How To Get A Factory Finish On Cabinets: Easy Process Of Getting A Super Smooth Finish On Cabinets

Easy Process Of Getting A Super Smooth Finish Painting Cabinet Doors

If you are looking to get a super smooth finish painting cabinet doors, thorough prep work plays an important role. Sanding dust as well as crumbs from caulking get stuck in the paint if it is left on the surface. These undesirable features become very clear or apparent from an angle on doors painted using a glossy finish. Controlling the sanding dust is one of the most important parts of cabinet paint prep. Airborne dust particles cause surface contamination, which in turn damages the finish on painted doors that haven't dried yet. Dust left on the surface can also be the reason of air bubbles to form where the paint is not able to bond with the primer underneath. These air bubbles in the paint will damage your doors, however, this can be avoided.

Sanding Cabinet Doors

Sanding is important, due to the reason that it helps get rid of the protective lacquer coating on cabinets in order to expose the bare wood for primer and paint. This comes up with a much stronger bond in comparison to if you were to prime and paint directly over the surface without sanding. Sanding also plays a critical role when it comes to smoothening out any rough areas or splintered wood. Annoying sticker glue can be removed easily with a sander too. Using an electric sander is important, rather than sanding by hand. A random orbit sander sands surfaces equally without leaving scratch marks, exactly as a folded piece of sandpaper can. You can scratch the fresh primer as well as paint on cabinet doors very easily, if you use the wrong tools and sandpaper. These scratches become clear or apparent in the final coat of paint. For the first sanding on oak cabinets, 100 grit is better option for removing the lacquer top coat. A softer wood, like maple, should be sanded with the help of finer grit like 120, or 150. Using coarse sandpaper on maple can ruin the wood fibers, texturing the surface.

Sanding Primer Coats

It is highly recommended to prime the cabinets with two coats of primer, and make sure to sand and clean the surface in between coats. This will help create a very smooth profile when painted, without any surface imperfections. Sanding the primer will also help the paint to adhere better, and applying two coats of primer do away with any chance of stain bleed-through that sometimes occurs with only one prime coat. When sanding primer, 220 grit will help smoothen out the surface to a fine powder without burning all the way along the coating to the bare wood. If you need to sand out an accidental fingermark in the primer, then 150 grit works exceptionally well for that.

Spot Sanding Paint Coats

If needed, do a light spot sanding of the first coat of paint in order to get rid of any crumbs from the doors. Use a very worn sanding sponge, or 220 grit, with the help of orbit sander if necessary. If the primer coats were sanded as well as cleaned, in a thorough manner, there is no need to sand the paint other than a light scuff sand. Using coarse sandpaper will help scratch the paint very easily, particularly if you're doing it by hand. Keep away from sandpaper coarser than 220 grit. Scratch marks are very difficult or tricky to sand out without grinding the coating down to the primer. Permit the paint to fully dry before you apply the next coat. If you paint cabinet doors before the previous coat has dried, then it can result in air bubbles.

Controlling Dust

Sanding dust makes a huge mess as well as hangs around in the air for hours over your painted doors. It is strongly recommended to sand the doors outside and away from where you are painting them. If you are sanding the doors inside, you need to place a shop vac hose directly next to the sander in order to capture a good amount of the dust blowing out. You can also place a fan close to an open window, in reverse, in order to pull the dust away from the workspace. Another option is to purchase a portable spray tent where you can store your painted doors, in order to make sure that dust in the air doesn't fall onto them.

Tack Cloths

You can purchase tack clothes at any home improvement store. , as they work exceptionally well. However, never leave a tack cloth on top, or under your painted door, otherwise it will leave a sticky residue on the surface that is difficult to remove. These cloths should be replaced immediately after they start getting dirty. A damp rag works well too, however, the issue with using water is it has to dry before applying primer.

Clean Dust After Each Sanding

Sanding primer will help create a lot of powdery dust that you don't want to leave on the surface. Sanding dust from primer comes off easily with the help of a tack cloth. Make sure to wipe the doors down after each sanding. The oil-based primer Zinsser Cover Stain is the best option that sands very easily, however, the trick is to allow the primer dry overnight before sanding it. If you roll your cabinets rather than spraying them, using Cover Stain primer, you can sand out the roller texture very easily once it's fully cured, which creates a smoother profile with less stippling. Sanding your prime coats makes a big difference in how smooth your cabinets look after they are painted.