My husband and I are renovating our log home (kitchen and bath) before we sell. We are replacing the counters and sink but the cabinets are what I need help with. It's a beautiful home but the kitchen was slapped together, the cabinets were misaligned and just stuck on the wall but are in good shape, solid wood. They were painted poorly and in a weird colour for a log home: light blue. My husband re-aligned the cupboards so they're flush and level and added stripping to the top and now they look much more "finished" despite the doors off! We have all the doors and hinges off and are in the middle of sanding.
How much do we have to sand? I am currently starting with 180 grit and then 220 to rough them up enough for the pain to adhere. Is this enough?
What's the best way to remove the dust from the surfaces when we're done the sanding?
We had bought paint with built-in primer but I'm thinking I should use a primer anyway (which we have leftover from another project). We are going from light blue to light ivory. Should we do a coat of primer first?
Do we sand in between coats? I've heard this a couple times but I've also seen people do without this step.