Fool Proof Process

We often get asked to paint previously stained wood. Doors & jambs, baseboards, windows and cabinets. We do a lot of this each year and have developed a fool proof process that lasts. This IS a project I suggest you hire a professional for but I will share some general guidelines on what to expect and the steps that should be taken to insure a lasting finish.

The first thing to consider is the impact on your living environment. It can be a challenge to live in your home while the kitchen cabinets are being refinished or all the baseboards are getting painted. We do it all the time but it is important to consider how meals will be prepared while your kitchen is all masked off. I do mean all masked off too. We completely cover the floor, appliances, put plastic over doorways etc. There are several ways to approach the challenge of work in a kitchen. Sometimes we move appliances to a different room and do a makeshift kitchen. Many families just get take out food or manage as best they can with a kitchen “under construction”.

A kitchen cabinet job usually takes about 5 days and what works best is to set up an area to work on the cabinet doors in like a garage or basement area. Those areas are completely masked out and made ready to serve as a temporary work area. We can also take the doors away to work on them but as a general rule it’s best to try to minimize the transportation of finished doors as much as possible.

Painting Previously Stained Wood

The basic steps are to set up the work area. We will use kitchen cabinets as an example. The process is similar for painting trim, doors, etc.

In this case it is in an unfinished basement. Next all the cabinet doors are removed as well as knobs and hinges. Then the cabinets are masked off.

We like to cover doorways as well to contain any dust and fumes.

The Doors and cabinets get cleaned to removes grease, etc. Then they get sanded and dusted. Repair work to the wood is the next step if required. Joints, seams, etc. get caulked. All surfaces get two coats of primer. We sand between coats.

Two coats of of finish is sprayed. After adequate dry time everything gets put back together and we begin the clean up process.

The results are great. By doing the proper prep and using the best coatings the new finish will last for many years.