Ron found his way to Lebanon, Ohio, about halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton. Ron was invited to the home of Sabra and Scott Hill where their dark kitchen was waiting. The Hills weren't ready to do a complete kitchen remodel, but hoped to lighten it up a bit, just for the next few years before they could afford to completely replace the cabinets. They wanted Ron to help them with some ideas. Ron suggested that they repaint the kitchen cabinets and replace the handles and knobs for a new, fresh look.
Click Here For a list of what
you will need in order to complete this project.
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1. Clean surfaces to be painted:
- Mix 1/4 Cup of Heavy Duty cleaner to 2 gallons warm water. Use solution and sponges to clean cabinets thoroughly paying careful attention to the areas around the stove where grease and cooking oils are most likely to be present.
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2. Remove knobs and hinges from cabinets and drawers:
- Using a power drill mounted with a screwdriver bit, remove the knobs and handles from the cabinet doors. Next, remove the hinges, first from the cabinet and then from the door panels.
- Take out the drawers and remove the knobs or handles here as well. It may be necessary to use a manual screwdriver for this.
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3. Lightly sand panels:
- Using a medium grit sandpaper (#80 or #100) or sponge rubber sanding blocks, give a light scuff sanding to the cabinet doors and drawer faces. It is not necessary to remove all of the finish, but just to roughen it up enough so the paint will adhere to the surface.
- Use a sticky surfaced cloth called a tack cloth to remove the fine dust left on the surface from sanding.
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4. Apply primer coat :
- Select an outdoor surface that is a comfortable height for working. Cover surface with a drop cloth. Protect your eyes with goggles and wear disposable gloves for easier cleanup.
- Following the manufacturer instructions, fill the sprayer with primer.
- Keeping the nozzle of the spray gun 6 or 8 inches from the surface, start by spraying the outside edges, next the inside edges and finally the interior panels working from bottom to top. It is helpful to take your finger off of the sprayer momentarily at the end of each stroke to keep from over spraying. For best results, be sure to keep the nozzle an even distance from the surface you are spraying.
- Allow primer to dry
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5. Mask off interior surfaces and set out drop cloths:
- Use masking tape to cover the walls on all areas where the cabinet meets the walls. Place drop cloths below all surfaces to be painted.
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6. Brush and roll cabinet surfaces with primer:
- Using a 2-inch sash brush, apply primer to the edges of the cabinets where they meet the ceilings and the walls. Also use the brush for hard to reach and tight areas.
- Use a short nap 3-inch roller to cover the ends of the cabinets and the cabinet fronts or face frames as they are called.
- Allow primer to dry.
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| TIP: Striking off Once you have rolled a surface, come back and do what is called striking off. That means, with your roller, take on long stroke beginning at the top and going all the way to the bottom. Repeat this to cover the entire surface you are working on. This will take out the roller marks and leave you with a smooth, clean, professional looking surface. |
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7. Apply cabinet and vanity paint:
- Ron used a specially formulated cabinet and vanity paint that is designed to resist the lanolin in your fingers since you will be touching the surfaces often when you are opening and closing the doors.
- Apply the vanity paint to the cabinet fronts and side panels the same way you did with the primer. If you'd like to save a little time, you can switch to a slightly larger roller for the larger end panels.
- Back outside, spray the doors and drawers the same way you did with the primer using the same cabinet and vanity paint used inside. Ron thinned the paint slightly with water so it would flow easily through the spray gun and level properly.
- The key here is to put on enough paint to flow out evenly but not so much that it will run or sag.
- Set each finished door off to the side to dry.
- It is best to spray the drawers while setting them on their ends so that the faces are horizontal leaving less chance of drips and runs.
- Allow paint to dry for 24 hours.
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8. Replace knobs, hinges and drawers
- Again using the power drill with a screwdriver bit, install the new knobs, and reattach the hinges. Attach hinges first to the door panels and then to the cabinet. (Hinges can be painted before reattaching, if desired.)
- Finally, reinstall the repainted drawers.
THE RESULTS:
It took Ron, Scott and Sabra just over a day and one half to complete a beautiful and inexpensive makeover of the family kitchen. |
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Before After |
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