Having all of the supplies you need when you start a project is key to knocking the project out like a pro. When painting cabinets, you will not only need supplies to properly prepare the surface before you paint but you will also need good quality tools to apply your finish coats. The supplies don’t have to cost you a fortune if you know the simple “tricks of the trade” that professional painters like me have learned over the years.
- 220-grit sandpaper sheets (I buy these for my crew)
- Medium-grit sanding block
- Caulk (This is what we use…make sure it’s paintable
- Caulk Gun
- Bondo (This is a game-changer)
- Krud Kutter (I use this formula)
- Terrycloth rags
- Painter’s Tape
- Drill or Screwdriver
- ShopVac
- Brush Attachment (this is a life-saver)
- Scissors
- Primer (This is the only product I will use before painting)
- Good Quality Paint (See Below)
- Paintbrush
- Mohair Mini Rollers
- Mini-Koter Roller Cage
- Mini Paint Tray
- Press & Seal
- Buffing Pads
- Paint Pyramids
Tip 1) Sanding blocks can get expensive. To save money, I like to buy the full sandpaper sheets and cut them into thirds with scissors. Then, instead of buying a bunch of sanding blocks, I wrap my cut sandpaper around the worn-out sanding block.
Tip 2) I always use a ShopVac to clean up the initial dust from sanding. This soft-bristled brush attachment is a game-changer.
Tip 3) Krud Kutter is a great time-saver. This special formula will clean and degloss in one step! Now, the bottle says without sanding but trust me on this…ALWAYS SAND!
Tip 4) When painting cabinets, you will most likely need to caulk the seams and corners. See, when a cabinet is stained, you don’t see the gaps and seams but…when you paint it, all of those imperfections will surface. My tip is to follow my step-by-step tutorial for prepping a cabinet, then caulk all of the areas that have gaps. You can always apply one coat of primer before you caulk so you can see exactly what will show up after painting.
Tip 5) Using Bondo will make the difference between an amateur-looking finish and professional-looking finish. It is used to smooth out deep scratches, dents and imperfections. Again, if you are having a problem seeing the imperfections, apply a coat of primer first then you will be able to see the areas that need special attention.
Tip 6) Shellac-based primer is by far the best primer for painting cabinets. Shellac will stick to anything and anything will stick to Shellac. Again, this is NOT a substitute for sanding. Primer should only be applied after you have properly prepped your cabinets.
Tip 7) Wrap your paint trays with Press ‘n Seal before pouring the paint in the tray. It will make clean-up a breeze. I also wrap my paint brushes with Press ‘n Seal to keep from having to wash out my brush between coats. The enemy of paint is air so as long as you keep the air out…your brush will be ready for the next coat.
Tip 8) Mohair rollers are the best way to get that professionally-sprayed look on your cabinets. At Rekindled Spaces, we always take the doors and drawers back to our shop and spray them in our paint booth but what about the body of the cabinets? Most of the homes we work in have families living in them. So we opt to brush and roll the body of the cabinets to keep disruption for the family at a minimum. Using these rollers, makes it almost impossible to tell the difference between what has been sprayed and what has been rolled.
Tip 9) Buffing pads are the key to getting a smooth finish every time. At Rekindled Spaces, we buff between every layer that is applied to the surface. This accomplishes 2 things: 1) It ensures that each coat of product that was applied bonded correctly and 2) guarantees a smooth finish.