How To Refinish Kitchen Cabinets

Refinishing is done by repainting the cabinets and installing new doors and knobs. This will give your kitchen a whole new ambiance and more importantly, it usually costs a fraction of the price of new cabinets.

With this guide, you will learn how easy updating your kitchen through refinishing your cabinets yourself can be. Let's talk about the tools needed for the project before we jump into refinishing your kitchen cabinets.

Required Tools To Refinish your kitchen Cabinets

To save time and to make the project easier, prepare the right tools. Here is a list that can help you:

1.Paintbrush2.Belt sander3.4-in-1 screwdriver4.Clamps5.Drill bit set6.Cordless drill7.Drill bit set8.Handsaw9.Dust mask10.Miter saw11.Hot melt glue gun12.Sanding block13.Paint scraper14.Safety glasses15.Self-centering drill bit16.Table saw17.Putty knife18.Wood chisel19.Tape measure20.Shop vacuum

Required Materials for Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets

Here’s also a list of materials needed:

1.Kitchen front drawers and cabinet doors2.Sandpaper3.Scrubbing pads4.No. 10 finish washers5.Scrubbing pads6.No. 8x1-1/4 wood screws.

STEPS TO REFINISH YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS

A good thing about refinishing your kitchen cabinets is that you can do it following a set of steps. If you’re new to the whole process, we recommend taking one step at a time so that you do not feel overwhelmed and end up doing the wrong thing.

1. Remove cabinet components. The first step in refinishing your cabinet is to dismantle the cabinet hardware by using a screwdriver or a drill to take out the screws from the joints.
2. Strip off the old finish. Since we’re going to be repainting and not patching up blemishes, strip off the finish so you can apply a new one.
3. Clean and dry the cabinets. With your rubber gloves on, clean the surfaces of the cabinet you’re painting with a trisodium phosphate solution. Most boxes have instructions so you can avoid etching the surface. After this, thoroughly rinse the surface with a wrung-out sponge and wait for the surfaces to dry. If you fit new hardware with a different hole, fill in the old holes with wood putty.
4. Sand the surface. Once the surface is dry, sand it with 150-grit sandpaper. Clear up the residual dust with a vacuum cleaner.
5. Apply primer. Start painting by coating with a primer or sealer. If your new paint isn’t white, ask the paint store to help you tint the primer to match with your topcoat. By tinting your primer, you may not need more than one finish coat.
6. Paint and Dry. Paint systematically by starting with the doors and edges one side at a time so that while one side dries, you can still coat the drawer's face. Then you can paint the other side of the edges and doors. Leave the surfaces to dry overnight and then sand everything you painted lightly with sandpaper. Then wipe the surface with a vacuum or cloth and apply paint a second time.
7. Apply protective coat. After drying your paint,put on a protective coat over the surface of your cabinet to make it last longer.
8. Replace Hinges, Pulls, and Doors. The convenient thing to do is to buy new hardware that's the same size as the old. That way, it's a simple switch from old ones to the new. Fix the doorknobs, hinges, and doors. Then wait for the paint to dry, and you’ve successfully refinished your cabinets.

Refinishing your kitchen might not be particularly hard if you're good with hardware. But if you're someone who doesn't enjoy fixing things, it’s better to contact professionals like PaintCore Finishes. We can help with all aspects of refurbishing like repainting, refacing, and replacing your kitchen cabinets.