How do we refinish cabinets? You have to remove all the doors in your cabinets before refinishing. Many homeowners, while remodeling a kitchen, wonder about how to refinish their cabinets in order to save...
Many homeowners, while remodeling a kitchen, wonder about how to refinish their cabinets in order to save some money. Jason Flippo, who is the owner and president of Signature Home Improvement Inc, which is a business that concentrates on remodeling kitchens and living areas, advises against it when he remarks, "It is a pretty hard process, but it pretty much starts with removing all of the doors and drawers from the cabinet. Then, you have to use the best chemical stripper you can. It is going to take a lot of time and it's real hard to get a professional result. Another negative is that you've got to use chemical strippers in the home. If you have kids, they are toxic." To sum it up he says, "So it is a very messy and time consuming job. Not many people do that any more."
The book "Home Project Manager: Kitchen Planner", published in 1997 by Cowles Creative Publishing, offers another choice when it states, "Painting (or refinishing) is an option only for wood cabinets but both wood and laminate cabinets can be 'refaced' by installing new cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and matching veneer for covering face frames and cabinet ends. 'Refacing' is more costly than painting (or refinishing) but still much less expensive than installing all-new cabinets."
The beginning paragraph of the chapter says, "Whether they're traditional or contemporary, dark wood or light laminate, cabinets help set the tone for the whole room. In the same way that a new set of furniture renews a living room, a new set of cabinets (or a new look for the old ones) completely changes the environment of the kitchen." So, you need to make a conscious decision on how you are going to make this transformation possible. Even if you have done everything else perfectly in your kitchen remodeling project, imperfect looking cabinets will ruin the whole look of the room.
If after weighing all the pros and cons and you do decide to refinish your cabinets, the following is a summary of the instructions on another way to do so, without chemical strippers, that was shown on an episode of the TV show "Fix It Up!". You can find detailed step-by-step instructions with pictures and some expert tips, at the official "Home and Garden Television Network" website at www.hgtv.com.
After removing the cabinet doors, hinges and handles you need to sand them smooth before filling in any holes with wood putty, letting that dry and then sanding it smooth. Make sure to wipe the doors down with a damp washcloth to remove any left over residue and let them dry completely before starting to paint. Like any other painting project, you need to apply a high quality primer evenly first, in order to have professional results. With cabinet refinishing, it is best to use an oil based primer and paint. Make sure to let the paint cure thoroughly before reattaching the hinges or handles and re-hanging the door. Do not get over anxious and make more work for yourself with extra touch-ups.
