When it comes to a beautiful finished cabinet painting project, there are a few things a homeowner needs to keep in mind and properly sanding your cabinets and doors is a must to get it right the first time. Cabinet painting is a very detailed system. Homeowners looking to undertake these types of projects should take the information in this article to be prepared for what it takes to produce beautifully finished cabinets.

Painting your kitchen cabinets is not like painting the walls or doors in your house. You must follow a system. The first part of that system is to remove any hardware. The next thing is to properly clean your cabinets and then fill in any holes or grains that will appear in your finished product. The worst that can happen is to do everything right, and not cover holes or grain, then you have to start all over again.

This article is about how to achieve a smooth finish, and that starts with sanding your cabinets. Depending on the cabinets you have, whether they are oak or redwood, you need to choose the correct sanding grit. The two different grits homeowners should keep on hand are 150-grit and 220-grit sandpaper.

Going with a coarser grit than 150 will start digging into your wood and those scratches will show up when you paint your cabinets and the scratches are really bad then you need to fill them in and start the process over. Never go below 150 grit sandpaper. Some people will suggest 120 grit sandpaper, but that is incorrect and should never be considered for your cabinet painting project.

You’ll start by first sanding with 150-grit sandpaper, because that’s what will penetrate the sealer or other paint found on your cabinets to give your primer something to cling to, too. When painting your cabinets, you don’t need to sand the wood. Sanding down to the wood is only necessary if you are staining your cabinets a new color or to give them a fresh look.

Most people think that you need to sand your cabinets down to the wood in order to paint them, but that’s not true. Also, the purpose of sanding your cabinets is to remove the glossy sealant that is now on your cabinets. Glossy sealant is made to repel or create a poor adhesion for grease, oil, dirt and paint. Once you have finished sanding your cabinets, make sure they are very smooth and free of scratches.

After you’ve sanded the first level of protection on your cabinets, you’re now ready to remove any excess dust. If there is dust that was not removed, the dust once primed will give its own sandpaper feel and your finish will not be smooth. It is best to wipe down the cabinets with a damp rag once you think you have removed all the sanding dust. Allow the cabinets to dry for a few minutes and repeat the process of wiping them down with a damp rag or towel.

You are now ready to prime your cabinets. After the primer has dried properly, it usually takes 4-24 hours, depending on the primer you used and the manufacturer’s recommendations. This is when you put away the 150 grit sandpaper, you no longer need it. Once your cabinets are primed you will need to use 220 grit or finer sandpaper. Sand cabinets smooth because primer usually has a texture of its own. You are going to lightly sand the primer. You’re not trying to sand the cabinets hard, because you don’t want to sand off the primer and have to re-prime the stained areas of the cabinets.

Repeat the dust extraction process. Use microfiber cloths to remove dust, then use damp rags or towels to remove any remaining dust. The next step is to paint your cabinets with the first coat of premium paint. Let the paint dry and sand your cabinets again between each coat of paint. You want to apply a minimum of 2 coats of paint.