Refinishing old cabinets

[spiderclimber]

Hello All,

So I have a project I want to complete for the wife. Our kitchen needs some upgrades but budget is restricting buying new cabinets yet. So the option is to maybe refinish the old ones, depending on how hard the process is.

The cabinets we have are from the 50s or 60s. They are solid 3/4" plywood with a shellac or urethane finish to them. How do I take them from the shiny well slightly dulled finish to a white painted finish (what the wife would like if we are stuck with these for a few years)

I am just not sure of if I have to sand them down to bare wood, rough up the surface, don't even attempt it, etc.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping to get to this in the next 60 days or so, after I finish my parade float

[pennview]

I'm sure you'll get plenty of input on how to refinish the cabinets. What I'd do if there are any signs of the original finish peeling or flaking is strip the original finish off the cabinets using a chemical stripper before repainting. I doubt the finish is shellac, but if it is you can use alcohol to strip it. If the finish is still in very good shape, you can use TSP to clean and prep it for repainting.

[holsgo]

I agree that you should start with TSP, followed by a good drying. Then, depending on the existing finish sanding and filling starts. I actually have used auto body filler to fill missing finish if I am painting. All I have done in the past is, considering a poly finish or paint finish already on the cabinets, sand using 300+ to give the previous finish tooth. Finally, I use oil based paint. Heck, I use oil based paint for everything, it's just more durable.

[spiderclimber]

I planned on using a wood primer (oil base) and then topping it with an acrylic latex, which I am assuming at this point will be white but whatever the wife decides is good enough for me.

Any suggestions on the brand of TSP to use? I have seen alot of them out there and don't know if one is better than another.

I will have some filling to do as the old hardware is going away and they are funky screw holes which can't be matched. The finish overall is good, not peeling or anything, just dulled and lifeless. And it still looks like plywood which it is so I need to get a solid color on instead, hence the paint.

You are probably right that it isn't shellac. I just don't know what they would have used then. My guess is an oil based poly of some sort.

[Ed in Tampa]

Your biggest problem is getting off years of cooking vapor ( said that instead of grease to be nice )

Most any TSP will work one is as good as another. The problem then becomes getting the paint to stick. I redid so door in my house. I cleaned them, lightly sanded them and painted them with paint that claimed to have primer built in. Paint is dry but if you want you cn pick a chip off. So I tried cleaning, sanding, painting with primer then the paint. Know what it is harder but you can still pick the paint off.

I don't know what it is but after 30 years the finish on these door will not take paint permanently. If I was going to do it again I would strip the doors. Not so much to get the old paint off but to etch it so the new primer/paint will stick.

My advice take a drawer, or cabine door and play with it.
Try cleaning it, lightly sanding it and painting it. If the paint has the durability you want great!
If not try cleaning it, lightly sanding it and priming it and then painting it. You might even try a few primerss. If one of them work great !
If all else fails try wiping on a stripper, not so much to remove all the finish but rather to heavily etch the finish, clean them real good (make sure the stirpper is neutralized), prime and paint.
See what happens. Best of luck to you.

Ps found if I acetoned/napha the doors, used a really good primer and then painted the finish was durable enough for me. But acetone/napha combo was nasty. I would go back to a gentle stripper.

[charlese]

....I will have some filling to do as the old hardware is going away and they are funky screw holes which can't be matched. The finish overall is good, not peeling or anything, just dulled and lifeless. And it still looks like plywood which it is so I need to get a solid color on instead, hence the paint.

You are probably right that it isn't shellac. I just don't know what they would have used then. My guess is an oil based poly of some sort.

As the finish is still intact and only dull, probably caused by wear and air born grease - I can't see the need for stripping. Assuming the doors are flat, with no panels, a simple LIGHT sanding with 220 will produce a good base for acrylic latex paint. You can try this method on a most non-visible door before jumping in on the major job. If the trial doesn't work, then consider stripping.

If you have 3 1/4 " knob holes, you may be able to find pulls that will cover one of the holes. This way there will be no need for filling.

[pennview]

TSP is all the same -- tri sodium phosphate. They make a substitute for TSP, but get the real thing.

The old finish likely is lacquer.

My preference is for oil-based paint on woodwork. Acrylic seems to go on too thick and therefore prone to chipping. Again, it's just my preference.

[dan1999]

If it is shellac then it will come off with alcohol,
If it is Urethane then it will come off with minerals spirits,
If it is lacquer which I don't think it is because most kitchen at that time didn't use lacquer then use lacquer thinner. Remember lacquer thinner will remove darn near any finish, especially if it is industrial grade

Try a small drawer and start in the above order but only in small spot. don't overlap, this is only to find out what the previous finish was.

When I am having a problem getting paint to stick I the surface a light coat of shellac, let it dry and then put on a primer.

Try the shellac coat on a separate piece of wood as an experiment to test my method.


My two cents worth

[spiderclimber]

Thanks for the replies all.

The hinges are funny shaped because they are supposed to look like the old wrought iron hinges you would see on a fence, long skinny triangles. The pulls on the other hand can be covered up with new ones. So I have a few holes which will need filled, not a big deal. I will experiment with a drawer and see what happens. I understand about the paint not sticking. I had the issue on a few door frames when we first moved in. Not something I painted but a fresh coat the previous owner put on and didn't do right. I have so much woodwork to fix it is over welming.

Well, off to work on the float. Keep throwing information out there for me. I am trying to absorb as much as I can.

[berry]

If you can't afford to purchase new cabinets, do what I did - design and build your own. It took me four years (working full time) but it was great fun!

It's a lot less expensive than buying but way more expensive than paint. On the other hand you spread the cost out over the time needed to do the work.

I think with SketchUp it would have gone much faster.

Good luck.