Wife wants to paint the kitchen cabinets

[Tim Sproul]

Then I would seriously consider refacing the cabinets with a closed grain wood. Maple or poplar with mdf panels, all painted. My estimation is that is less work than trying fill the grain in existing woodwork. From my experience, grain filling is rather easy on large surfaces but quickly becomes tedious and cumbersome on smaller and profiled surfaces.

[Larry Fox]

thanks for the tip on the HF spray gun. I thought I was done with my HF purchases for now

And (imho) you should be done with the HF purchases - especially for something like a spray gun. Important disclaimer - I have never used this gun but - IN MY OPINION - if you have a lot of spraying to do and expect good results you might want to look into a decent gun and setup. I have never understood the thought process behind spending big $$ on the tools you need to build something from wood, investing the precious shop time to carefully select the materials and actually build the piece but look for the absolute cheapest and fastest way to get through the finishing process which is arguably what people will notice first if it is done poorly. You just need a single errant drop of finish from a cheap leaky gun to fall dead center onto the showiest part of your project to wipe out any cost savings that you might have realized. Not saying you need to buy a top-of-the-line setup but there are many better options out there for not an insane amount of $$.

Sorry - that turned into a bit of a "soapbox" moment for me.

As to the refinishing of the cabinets - you might be better served in looking at one of these places that makes doors on spec and buying some poplar or maple ones rather than trying to grain-fill all that oak. I think you will come out on the good side as the doors are not that expensive in poplar or maple. That would leave you filling the face frames which (while a lot) is more manageable.

[Mike Wilkins]

Grain filling will be tedious and not fun with paint. The paint and prime steps will fill much of the grain, but folks will still know it is Oak. My own kitchen refinishing/painting steps went like this:
1. As you remove the doors, use a method of numbering the doors to keep them order. This will insure the correct door is placed back in its original location. I used numbered punches.
2. Remove all hardware/screws/knobs and place in a bag if you intend to re-use them.
3. Sanding-mine were flat panel plywood doors, so they went easily into my Performax 16-32 sander. Use a finishing sander to get a really smooth surface. This may be difficult with raised panel doors. In that case,
use one of the deglossing products recommended for your primer.
4. Primer/paint application: if you have facilities to spray, that would be ideal. I don't, so I used a 4" roller with a paint pan. Use one of the high quality foam rollers for a smooth finish.
5. Use the best quality paint possible. I used Lowes Kitchen/Bath paint, but the local places where the pros shop is your best bet.
Good luck and be sure to show us the final results.

[Shawn Christ]

Shawn: thanks for the tip on the HF spray gun. I thought I was done with my HF purchases for now and wasn't aware of it as a "HF Gem" Even if I don't end up spraying the doors I might just find some uses for it.

You're welcome.

And (imho) you should be done with the HF purchases - especially for something like a spray gun. Important disclaimer - I have never used this gun but - IN MY OPINION - if you have a lot of spraying to do and expect good results you might want to look into a decent gun and setup. I have never understood the thought process behind spending big $$ on the tools you need to build something from wood, investing the precious shop time to carefully select the materials and actually build the piece but look for the absolute cheapest and fastest way to get through the finishing process which is arguably what people will notice first if it is done poorly. You just need a single errant drop of finish from a cheap leaky gun to fall dead center onto the showiest part of your project to wipe out any cost savings that you might have realized. Not saying you need to buy a top-of-the-line setup but there are many better options out there for not an insane amount of $$.

Sorry - that turned into a bit of a "soapbox" moment for me.

No problem, Larry. You make a very good point, and I think others will agree with you. Personally, I'm not willing to commit to that approach until I actually SEE bad results. So far my results have been excellent. My projects are for my own home so I'm willing to take that gamble to save a few bucks, and some of the finishes I use (such as shellac) are easily repaired. I learned about both sprayers here at the Creek, and some searching will reveal some very strong support for the HF gun. I would submit that it is a reasonable option for someone who wants to try their hand at spraying (particularly HVLP) without much investment, and should not be automatically disregarded because of where it is sold. I'm not a huge fan of HF, and have had my share of lemons, but this gun is not one of them.

Greg, keep us posted on your refinishing project. I have raised panel oak cabinets with a very similar finish to yours. I've been contemplating some changes for a few years now. Maybe this will be my inspiration...

[Phil Phelps]

Greg, read Larry Fox's reply again. It's spot on. If I'm painting wood, I want no grain showing. You could fill the face frame on the oak cabinets and have doors made from a company that does just that. There is a place in Texas, just up the road a bit from me, that will make any door from most any wood or wood product, at a reasonable price. I built all my doors back in '05, I have a big shop and the time, and made 30 inset panel doors with poplar frames and 1/4" MDF panels, because MDF won't move like wood. I filled the MDF with joint compound and caulked where the MDF meets the poplar, wiped it clean, primed, (sprayed), the doors with Bullseye pigmented shellac and finished them with Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo using an airless spray rig with a fine finish tip. They look like baked on enamel and took countless hours to build and finish. Building was the easy part. Since you live in California, you may have limitations to the type of paint you can buy. I recommend an alkyd, low luster, enamel, especially if you have to brush the paint. If you don't have a spray booth, I wouldn't even think about spraying in your garage, especially solvent based products. Don't forget the hardware. What kind of hinges will you use? European overlay, half overlay (really do your homework) inset, springload, butt? There is a lot to consider. This is a big job, especially if you build new doors. Good luck and keep us informed.

[Tony Perrone]

This post is great my wife wants me to do the same thing including the bowling alley island only difference she wants dark chocolate or somthing ( I don't pick colors I just do the work),