Pro Secrets for Painting Kitchen Cabinets

By: Josh Garskof, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Low-tack painter's tape

2. Rosin paper

3. 0.5-mil plastic sheet

4. Tack cloth

5. Liquid deglosser and abrasive pad

6. Lint-free rags

7. 100-grit silicon-carbide sandpaper

8. Two-part polyester wood filler or autobody filler to fill dings or screw holes

9. 220-grit silicon-carbide sandpaper to smooth primer between coats

10. 280-grit silicon-carbide sandpaper to smooth paint between coats

11. Sanding sponges, medium- and fine-grit

12. Vinyl spackle

13. Oil-based primer for use on smooth surfaces or tight-grained woods (cherry, maple, birch); or
14. Brushing putty to prime and fill open-grained woods (oak, ash, hickory)

15. Oil-based spray primer for touch-up

16. Siliconized acrylic-latex caulk

17. Oil-based paint Easier to clean and more durable than water-based, which softens when exposed to heat or oil.

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Drill-driver
- Paint scraper
- Putty knife
- Shop vacuum with drywall-dust filter
- Random-orbit sander
- 2½-in. chisel-tip with nylon-polyester bristles
- Goggles
- Respirator (fitted with organic-vapor cartridges)
- Chemical-resistant rubber gloves (long-sleeve style)
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the finished kitchen with newly painted cabinets

Photo: Brian Wilder

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
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13. Put Back Doors, Drawers, and Hardware

Wait for the final coat to dry, then put back the shelves. Remove the tape over each door's number, install the hinges and knob, then hang it in the opening it came from. Replace the drawer pulls (or better yet, add new ones) and reinstall each drawer in its original opening.