A Finishing Process

I take great pleasure in painting anything from houses, walls, pictures, furniture and cabinets. Even though finishing kitchen cabinets are very time consuming, they are my favorite. It gratifies me to see the final project put together and installed. Today, I am going to explain how I to paint kitchen cabinets. There are many different techniques I can choose from. Before I get started I do the following things: First, I decide which process I will apply. Then I make a list of items that will be needed. Assuming the cabinets are already built, puttied, and sanded by the builder; I check at home for wooden saw horses, two 2x2’s, stain/paint, mineral spirits, rags, lacquer, scuffing pads, dust rags, tape, newspaper, and paint brushes/spray gun. I will have to go to the store and purchase the supplies I don’t have. Using an air compressor I blow all the dust out of the room, open the windows and turn on some fans to make sure the room is dust free and has good ventilation. Next, I bring the cabinets in the room and wipe them down with mineral spirits. The mineral spirits will help clean oil and dirt off the wood. Now, I lay the 2x2’s across the saw horses, and lay all the doors face down on the 2x2’s and apply the first coat of paint. The doors take the longest so I always start with them. While I am waiting for the doors to dry, I tape the cabinets and drawers off with newspapers; the insides of the cabinets and drawers should be left unpainted. Now, I apply the first coat of paint on the drawers and cabinets. When the backs of the doors are dry I flip them over and paint the fronts. When the cabinets and drawers are painted and dry I remove the newspaper and tape. I like to let them set over night to make sure the paint is completely cured. First, upon returning to my project I inspect my work, if there are any touch ups needed, I do so before moving on. I scuff everything that has been painted using a scuffing pad or steel wool and wipe away all dust. Now, I can apply the first coat of lacquer. The lacquer should be applied to all surfaces not just the painted areas. When using lacquer, I spray a thin even coat. If I get it to heavy in places or I get a run, I leave it until dry, then scuff or sand the area and re-spray. Again, I let everything dry and cure overnight. The next day (day 3), I repeat the second day’s process of spraying lacquer; this will be my final step in completing the finishing