Kitchen Reno - Cabinet painting advice

[moosieshorts]

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.

[Dicey]

Awesome information here:

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2014/05/how-to-paint-kitchen-cabinets/

[FIRE me]

Do we sand in between coats? I've heard this a couple times but I've also seen people do without this step.

Provided you follow label instructions regarding the timing of additional coats, sanding between coats is usually done only to provide a smoother final coat. So it is optional.

[sisto]

I would agree with what's already been said and add that if you have enough leftover primer as you stated I would use that first as it will make for less coats of the nicer paint and a more uniform final product.

[Papa Mustache]

Hope this helps. Just watched this episode this past weekend.

http://www.pbs.org/video/2365653542/

[index]

Use 180 grit to rough them up. Prime and paint with an oil based paint.  Sand with a 320 or 400 grot sponge between coats.

The oil base is the key if you want a professional looking finish.  If your worried about clean up,  General Finishes makes some good acrylic paint.  It is available at woodcraft. The folks in there can give you great advice.

[moosieshorts]

Thanks guys!

[lthenderson]

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.

I would use much coarser sand paper. For paint, 120 grit is as fine as you need to go. With 180 and 220, it will take you three times as long to do the same job. All you are really doing is removing any loose paint and feathering the edges of any chips so that the surface is smooth. Use a tack cloth to remove the dust. They can be bought cheaply or you can make your own even cheaper. Lots of recipes on the internet on how to do this. I would definitely use the primer. Using a dedicated primer versus an all in one paint definitely yields better quality results. You only need to sand between coats if the surface ends up being rougher than you like.