The Schorr Thing: Kitchen Remodel Update - Top 10 Tips for Painting Cabinetry

Hope everyone had a wonderful week! We had a really busy one at the house, full of drywall and paining. Due to the crazy storms we had this week, the drywall mud took a bit longer to dry because of the humidity and the last coat of mud is almost dry and ready to be sanded down. While the mud was drying, we sanded down the remaining popcorn on the ceilings to make a nice smooth surface for painting. This is a super messy project that only gets messier when you don't put tarps up around the door coverings before you start to sand or remove everything from cabinet shells in the kitchen...whoops! So now our entire house has a lovely layer of dust that covers every surface. Fortunately, Brian put up tarps before we sanded the vaulted ceilings, but the damage had already been done. We didn't take any pictures of the mess because we would rather not dwell on Sara's shortcomings. Needless to say, we have been cleaning and wiping off everything from the kitchen and moving it to our front room that was one of the only rooms in the house without an inch of dust hanging around. We will be doing a mass dusting/cleaning of the house once we sand the last bit of drywall tonight and will be using an air compressor to clear more dust from the ceiling and in all of the cabinets so we can start to breathe a little easier while we are working. (Note - This is not ideal project for someone that has just started getting over pneumonia they had for 2 months, but I like to test my limits sometimes, and I am paying for it a bit).

Once we get all of the dust cleared we can start priming and painting the ceiling and walls and the room will (hopefully) start coming together. That brings me to the biggest project we worked on this weekend...panting the cabinets...here are a few pictures of our progress including a reminder of what we started with:

Before - Dark wood, but decent quality cabinets

After - White and clean looking

More cabinets in a messy garage

Our creative space-saving drawer painting area

You can't really see how great the paint settled in through pictures, but trust me, the Satin Impervo paint we used settled in nicely and in a few more days you won't be able to scratch them with a nail. Since I have gotten several emails about what paint/tools we've used, I thought I would share some tips and tricks that we learned along with the products that we used to help anyone looking to update their kitchen/bathroom cabinets.

Top 10 Tips & Tricks for Painting Cabinetry

1. Do your research. Before you start any projects, I highly recommend doing lots of research on painting cabinetry because everyone does it a little bit differently, and you need to do what you feel comfortable with. Definitely look online through multiple home improvement websites and diy blogs, by asking a professional contractor (thanks again Lori Howarter!), painter and the older guys working in the paint department at your local hardware/paint store. (I like to ask older guys because I think they've experienced more, but usually anyone in the department knows their stuff...though I would make an exception if I saw anyone resembling Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri from HGTV's Cousins on Call because A- They are awesome at everything and B - They are ridiculously good looking...I'm obsessed with their shows and Brian already said that he would be more than happy if they decided to swoop in and take over our remodel at anytime).

--Oops, I got a little carried away there, back to the list...

2. Buy the expensive paint. You are going to be looking at your cabinets everyday...go all in for the good stuff. We opted for Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo paint, and yes I think my husband may have choked on his gum and almost fainted from sticker shock when we went to ring up our purchase (he can be super dramatic at times), but the guy behind the counter (yes, he was older) reinforced my decision by saying that there is a reason why the paint is expensive...it's the best and it's what the professionals use. We had to go to a specialty paint store to find the Impervo, so check your local store before you go.

3. Always do TWO coats of primer. Trust me, even if you think one coat will do, use two. Primer dries super fast and you can do two coats really quickly. I admit, there are a few places I only did one coat of primer and now I am regretting it. With two coats of primer, you can get away with only one coat of Impervo, especially in places that won't be seen as much...and this is especially good so that you "don't have to take out a second mortgage on your house to buy another gallon [of Impervo]" - quoting my wonderful, yet over-dramatic husband. (A gallon of Impervo is about $90, so it's a little pricy, but so worth it). Also, make sure to use an oil-based primer if you are using oil based paint and if you can paint outside, do so, or create lots of ventilation in your space...the primer is stronger than the Impervo. Reminder - please make sure your pets stay outside and away while you paint and several hours while it dries...they are more sensitive to chemicals and smells than you are and you do not want them to have breathing problems!

Left side - Two coats of primer, Right side - just one. It makes a huge difference in the end

4. Use good brushes and rollers. Make sure to use a roller specifically made for oil based paints if you are using the Impervo paint so it glides on smoothly. Invest in a few finishing brushes that are angled for trim and to get into the corners of the cabinetry...you can't go wrong with Purdy brushes and BM makes some nice ones too...cheap brushes are ok for priming, but just like the paint, don't get cheap with the brushes...they are expensive because they work the best and you don't have as many brush marks as you would with cheaper versions.

5. Don't skip the sanding. If you are going to take the time to paint your cabinets, make sure to take the time to sand them. It helps even out the surfaces and removes any gloss, residual paint and anything else that has caked on your cabinets over the years. You don't have to sand them all down to the original wood, but scuff them up plenty so that the primer can soak in and make the paint go on smoother and more appealing as it dries. For the cabinet's shell (that's what I call the area left after taking off the doors and drawers), you can clean everything with a TSP solution and then use a liquid sander deglosser so you don't have a dusty mess all over the kitchen - of course I could have sanded the cabinets shells when I sanded the ceiling, but that would have been too easy :). We also used the liquid sander deglosser before priming, just to cover all my bases...make sure to use gloves when handling this stuff because it is nasty and can rough up your hands a lot. You will also want to lightly sand down drips and rough areas in between each layer you paint, to finish with a smooth surface. Just use a medium to fine-grit sanding sponge and wipe away the debris before the next coat of paint.

6. Start painting the backs first. You will want the final coat of paint to go on the front side of the cabinets, so plan accordingly.

7. Be patient. This is one of the most challenging parts for me because I would have liked for the remodel to have been over in a weekend and I have the patience of my mother (zero). This is extremely important if you are using the BM Satin Impervo paint because although it will be dry to the quick touch in 4 hours, it needs at least 12-24 hours to settle between coats. So start early and then sit back and relax, or make your husband start on another project while you wait (crackin' the whip). And to test your patience even more, you really need to wait 7 to 10 days before you attach the doors and add on the hardware. This paint likes to take its time to settle and harden into the intended finish. We are on day 2 after the last coat and I already want to move everything back into the kitchen, but I will wait. After putting all of this time and energy into this project, a couple more days won't matter in the long run...plus I purposely waited to order the hardware until the last day of painting so I have no choice but to wait until they get here to attach the pulls :)

8. Have everything prepped and ready to paint before you start. It's easier to clean, sand and paint everything at once, so take the time beforehand to make sure that you have all of the supplies that you need and all the hardware off before you start. Here's a pic of most of the supplies that we used:

Some standard supplies and some not-so-standard

9. Use paint thinner. When you are using oil based or acrylic paints, soap and water will not clean your brushes off at all. Know the saying oil and water don't mix? That's because they don't so if you try to just rinse off your brushes, you're wasting your time. Also, don't try to dilute the paint thinner with water...it doesn't work and if you leave your brushes sitting in the mixture for a couple days because you forgot about them, they will be ruined. Use straight paint thinner in a bucket (or a milk jug cut in half) and set your brushes in the thinner for at least an hour, then take the brushes out back and rinse with your garden sprayer in an area that you don't mind getting paint all over. I also dip my fingers (and most of my hand) into the thinner to loosen the paint that I have splattered all over myself and rub the paint until it's a milky color and use soap and water to clean. I'm not sure if it's that great for your hands, but it's the only way to get the paint off.

10. Have Fun! Painting cabinetry can really suck the life out of you, but for me it is totally worth it. I hit shuffle on my iPod, hook Tequila up on a long chain in the front yard and start rocking out with my brush. My music taste is a bit eclectic and I tend to get lost in the music so the people driving down our street and exercising on our trail have probably had a few laughs at my expense while I am rapping & shaking it to some old school Salt-N-Peppa and Trina (Steph - you know what's up), rocking out to some Wolfmother and bustin' out some smooth moves to MJ, but it does make the work a lot more fun!

My painting crew

Hope these tips helped, and please feel free to let me know if you have any questions on any of the products that we used. We'll have more updates and projects soon, but until then, here are a few teasers of things to come...