Once your cabinets are clean and dry, use a 100 or 150-grit sandpaper to roughen up the surface of the cabinets. Cabinet paint won't adhere properly to a smooth or shiny surface. You don't need to completely remove the prior finish, just rough up the surface enough to give the primer something to stick to.
Don't Go Overboard on Sanding
But you don't need to sand to bare wood. If your cabinets have a factory finish, sand lightly with 120-grit sandpaper or a sanding sponge. If the surface is rough from a previous paint job or poor varnishing job, start with coarser 100-grit paper to remove bumps.
The risk you run with not sanding is that your new paint job will chip almost immediately after it's dried. For most experts, like Dan McRorie of Fitzwater Interiors, creating a smooth, even surface is the single most important part of the project—even if you're going from a stain to a color.
Can You Paint Over Cabinets Without Sanding? Skipping the sanding step is OK if you're making a change from one newly painted surface to another, or painting raw, unvarnished wood cabinets.
Your best bet is probably an orbital sander. You could hand sand your cabinet, but it will take a lot of elbow grease. You may even want to use both. An orbital sander can make quick work of the bulk of the cabinet door, but a sanding block or sanding sponge can help you cover any grooves or tight spots by hand.
Wood cabinets are ideal for painting, but any surface that can be scuffed with sandpaper can be painted. Laminate cabinets require a special bonding primer. The laminate must be in good condition for best results. A gloss finish will make your cabinets sheen, but it may show a lot of dings or mistakes.
Proper cleaning, deglossing, and using good-quality cabinet paint are key to painting cabinets without sanding. What happens if you don't sand cabinets before painting? If you don't sand cabinets before painting, at worst the paint will chip or peel. At best, the paint will remain solid and durable for years.
But sanding all those cabinet fronts is laborious, messy, and leaving it out could save you both time and energy without compromising the paint job.
Paint the cabinet boxes
If you're using roughly the same shade as the existing color, two coats ought to do the job. You might even get away with one. Painting over a dark finish with a light color is tougher and could require three coats. Break out a new brush for each coat.
Clean Surfaces
Start this process by scrubbing your cabinets to get rid of any grease or residue. Clean all of the surfaces to be repainted with a solution made from one part trisodium phosphate and four parts water. Rinse, but do not soak the cabinets. Allow them to dry thoroughly before applying paint.
Then, hang it next to your backsplash and appliances to make sure it really works. Whether you're using a paint sprayer or brush, start with the doors and drawers; they take the longest, since you need to paint both sides and let them fully dry in between the two top coats.
Chalk paints have become an increasingly popular choice for kitchen and bathroom cabinets thanks to their superior coverage, low VOCs, and durability. Many people view chalk paint as one of the best paints for cabinets, as it requires little to no prep work before you can get started.
The initial condition of the surface will determine what exactly will happen if you don't sand before painting. A clean, smooth, not glossy surface will take paint well. However paint can feel rough, streak, peel, chip, or even not adhere if not sanded first.
Sand Cabinets to Prepare for Painting
Use a fine-grit sandpaper and sand until the wood is smooth to the touch. Use a shop vac to remove any visible dust. Then, be sure to wipe away any remaining dust or debris with a clean cloth before moving on to the next step.
DecoArt Satin Enamel Cabinet Paint
In the past, if you wanted to paint cabinets or furniture, you had to strip, sand and generally kill yourself getting a good surface ready to paint on. Now, with DecoArt's Satin Enamel paints, you don't need to do any of that.
You don't have to remove the cabinet doors to repaint them, so leave them on their hinges if you're not going to replace them. However, it is easier to paint the cabinet's façade with the doors off. You can paint the hinges to match the cabinets or mask them with painter's tape to keep them as they are.
Always sand down before applying any layer of paint. Sanding can remove any stray brush marks and smooth the surface so that your next layer of paint coats smoothly.
Woods high in tannins may require sealing first, but all species of stained wood can be painted, including hardwoods and softwoods, and even grasses like wicker and rattan. Previously stained furniture and home elements (doors, trim, cabinetry) will accept paint, with the latter sometimes requiring a deep clean first.
Sand your cabinets
You can sand by hand if you like, but your arms will probably get pretty tired. Painted cabinets should get a thorough sanding with 120-grit paper, but no matter the finish, do a final pass with 220-grit.
A survey of four woodworkers and four home-improvement editors in “The Family Handyman” yielded the unanimous answer that a random orbital sander works best for finishing cabinets.