Cabinet finishing – whether you’re using, paint, stain, oil, urethane or something else – is an easy, fun job that doesn’t require a ton of tools or years of experience. There are a few common tricks and techniques that will help you get that perfect factory finish. In fact, with the great deals that you can find on unfinished cabinetry, there is really no reason not to tackle the finishing job yourself! If you want to try painting, staining or varnishing unfinished cabinets, here are some of the things you’ll need to know to do a flawless finishing job.
Unfinished Oak Cabinets
Sanding and Surface Preparation
The biggest mistake that you can make is failing to prepare the surface of the cabinet properly, or neglecting to sand your finish between coats. On an unfinished base cabinet or wall cabinet, the manufacturer will have already done most of the sanding. However, one more light sand with a fine sandpaper – at least 200 grit, although 400 grit is even better – will help you get a silky-smooth finish.
As you sand, there are two things to remember: Always sand with the grain, and sand gently so that you don’t damage the veneer. Avoid power sanders, because the rotational or back-and-forth motions that these tools use can cause scratches across the wood grain.
Sanding between coats is even more important than sanding before the first coat. As you apply the finish, tiny bubbles will form and small bits of dust and debris will adhere to the surface, leaving the initial coats with a somewhat rough texture. Use 400-grit sandpaper or steel wool to open up those bubbles and remove any roughness.
Painting From the Can
Less is More
Another key to success is remembering that less is more. When you apply the first coat or two to an unfinished wall cabinet, it’ll be tempting to apply a thick coat simply because the finish will soak into the wood and look extremely patchy. However, thick coats of finish come with several problems:
• Heavy layers of finish tend to bubble more than thin coats.
• They take longer to dry, which means the wet finish has more time to collect dust and debris.
• Thick coats of finish are prone to drips, runs and other flaws.
If you want smooth paint or a perfectly glossy urethane finish, shoot for at least three to five thin coats rather than one or two thick coats of finish.
Staining By Hand
Which Tools are the Best Tools?
The beauty of cabinet finishing is that it doesn’t require lots of expensive or complicated tools. You’ll need brushes, cloths, sandpaper and something to clean up the mess – water for water-based finishes and paint thinner or mineral spirits for oil-based finishes. But how do you decide when to use a brush and when to use a cloth for the finish? Here’s a run-down of the best way to apply a variety of finishes:
• For stain, use a cloth. Traditional stains are very thin and runny, which means it will be difficult to get an even coating with a brush. Gel stains are too thick for a brush – you’ll just push them when you should be rubbing them into the wood grain.
• Urethane, polyurethane, varnish and other oil-based clear coats can be applied with either a brush or a cloth. However, cloths are generally the preferred method because they allow you to apply the thinnest, most even coating.
• Oils – like teak oil or tung oil – are somewhat thin, so they should always be applied with a cloth.
• Paints – both latex paint and oil paint – need to be brushed on. Use a soft brush for the thinner latex paints and a stiffer brush for oil paints.
As you can see, most finishes are best applied with a clean, lint-free cloth. Use either cheesecloth or old t-shirts. If you go the t-shirt route, cut them up into rags and then run them through the washing machine at least twice to remove any loose threads or fuzzy bits from the edges.
Unfinished Birch Cabinets
Finishing your own cabinets is an easy, rewarding job. These tips and techniques will give you that perfect showroom look no matter what finish you choose. So the next time you see a great deal on unfinished kitchen cabinets, don’t hesitate to take them home and give DIY finishing a shot!
If you plan to replace your floor, the time to prepare for it is BEFORE installing the cabinets and permanent appliances. Ceramic tile floors are usually placed before the installation of cabinets while vinyl flooring can be laid either before or after the cabinets are in place. If the new floor will go directly on top of the existing one, it is very important to fill any areas that may have dipped, buckled or bulged, as well as any holes or gouges, and nail down protruding boards. Remove glue or paint that may have spilled. Countersink nail and screw heads that are sticking up above the surface. If the old floor is embossed or has dips and/or hollows in it, these should be filled in with cement filler using a 5 to 10-inch wide putty knife.
Most ready-made cabinets come with a scribe allowance at the edges to allow you to adapt them to irregular walls. Scribing simply involves running a strip of masking tape along the side to be scribed; then, positioning the cabinet. (See Fig. J) Set the points of a pencil compass to the width of the widest gap between the side of the cabinet and the wall. Run the compass down the wall and the irregularities will be pencil marked on the tape. Now you can plane or sand down to the line so the cabinet will rest flush against the wall. If the scribe edge is not included on your cabinets or if your cabinets go all the way to the ceiling, plan on trimming the edges with a small piece of molding.
Before installing any of our new cabinets, remove all the drawers, doors and hardware and label them as to their original locations for quick reassembly. This will make the units much lighter and more manageable.
When readying the cabinets for installation, we recommend you first prepare those cabinets that will house a hood/vent, ducts and plumbing: Place the cabinet upside down on the floor with the hood in position upside down on the (bottom of the) cabinet. Trace the outline of the vent hole onto the base of the cabinet. Drill a starter hole for your sabre saw, then, cut around the outline and remove the cutout, Next, make a paper template of the ceiling or wall where the cabinet will be placed that shows where the end of the duct will enter. Place the template into position on the cabinet top or back and outline the duct hole. Again, drill a starter hole and cut out the circle with your sabre saw. Mark the location of the Wall studs on each cabinet’s hanging cleats; then, drill pilot holes for screws at these points. Self-drilling bugle head screws can also be used. These require no pre-drilling, except when using at face frames. With the doors removed, lift the first cabinet into position onto the ledger board and the temporary jacks. Check to see that the cabinet is both level and plumb in position and, if needed, add shims at the back of the cabinet to bring it into a plumb position.
Screw the 2-1/2 inch No. 8 flathead wood screws through the cleat at the back of the cabinet and into the wall studs – two at the top and two at the bottom. Use longer screws if needed to assure at least 1 -1/4″ to 1-3/4″ penetration into the studs. Each unit should be attached to a minimum of two studs. If only one stud is located behind a unit, add a toggle bolt as an additional fastener.
If your lower cabinets have freestanding bases, set the bases in position and level them, shimming if necessary. Also, use a framing square to square them where your base cabinets meet in a comer. When placing shim material, place a block of wood between the shim and the hammer so as not to damage the flooring. Then anchor them to the floor and place the cabinet units on top of them. Those cabinets without freestanding bases must be leveled and anchored in position as a unit. As you set the base cabinets in place, measure and leave room for our appliances, adding a 1/4 inch for clearance – more if you will be adding end panels. Check the position of your base units against the line on the wall, making certain the tops are equally below the line by the thickness of your counter top.
Attach the cabinet units together so that the faces are flush. Slide a level down the entire length of the cabinets, adding a shim where there is a gap or to bring it up to level. Place your level front to back on the top of the cabinet to check for plumb – a again shimming if necessary. Then, screw the entire length o cabinets into the wall with the 2 – inch screws through the top cleat and into the wall studs. often, due to some unevenness in the wall, there will be gaps between the back of the cabinet and the wall. To avoid pulling your cabinets out of kilter as you position them to the wall, shim the gaps at the fastening point (where the stud is located) before screwing the cabinet into place.
