One of the most tiring and quite boring parts of refinishing or painting is the whole sanding session. If away was to be there that can make your paint and stain look better even without that daunting sanding need, it would have been so good. Well, to add glory to your pleasure, there is a way.
Yes, today we will be talking about how to stain kitchen cabinets without sanding. Now, this isn’t limited to your kitchen cabinets solely. However, for most of the cases, it’s cabinet in your cooking space we are talking about. Also, this process is not for old cabinets that have major scratches and dents. In such cases, it’s best to not avoid that mandatory sanding session. Or else, there will be no point in staining and painting.
Here’s How to Stain Kitchen Cabinets Without Sanding
Even if I already said that it’s very much possible to paint without sanding, I’m sure some of you are still not convinced. Look, here I’m referring to some specific scenarios where you can skip the sanding process. For example, if it’s about changing paint that was applied recently but you didn’t like it so decided to try something else. Or when the matter is about a wood cabinet that is raw and unvarnished.
However, if the cabinet comes with heavy damage as well as paint peeling off, then a light sanding session is required. The same goes for very shiny surfaces and coatings that are too glossy. Because then you are risking the whole paint bonding. If the door feels smooth enough (maybe not completely slick), then there’s no harm in skipping sanding. However, it’s best to still practice some preparing steps to fill the place of sanding needs.
A Good Preparation is Must
You’ll need a lot of things other than the stain itself. From Stainable wood filler to the application tools, supplies are surely quite important. But it’s also important to take care of a few preparations before actual application. Because usually, the reason why people end up getting a not-so-satisfied result is to begin roughly, without much preparation. Also, since you are not going to sand the cabinets, there’s a need for some additional things to make sure absence of sanding does not become too obvious.
The most important preparation is priming. Get a rough sponge and some mineral spirits. Use these two to clean the surface that you’ll stain. Also, go in a lightly scrubbing manner with the rough sponge. That will be a very light sanding session. This will make the wood cabinet material open up, even if it’s a slight amount. And also, it’s going to help the paint stick better by making area more grippy.
You also need to make sure the primer is a good one, not just anything random. Something capable of providing the grippy feel that paint needs. The primers that hide previous stains and dark colors are your best bet. Especially if you are willing to change a darker shade into a lighter one. Also, avoid primer that is meant for plaster walls. Bonding primers are what you need to get.
Other Supplies You’ll Need.
The need for picking a suitable stain or paint is also very critical to make this process work. You need to go for paint options that are good at withstanding heat as well as moisture. The formulas that include titanium dioxide pigment mainly will work best. The cheaper calcium carbonate options are however less appropriate.
You will also need grease-cutting soap. Make your own version with some vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Using vinegar directly for five minutes will also help. This will loosen up any hardened grease and help in the later process.
A gentle scrubber is going to help you with angled cabinet trim areas. Those pesky grease splatters can be easily removed. Just include a microfiber sponge for such needs.
And finally, the right type of paintbrush (go for 2.5 inches angled brush or tiny 4-6” rollers). Both for the primer and paint application, it’s best to find something suitable enough to apply evenly.
Staining Without Sanding – Process.
The main stuff to use here is a cabinet painting kit. You can go with your stain preference to get one. These also come with de-glosser. So that you can easily get rid of anything old such as paint or other stuff. Also, you can skip the primer if there’s a de-glosser in hand.
Start with a diagram of the cabinet that you will be staining. Make sure to mark each and every cabinet as well as drawer front. Go ahead and number them as well. You can then remove the drawer fronts as well as cabinet doors.
Now use some soap water mixture or your vinegar-water solution for cleaning. You want to give the cabinet surfaces as well as drawer’s front and doors a good cleaning with this. Make sure you don’t miss any greasy spots here.
Then you can detach any bumpers as well. You can work on each and every drawer serially, just make sure the numbering tape is helping you to track which one goes where. Use the scoring pad to apply de-glosser on the surface. These are even good at removing Wood kitchen table finish as well as cabinet old stains. Use another clean and dry rag for wiping the entire area. You want to apply in direction of the wood grain. Once the finish seems matte enough, stop and wait for an hour at least.
Now use some masking tape to cover areas that you don’t want the paint or stain to get on. Use a synthetic brush for applying the bond coat following grain’s direction. Focus on drippy edges and smooth them out before drying.
You also want to apply a bond coat to the frames of cabinet and wait for at least two hours for drying completely. after that, apply another coat and wait for two hours again. And finally, apply a topcoat that adds some protections well as shininess. Let it dry for at least half a day. Then you can put the hinges and pulls back onto cabinet. You can also replace things if old ones are worn out.
Wrap Up
And that was how to stain kitchen cabinets without sanding. You don’t have to spend a lot of time and energy in certain staining cases. And if you get across such situations, don’t waste hours by sanding. Just make sure that you’re not ignoring cabinets that are very old with heavy dents and scratches. Those are in need of intricate repairs. And you should not be throwing excuses for ignoring sanding in such scenarios.
