Your kitchen cabinet refacing project may seem intimidating if you only look at the big picture. But when you break it down into individual steps, it suddenly will not seem so impossible. Here are 3 important steps you must take when you start your cabinet refinishing project.
1. Disassemble Your Old Cabinets
At first this may seem like a simple job. You just remove the cabinet doors, drawers, drawer runners and hinges. Make sure you remember to remove every piece of kitchen cabinet hardware.
Here is where people complicate things, however. Do not just remove those doors and drawers, but properly label and organize them as well. You will save a ton of time and frustration later by carefully labeling and organizing each piece so you can later reconstruct your cabinets easily.
2. Protect Your Kitchen and Appliances
Before you break out stripping solvent, sanding equipment or too many heavy or sharp tools, you want to make sure all surfaces are covered and any appliances that can be reasonably removed are out of the kitchen. Certainly, everything must be cleared from the counters. If possible, remove the oven and refrigerator as well.
Then drape or tape plastic or protective cloth over all other surfaces. Do not cut corners here; depending on the tools and solvents you'll need to use, you could very well do some serious damage if you are not thorough and meticulous with this step.
3. Strip, Sand and Clean All Kitchen Cabinet Surfaces
Stripping the finish from your existing kitchen cabinets is not too difficult as long as you consider three things: 1) Make sure you select the right solvent for your existing cabinet's finish. 2) Make sure everything in you kitchen is properly protected. 3) Take proper safety precautions. Use appropriate gloves, tools and then properly ventilate the work area.
Your local hardware store (especially if you can visit a Home Depot, Lowe's or Menard's) will provide you with all the information and data you need to select the appropriate stripping solvent for your finish.
This is a critical step in your kitchen cabinet refacing endeavors, so do not be impatient. Make sure you get everything just right. After you strip, you sand. And after you sand, you want to be extra careful to properly wipe and clean every surface. A dust bunny or wood shaving can wreak havoc on a refinish or repaint job.
You should now be well on your way to that spectacular new kitchen. Kitchen cabinet refacing can be a satisfying way to save money while implementing a fresh new look for your kitchen.