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Brush & Roll Painting’s Proven Cabinet Refinishing Process

July 7th, 2023 | 4 min read

By Kaylea Kuhlman

At Brush & Roll Painting in Omaha, NE, we take pride in our thorough cabinet refinishing prep work process and the high-quality products that make cabinets smooth and durable. We know after serving customers for over 25 years that our process is one of the major things that sets us apart from our competitors.

Watch the video below to see the cabinet refinishing process in our shop.

Like other painting companies in Omaha, we aren’t in and out of your house in a few days. We take our time to ensure quality. We spend about a week preparing your kitchen and working on the cabinet boxes. We will spend about 1 more week finishing cabinet doors and drawers. 

Besides excellent communication and responsible workers who are proud to work in your home, this article will tell you what to expect from the Brush & Roll Painting cabinet refinishing process. 

 

Home Cabinet Painting

Golden oak doors in home labeled before painting.

Upon entering homes for cabinet refinishing projects, our first task is to remove all of the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. These are labeled and carefully packaged for transportation in our van to go to our shop. 

Next, we tape down paper and plastic to protect anything that does not need to be painted; floors, countertops, tile, and appliances.

We can then begin our prep work process on the cabinet boxes. 

Prep Work Before Painting Cabinets

Brush & Roll Painting employee cleaning golden oak cabinet door before painting.Having a solid foundation is crucial. It’s like building a house, applying primer and foundation for makeup, a base coat for manicures, or laying sturdy building blocks as a child. 

A lasting and durable cabinet refinishing job begins with extensive prep work. This is about 60-70% of our total work.

We start with a thorough cleaning to ensure we have a fresh start. If the wood is not thoroughly cleaned, it guarantees issues with the finish down the road.

We then sand the cabinet boxes for smoothness and to ensure the proper adhesion for the primer. The same is being done at our shop for your cabinet doors & drawer fronts.

Rest assured, sanding can sound like a messy nightmare in your kitchen, but we work to make this dust free as possible and clean up after ourselves each day.

Painting Cabinets with 2K Poly

Brush & Roll Painting painter spray painting white paint on cabinet doors.

After thorough prep work, products can begin to be applied. Like the walls of a house or coats of nail polish, every layer of a product should be durable. 

In the home, primer and paint (a 2K polyurethane mixture) are applied to the cabinet boxes by spraying or brushing. We typically brush cabinets boxes, unless a customer specifically requests spraying. 

When we spray cabinet boxes, your kitchen could turn into a construction zone, so we only do this if a homeowner prefers this, usually they are out of town while we are working.

In the shop, we have a more extensive process for the cabinet doors and drawers. Cabinet doors and drawers are used much more often and need to be able to handle more wear and tear.

From the resurfacer to the final coat, all of the layers are applied with quality and care on both sides of the wooden drawers and doors. 

Applying a Resurfacer & Primer

We begin with one coat of an isolante resurfacer or a bonding primer. This is a product we strongly believe in, but know is not commonly used in the industry, due to its high quality and cost. This product is chemical and abrasion resistant. It creates the perfect layer between the clean cabinet wood and durable layers of primers and a 2K polyurethane mixture.

After the coat of the resurfacer, 2 to 3 coats of Milesi’s stain-blocking primer are applied. This further ensures durability and adhesion to the final top layers to block any stains that threaten the surface. 

More Sanding

At Brush & Roll Painting, our thorough process includes sanding between each layer. This gives the next layer proper adhesion to the previous one with a smooth surface.

We use 180, 220, or 320 grits while sanding. 180 provides rougher sand on rigid surfaces. 220 is about an average sand. 320 is light sand, providing a smooth surface with minimal work. 

Applying the Finish

We do not use woodwork or acrylic paint or cabinet paint from the hardware store on cabinets. From our research, trial and error, and years of experience in homes across the Omaha metro, we know cabinet paint is not a durable layer for cabinets. In spite of its name, it just will not hold up for long.

These products tend to get soft quickly, especially in most touched areas like around the handles or knobs.

Because of this, we have found our number one cabinet refinishing product to be Milesi. Milesi is a 2K polyurethane and can be mixed with pigment, stain, or tone, to create durable layers on cabinet doors. This product was originally created for floors and cars, so it has been groundbreakingly durable for the wood coating industry.

This product is only recommended for professionals, as it must be mixed and used within a certain time. This product is moisture, abrasion, and chemical resistant.

We apply 2-3 layers of the Milesi mixture.  These layers guarantee complete coverage; it also helps protect cabinets from chemicals and gives a furniture-like finish.

Final Touches

After the finish has dried and gone through our quality control process, it is carefully wrapped up to be transported to your home. The cabinet doors and drawers will have bumpers installed on them to protect any damage from occuring when they are opened and closed.

Once the doors are installed back onto the cabinets we will attach your old or new hardware. When you are available, we will do a walk through with you to ensure you are happy with the results. We will also snap a quick picture and then let you enjoy your cabinet transformation!

There may be a sweet treat in your future as well. 😉

Warranty for Cabinet Painting

Kitchen with white cabinets and countertops, backsplash and walls.Every cabinet painting project of ours comes with a 9-year warranty. This warranty covers yearly hour-long touch-ups covering not only any product failure but also any damage that may have happened. 

Let’s face it, with as much time as you spend in your kitchen, mishaps are bound to happen. Did your kiddo come tearing through on that scooter you’ve told them a hundred times not to ride in the house? Yep. We will fix that ding. Did you close a drawer with that potato smasher in the way and not you’ve gouged the edge? It’s ok. We will get that too.

We honor the time it takes to ensure that your cabinets look great for as long as possible, and want you to get the most value for your investment!

Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets

Our process will ensure quality and durability for years. We know painting cabinets is an investment in your home, so we don't take that lightly. We hope this article can put your worries at ease when it comes to your cabinet refinishing project.

If you have yet to schedule an estimate with Brush & Roll Painting, click the button below to get your project started.

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Kaylea Kuhlman

Kaylea is the Brush & Roll Painting Content Manager.