How To | Jeanne Huber

Renew Old Cabinets

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Q My dark wood, builder-grade kitchen cabinets, circa 1986, need an upgrade. They're expensive to replace or reface, so I am thinking about painting them a lighter color and replacing the hardware. What is the best way to prepare the surface? Should I use a special paint? I am afraid of messing up this project and ruining my kitchen.

Burtonsville

A If you work carefully and don't skimp on the prep, you should get great results. Doors can be painted in place if you mask the hinges, but because you're planning to replace the hardware, it's easier to remove the drawers and doors and set them on workbenches or sawhorses. Line up the new hardware before you begin in case you need to patch existing holes and drill new ones in different places.

As you remove each drawer and door, write its location in a place you won't paint over, such as drawer bottoms or door hinge spaces. Scrub the surfaces with a grease-cutting cleaner, such as a trisodium phosphate (TSP) substitute, and wipe off residue with a cloth that you rinse often in clear water. Tim O'Reilly, primers manager for Zinsser Co., recommends against real TSP because it's too difficult to rinse off when you can't use a hose. Let the surfaces dry, then sand lightly with 120-grit sandpaper. Vacuum or wipe off dust.

Finally, you're ready to paint, first with primer and then with two finish coats.

Use either an acrylic or a shellac-based primer. The shellac version's alcohol base stinks at first but evaporates in less than an hour and leaves a hard finish, so the final paint coats fully cure in a week or so. Acrylic primer, which has a water base, dries to the touch quickly, but it and the finish coats remain relatively soft for several weeks.

For the finish coats, use a good-quality acrylic paint. Glossy paint works best, as it is easiest to wipe clean. If you are painting the interiors, add a coat of water-based polyurethane to the tops of shelves to help prevent chips and gouges.

Apply each layer with a roller. Mini rollers are especially good. To eliminate the stipple texture that rollers leave, immediately go over the surface with a brush. Moisten the bristles with water first, wipe off the excess, then dip the tips in paint. Using a roller first speeds your work and gives a more even coat. Between coats, keep the tools tightly wrapped in plastic.

Allow each layer to dry for as long as the label recommends. For the smoothest surface, lightly sand between coats. Once the final coat is dry, install the new hardware and put everything back together. If the doors or drawers close against cabinet frames or fronts, dip a finger in cooking oil and rub a tiny bit along the inside edge of the doors or drawers first. This helps keep paint from sticking and pulling loose, an annoying characteristic of water-based paint that is not fully cured. The curing time depends partly on the primer.