There are a lot of mistakes that can be made when painting cabinets. Cabinet painting is not a project that can be done in a day. It takes a lot of time and preparation if everything is done right the first time. If you are planning on painting your cabinets yourself, do your research and be prepared to avoid the top six DIY cabinet painting mistakes.

Not Properly Cleaning the Cabinets

Kitchens build up a lot of grease, and it takes more than a wet rag to clean them off. Depending on your cabinet style, you may have a lot of nooks and crannies in those cabinets that are hard to reach. Every little part of your cabinets has to be clean in order to get the paint to adhere (stick) to your cabinets. Everything needs to be scrubbed down with a grease remover, such as TSP, then wiped down with a damp rag. Problematic areas are usually around the stove and the sink, so be sure those areas are clean. To test whether the cabinets are clean, run your fingernail down the cabinet. If anything is in your fingernail, then it’s not clean enough.

Not Taking Off the Hardware

A lot of people think they can save time by skipping the step of taking off the hardware. You may be saving an hour at first, but in the long run, you are wasting time and money. When you paint your kitchen cabinets, the paint needs a couple of days to cure, otherwise, it will scratch off easily. If you don’t remove the hardware, then it will scratch against your freshly painted cabinets and leave ugly marks all around them. Take the extra time to remove the hardware, it will make painting the cabinets easier and you will not get paint all over the hardware.

Not Removing the Cabinet Doors and Drawers

It looks like you can reach every surface of the cabinets and drawers with them still on the hinges, but you can’t. You will get a more even coat if they are removed and you will not get paint all over the hinges.

Skipping the Labeling of Doors, Drawers and Hardware

This one is very important. You can put everything back where it belongs if they are labeled as they are removed. Even if the cabinet doors are exactly the same, the hinges have all moved differently through the years, so they will hang differently if they are not in their proper place. A bit of masking tape and a pen is all you need to do this the right way.

Not Sanding Properly

Sanding ensures adhesion. If you don’t sand well then the primer and paint will not stick to your cabinets. Be sure to vacuum or use a tack rag before you start priming your cabinets.

Using the Wrong Primer and Paint

A high-quality primer and paint is a must for painting cabinets. You get a durable finish with a high-quality paint. It is much more expensive but it is worth it in the long run. You should also get one that is specific for painting cabinets. There are a lot of options out there, so make sure you choose a paint that boasts adhesion and durability. Choose a primer that has great stain blocking and adhesion properties.

What is DIT?

DIT stands for Do-It-Together, this is a service we offer, that will save you time, money and frustration. We do 90% of the work and you pay half the price! All you have to do is paint the cabinet boxes. Sound Finish will uninstall your cabinet doors and drawers, take them to our shop, paint them and return to reinstall them in two weeks. We provide you with a half hour of training, and all the supplies needed to paint the boxes. We also give you access to our online tutorial videos to help you along the way.

About the DIT Experience

About the Experience: Everything we do at Sound Finish is about creating an amazing customer experience. At our very core, we are a customer experience company who simply helps people paint their kitchen cabinets. We understand that you want to achieve a professional quality outcome while saving money. And that is why every single step of the Sound Finish DIT process serves one goal: providing you, the customer with an amazing experience from start to finish. We invite you to learn more about this one-of-a-kind service and determine if it makes sense for your home!

Sound Finish Professional Cabinet Painting and Refinishing Services

Sound Finish Provides the highest quality cabinet coatings in the industry because cabinet coatings are our primary focus and our specialty. With 20+ years of experience, our unique system paints your kitchen cabinets in 2-3 days!
Learn more and schedule a consultation today!