Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/27/2009

Question
I HATE my honey stained old oak cabinets but can't afford refacing or replacing so I thought I'd give painting a go.  I'm going for the French Country look (ivory cabinets with chocolatey glaze applied to the doors and drawers. I absolutely don;t want the atrocious oak grain to show through at all. My local paint store sold me Insl-X Odorless primer sealer.  These are the steps they recommended and I was wondering if it seems correct to you:

1- mix TSP/Bleach/water  and wash them down well and let dry for 24 hrs.
2- to NOT sand down the cabinets competely, just where the joints are noticable and any other noticeably rough parts.
3-Apply only one coat of the Insl-x primer which they said goes on thick to help hide the grain of oak.
4- Sand only the parts that need it, definitely not the entire project.
5- vacuum/tack cloth
6- apply ivory paint coat #1
7- Apply ivory paint coat #2
8- apply a gel satin only where I want it- which is along theedge the raised panels.  I don't want it seeping into crevices in the bases where the horzontal pieces meet the vertical ones or any other "construction type" joints.
Sound right?
One other thing: The existing hinges show on the outside and are an old tarnished/dirty hinge.  I'd prefer the European ones that don;t show but am unsure how difficult setting them up would be.  I do not have a drill press so would buy the bit tpo make the recessed hole and HOPE I don;t go too far.  And I'd have to pre-drill a bunch of holes for mounting the new hinges to the bases too.  It sounds like alot of work.  Do you know how tough that is? If I don;t replace the hinges, Can I spraypaint the existing hinges off-white.  I think leaving them as is in a very dark/dingy brown won;t look good on my freshly painted cabinets... your thoughts?
Thanks,
Sue


Answer
Hi Sue,

Although I'm unfamiliar with the finish you mentioned, the steps that you listed sound very reasonable to me. I think it's wise that they mention starting off with a good cleaning with TSP, otherwise, you may never get the finish to fully adhere to the wood. So I would follow their recommendations exactly; I think you'll be safe doing that.

As far as your hinges go, I wouldn't recommend retrofitting the doors with cup hinges. The problems you mentioned are many, and if you've never drilled doors, you might have some trouble with it. Yes, accidentally popping through the door is certainly a risk, and you may not even be able to find the proper hinge for the way the door overlays the cabinet. There are inset hinges, and half and full overlay hinges. You will have t know which one to buy, and it can be pretty confusing to pick them out.

Plus, once a cup hole is drilled in a door, you're pretty much stuck with only using that type of hinge. You don't know if you have enough wood on the stile to even accommodate a cup hinge, I think you would need 1 3/4" width at a minimum. So you can run into a lot of problems when switching over.

I would simply be easier, and more cost effective, to clean up and paint the old ones. I mean, the holes are already drilled for them, so it's just a matter of taking them off, cleaning them up and painting them, then reinstalling them. Be aware of this - there can be slight differences from hinge to hinge, so I would label them when you remove each one. I like to simply scratch a small number on the back side of them with something sharp, like a nail or an X-acto, to label them.

To clean them up, you could probably use some sort of paint thinner, just cleaning the grease off of them. Maybe TSP would work, too, but I wouldn't soak them. Sometimes hinges have a small rubber pad or something on them that the soaking might degrade. So wipe the grease and residue off them, let them dry, and then give them a few light coats with a spray paint. You may have to spray them closed, then open them and spray them while they're open, too, to coat all the surfaces. A few light coats are better than one heavy one.

After you paint them, you might want to apply a drop of oil to lubricate them. I wouldn't do it before you paint them, as the oil residue might keep the paint from sticking. Do it afterward, but be careful that you don't slop the oil all over them.

Good luck, Sue. What you're doing isn't really hard, it's just a lot of tedious work. If you take your time, I'm sure your cabinets will look fine when you're through. Think of all the money you'll be saving!

Write back if you need more help along the way, and I'll try to help.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com