How we paint your cabinets

A cabinet job is won or lost in the prep. Most of the hours in a cabinet estimate never show in a photo: taking every piece off, building a spray booth, masking the whole kitchen, and giving each coat time to cure. That's the difference between a finish that lasts and one that chips by spring. Here's exactly where the time goes.

1. 
   1

   Every door and drawer front comes off

   Every door and drawer front comes off and is labeled to its box.

   We handle each piece on its own through the whole job. Hinges and hardware are bagged and marked, so every door goes back exactly where it came from and closes the way it did.

2. 
   2

   We build a spray booth

   A spray booth goes up on site so the finish coats go on in a controlled space.

   A plastic enclosure, a fan and filters to pull the overspray, and racks to hold every piece while it cures. It's set up once for the job, and it's why the doors come out smooth instead of brushy.

3. 
   3

   The kitchen is protected first

   Before anything is sprayed, every box is masked and the kitchen is covered.

   Each box is masked inside and around its opening. Counters, floors and appliances are covered. It takes hours, and it's what keeps paint only where it belongs.

4. 
   4

   Clean, degrease and sand

   Every piece is cleaned, degreased and sanded so the primer can grip.

   Kitchen cabinets carry years of cooking grease. Paint over it and it peels. We take it off first, then sand every surface so the primer has something to hold on to.

5. 
   5

   Prime

   A bonding primer goes on every surface.

   Going from stained wood to a painted color, the primer seals the old finish so nothing bleeds through the new color later.

6. 
   6

   Two finish coats, with cure time

   Boxes are sprayed in place, masked off; doors and fronts are sprayed in the booth: primer, then two finish coats, with cure time between coats.

   Each coat gets its full cure time before the next one goes on. Rushing a coat is how you end up with a soft finish that scuffs and sticks.

7. 
   7

   Rehung, adjusted, and walked with you

   Everything is rehung, hardware refitted, and we walk the kitchen with you.

   Doors are rehung and adjusted so they line up and close right, drawer fronts and hardware go back on, and we walk it with you before we call it done.

Paint: Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel for the finish coats, over Sherwin-Williams Extreme Bond Primer.

Questions about any step? Call or text us. We're glad to walk you through it.