If your cabinet boxes are solid but the doors look tired, refacing can give your kitchen a fresh look without tearing everything out. The new doors and drawer fronts get the attention, but the boxes and face frames stay, and they need to look good too. Here's the prep you can do yourself.
One note before you pick up a brush: ask me during your estimate whether your boxes need refinishing or veneer. Every kitchen is different, and it's worth knowing the plan before you spend a weekend painting.
Start With a Sound Box
Before you put any time into the finish, make sure the boxes are worth refinishing. Look for:
- Water damage, especially under the sink: swelling, soft spots, or delaminating particleboard
- Face frames pulling away from the boxes, or loose joints
- Boxes that are out of square, or shelves that sag
- Mold, mildew, or lingering odors
Refacing works best on sturdy, square cabinets. A new finish won't fix a failing box, so if you find real damage, have it looked at first.
Empty, Remove, and Label
Clear everything out of the cabinets and drawers. Then take off the doors, drawer fronts, hinges, knobs, and pulls.
You don't need to label and save everything. The one exception is the drawers: if you plan to reuse them, label each one so it goes back in the same opening.
Clean and Degrease
Kitchen cabinets collect years of cooking grease, especially near the range. Paint and primer won't stick to grease, so don't skip this step.
Simple Green is a great degreaser for this job. Follow the label directions and scrub the face frames, the end panels, and anywhere hands touch often. Rinse with clean water to remove any residue, then let everything dry completely.
Repair Dings and Holes
Fill dents, gouges, and old hardware holes. Good options include:
- J-B Weld Body Filler, my top pick and the best choice for fixing holes and damage
- Minwax Stainable Wood Filler
- Bondo
- DryDex spackling
Overfill slightly, let it dry, then sand it flush. Deep holes may need two passes. Bondo and J-B Weld Body Filler are two-part fillers that set quickly, so mix small batches and follow the label. My tip for J-B Weld Body Filler: however much blue hardener you think is right, cut it in half and use that.
Before filling old hinge or hardware holes, ask whether any of them will be reused. That depends on the new doors and hardware.
Scuff-Sand
You don't need to sand down to bare wood. The goal is to dull the existing finish so the primer can grip. A fine-grit sanding sponge or paper, roughly 180 to 220 grit, works well for most finishes. If you're using an orbital sander, these 220-grit discs hold up well and don't cost much.
Afterward, vacuum the dust and wipe the surfaces with a tack cloth or a damp microfiber cloth. Any dust left behind will show up in your paint.
Prime With a Bonding Primer
Use a bonding (adhesion-promoting) primer made for glossy or hard-to-paint surfaces like factory cabinet finishes. A few well-known choices:
- Sherwin-Williams Extreme Bond
- INSL-X Stix (Benjamin Moore)
- Zinsser B-I-N, a shellac-based primer that's also great for blocking stains and knots
- Zinsser Cover Stain
Check the label to make sure your primer and paint are compatible.
Apply a thin, even coat and let it dry for the full time on the can.
Paint Face Frames and Exposed End Panels
I recommend Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel. It levels out smoothly and holds up better than ordinary wall paint.
- Apply thin coats. Two or three thin coats look better and last longer than one heavy coat, which can drip and stay soft. A wet film mil gauge lets you check how thick each coat is going on while the paint is still wet.
- My rule: get it on, get it even, and get away from it. The longer wet paint sits untouched, the more it self-levels into a beautiful finish. Don't keep re-brushing it.
- Lightly sand between coats with a very fine grit and wipe off the dust.
- Respect the recoat time on the label.
- Know the difference between dry and cured. Paint can feel dry within hours but take much longer to fully harden. Your paint's label will give the cure time. Until then, go easy on it.
Paint the exposed end panels too, the sides of the cabinets you can see at the ends of a run.
Touch Up the Interiors
Clean the shelves, touch up worn edges, and consider shelf liners where things see heavy use. Interiors don't have to be perfect, just clean and sound.
Work Safely
- Ventilate well. Open windows and run a fan, especially with oil-based or solvent-based products.
- Wear a dust mask or respirator, safety glasses, and gloves. For extra protection from fine dust, try nose filters.
- If your home was built before 1978, the old finish could contain lead. Test before you sand, and follow EPA lead-safe practices if it does.
- Store oily rags safely according to the product label, since some can catch fire on their own.
When to Leave It to a Pro
Some situations call for a professional:
- Water damage or swollen particleboard
- Laminate, thermofoil, or other surfaces that paint may not stick to well
- A possible lead-paint finish
- You'd rather have a sprayed, factory-smooth finish
- You don't have the time or space to do it right
If any of those sound familiar, that's what an in-home estimate is for. I'll look at your boxes and face frames with you and talk through whether they need refinishing or veneer, and what makes sense for your kitchen.
Let's Talk About Your Kitchen
I'm Christopher Webb, a custom cabinetmaker serving San Angelo, Ballinger, Abilene, and the surrounding area. Through Reface Texas, I put new doors and drawer fronts on existing cabinet boxes. I also build replacement cabinets and ready-to-paint Shaker cabinets.
If you're thinking about refacing, book an in-home estimate. Call me at 325-895-2709 or email thewebbranch@gmail.com. You can also see more of my work on my Cabinetry page.
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