Redecorating Your Wood or Laminate Kitchen Cabinet Doors

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When your kitchen is ready for a new design and style, but you don’t have a tremendous budget to go with it, refinishing kitchen cabinet doors can accomplish the change in color and overall look that you need, without the cost of completely replacing the cabinetry.  Fortunately, changing the look of kitchen cabinet doors is also not very difficult to do.  You simply need a modest budget and enough time in which to accomplish the task.  A few days is normally more than enough, as long as you’re organized and maintain a positive attitude. 

Of course, the material of your cabinetry will help to determine how you will be accomplishing this goal.  Therefore, it is important to first identify what type of  materials you have so that you can outline your kitchen cabinet doors project.  The following will let you know the basics of how to successfully accomplish the right treatment for both wood and laminate cabinetry.

Giving new life to wood kitchen cabinet doors

Depending on the final result that you want from your kitchen cabinet doors, this can take quite a bit of elbow grease, but it is not very difficult to do.  The results can be quite stunning even if you’ve never done it before.  After removing the doors, and drawers (they’ll need to match), you’ll need to remove the hardware and prep the surfaces that you’ll be painting, staining, or otherwise changing. Don’t forget to include the face frames around the kitchen cabinet doors, as well. 

Using a paint or varnish stripping product – usually made of a very strong chemical – apply it according to the manufacturer’s directions.  Once the old finish is gone, the next step is to clean all of those kitchen cabinet doors using tridsodium phosphate (TSP).  This will help to remove any residues left behind and will help the new paint to adhere.

Sand the wood gently with sand paper, starting with 100 grit.  Go over it with a 150 grit once you’re done, and then repeat with 220 grit which will allow you to remove all of the marks from the sanding.  This will give you a surface with enough quality for a wood finish for your kitchen cabinet doors.  Don’t forget to only sand with the grain and use mineral spirits on the surface to check for marks that need additional sanding and that will show up with staining.

Once that’s done, you’re ready to stain or paint the surfaces.  Since it’s impossible to completely remove an old color or stain, it’s better to either try to be close to the old stain or to work with a darker color instead of lighter.  If you’ll be painting, don’t forget to use a primer first, and use several coats of paint that have been lightly sanded with a fine grit sandpaper in between.

If you’re going to be giving your kitchen cabinet doors a wood finish, don’t forget to seal it to stop the color from yellowing. Two coats should be enough.

Reusing your laminate kitchen cabinet doors for a new look

Laminate is not quite the same as wood and will need a different kind of treatment.  Begin by removing and cleaning the kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and cleaning the face frames. 

As with wood, you should sand the laminate, but use only a 220 grit sandpaper and sand only in a single direction.  Make sure to remain consistent with that direction among all of the surfaces.  Wipe down the surfaces to remove the dust and make sure that they are completely dry before starting the next step.

With a roller or paint brush, apply the first coat of paint.  Make sure to use a product that is specifically designed for this type of task.  Speak with someone from the paint store or the home reno store to find out exactly what you should be using, and follow the directions provided by the manufacturer of that product.  Sand lightly between coats. 

These surfaces don’t need to be sealed.

Both wood and laminate kitchen cabinet doors are different but can be changed in similar ways to bring your kitchen up to date for an entirely new look and style.

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