First, avoid storing anything too heavy in your upper cabinets so you don’t risk them falling off the wall. You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to update your kitchen without tearing out your old cabinets and completely remodeling. By repainting the cabinets and installing new doors, you can achieve a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new cabinets.
Most homeowners will spend anywhere from 14% to 41% of the total kitchen budget on cabinets, according to The Spruce. Nothing should come between you and your first cup of coffee. Especially hard-water deposits, residue, and other gunk that can build up over time in your coffee maker. That crud jams up the works of your coffee maker, slows brewing down, and impacts the taste of your morning brew. Don’t worry—this is one of those jobs that only needs to be done once a month. But getting rid of the gunk that can clog your dishwasher filters, sprayers, and drains is crucial to getting the most dish-cleaning power from your machine.
Ordering doors and hinges: How to make a complex job easy
We finished our doors with one coat of prestain conditioner, one coat of oil stain, and two coats of polyurethane varnish. The prestain conditioner helps prevent uneven stain penetration on blotchy woods like cherry, pine and birch. Lightly sand and vacuum between varnish coats for maximum smoothness.
Photo 3: Measure drawer and door sizes
Some people are OK with this and think of the blemishes as a patina. But if you want your pure-white marble countertops to stay that way, you’ll need to be extremely fastidious. “In our tests, granite has fended off knife cuts, scratches and heat, making for a highly durable work surface,” says Alec Scherma, test engineer at the Good Housekeeping Institute. But as with quartz, edges and corners can chip, so it’s worth considering a rounded edge if your kitchen gets a lot of use. Wipe counters with a nonabrasive sponge or cloth dipped in warm water and mild dishwashing liquid.
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If this describes your cabinets, dip an old toothbrush into your cleaning solution and use it to gently scrub those hard-to-reach spots. Don’t forget the crevices around the cabinet handles or knobs, and the edges of the cabinet doors, which can be tricky to reach with a rag.
Then for faster coverage of the end panels and fewer ridges to sand off, pick up a 3-1/2 in. Sand the spackling compound flush to the cabinet surface with 120-grit sandpaper after it dries. Depending on temperature and humidity, drying time will vary from a few hours to overnight. Look for areas needing additional filling and reapply spackling if necessary. Allow 90 minutes’ drying time before troweling a thin layer of spackling compound over the entire surface to fill holes, imperfections and wood grain pores. Deep holes will require a second coat after the first dries. Determining the spacing between doors is basically a design decision, but there are a few things to consider.
When you’re done painting, pick up the door by the screw and one hook and hang both hooks on a sturdy clothes hanger. As you go along, wipe up any paint that ends up on adjacent dry surfaces to eliminate the chance of lap marks. With a spray can of fast-drying oil-based primer, spot-prime the spackle and any spots where the sandpaper has “burned through” the primer. Vacuum the cabinets inside and out to make sure no bits of dust mar the finish, then rub them down with a tack cloth for extra measure. A successful paint job lies in diligent prep work, and the first few steps are focused on prepping the room and cabinets for painting. Prevent an avalanche of food storage containers every time you open your cupboard door.
Attach the optional face frame to the front of the cabinet. With the front of your cabinet facing up, squeeze wood glue onto the top sides of your cabinet to provide a little hold.
