while refinishing. Here are some tips that will help you simplify your task. ► Choose a well-ventilated work area to refinish kitchen cabinets. Be sure to wear a mask and hand gloves, to protect your body from the chemicals.

► Decide which paint or varnish you are going to use. Paints and varnish are available in different finishes, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss. ► Marine varnish works well for the kitchen as they are water repellent. ► If you are a novice wood finisher, use wipe-on varnish which comes in satin finish.

► Latex paint leaves brush strokes. Therefore it is advisable to use paint additives like Flotrol as it will help to lighten the brush strokes. ► Oil-based paints do not leave brush strokes like latex do, and can be painted over latex paint. But, latex paint cannot be painted over oil paint.

Refinishing kitchen cabinets is inexpensive and a great idea to give your kitchen a novel look. The cost depends upon the size of the cabinets, the materials and the paint used for the refinishing task. The total cost (if you do it yourself) would be almost ⅓ of the cost when you get it done professionally.