How To Paint Unfinished Wood Kitchen Cabinets?
The steps to paint unfinished wood kitchen cabinets are as follows:
- Remove Drawers & Doors:
First, the user needs to remove all the doors & drawers of the cabinets including all the hardware such as hinges, handles, and pulls. The step can be completed by the use of a drill with screwdriver bits or by a simple screwdriver. It is necessary to place the doors and drawers in order so that they can be reinstalled easily. - Locate Rough Spots:
After that, the user needs to locate the rough spots on the cabinets by running his hand all over the unfinished wood surfaces. It is mandatory to wear cotton gloves during the step because cotton gloves will catch on the rough spots allowing the user to mark all the rough spots with a pencil. - Sand The Marked Spots:
The next step will be to sand all pencil marked spots by using medium or coarse grit sandpaper. The choice of sandpaper depends upon the roughness of the spots as extreme rough spots need to be sanded with a coarse grit-paper and the remaining rough spots should be sanded with medium grit-paper. The user needs to sand the rough spots in the direction of the wood grain rather than against it. - Sand The Entire Unfinished Cabinets:
After sanding the rough spots, the user needs to follow it up with sanding the entire unfinished wood surface by using fine-grit sandpaper in order to prepare a surface for paint. The user needs to sand in the direction of the grain and once sanded, he needs to wipe away the sanding dust using a tack cloth. - Apply Sanding Sealer:
The next step after that will be to apply a sanding sealer all over the sanded unfinished wood surface using a paintbrush. The sanding sealer must be appropriate for the paint which the user is planning to apply on his cabinets. The user needs to follow the label instructions in order to determine the drying time and number of coats required. Once the sealer dries, the user needs to sand the surfaces lightly using fine grit sandpaper followed by dust cleaning using a tack cloth. - Prime The Unfinished Wood:
After that, the user needs to prime the entire unfinished wood surface using a primer suited to the chosen paint. The user needs to prime the small areas first using 2 to 3-inch sash brush and large areas with a 6-inch paint roller. Similar to the sanding sealer, the user needs to check the label instructions in order to determine the drying time and the number of coats required. Once the unfinished wood is primed, the user needs to wash the sash brush thoroughly for future use. - Apply Paint:
Once the primer dries, the user needs to apply a top coat of paint on to his cabinets starting from small areas by using a sash brush. The user needs to paint larger areas with a new roller cover and 6-inch paint roller. Once the first coat of paint dries, the user needs to apply a second coat of paint and then allow it to dry as well. - Reattach Doors, Drawers & Hardware:
The last step in the process will be to reattach doors, drawers, and hardware back to the cabinets once the paint dries completely. The user needs to be careful and need not damage the new paint of the cabinets.